I hope Rivendell is reading some of these threads and that they will design bikes that are more accessible to the female of the species. Like the Susie. Typically we women don’t have the upper body strength of men, and we tend to be lighter. So, when people say “make the bike lighter, focus on the engine” it doesn’t do me any good.
Actually, this came up just yesterday. The boys have surrogate grandparents here in Vegas. They are a lovely couple in their mid-70s who don’t have grandchildren and so have claimed my boys. This couple is active and they like to ride their bikes together. Yesterday the wife called me and she asked me where I got my bike and how did I find that company? She wants to get her bars up higher and she wants a lighter bike. I was so deflated because there is not one Riv I could recommend to her - she is maybe 5’2” and 105 pounds. I cannot see her on a Clem L or a Cheviot because they are just too unwieldy. She doesn’t want a diamond frame, so the Roadini is out. She is not going to spend $6k on a custom. They take their bikes on their bike rack and we have really steep hills here and I just know the Clem/Cheviot are not the right choice for her. I love Rivendell best of all bikes in existence but I cannot recommend a Rivendell to her. I’d like to see a little more diversity in the Riv lineup so that it would be more inclusive. I know who the customer base is and that I’m in the minority, and that’s fine, but there are more people like me and Roberta and Melanie and Ann now, and it would be nice to buy Rivs that we don’t have to beat into submission to accommodate our female-ness. I hope that didn’t come off as harsh. I don’t mean it to be. I really want Rivendell to do well; I love that company. I’d like to see it grow. Leah Sent from my iPad > On Apr 8, 2020, at 9:05 AM, Melanie <[email protected]> wrote: > > > James and Roberta - what lighter 650B wheels are you recommending? > >> On Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 12:02:00 AM UTC-4, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! >> wrote: >> I’m not fully committing to this yet. Roberta and I get into trouble because >> we talk on Marco Polo and then we get ideas and then we like each other’s >> ideas and the next thing we know our wallets are on fire. >> >> So, I am ordering a Cheviot, and I am spending extra $ to build it with >> light parts. But that bike is a long way off, months, in fact. Meanwhile, >> Roberta is giving her beloved Appaloosa a makeover and it is getting lots of >> new parts and she’s having all the fun. And since we’re #Rivsisters and I’m >> like that little sister who wants what her sister has, I want to explore >> what it would take to lighten up my Clem L, which is my only bike at >> present, and which is quite heavy. You’ll have heard me mention this in >> Joe’s What Is A Cheviot thread. If my Clem could lose a little weight it >> would be the most perfect bike anyone could dream up. A Susie version of >> Clems would be just so ideal - someone should tell Riv. >> >> Anyway, if I got aluminum Bosco bars, and new wheels (don’t ask me what >> kind, how would I know?) would this make my bike feel considerably lighter? >> I don’t think I can give up my front derailleur because I use it for Killer >> Hill. And what if I wanted to add dyno while I was at it? Would that negate >> my weight savings? Also, I’m keeping my racks; I can’t part with those. >> Maybe I’m not the best candidate for this... >> >> Has anyone built a Clem up with lighter parts? Does it make a big >> difference? As in, is it worth the money? >> >> Thanks! >> Leah > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google > Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this topic, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/5DfZJEj-hqw/unsubscribe. > To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to > [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/8fda7967-1230-43e1-adba-99fe894d4107%40googlegroups.com. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1D0053AC-E6B7-4727-840A-4F4789DA9744%40gmail.com.
