I did no touring with my blue model, but I did carry many sizeable rear loads (Tubus Fly rack in case it makes a difference) and the Ram performed well with rear loads up to about 35 lb. More than that and the handling started to get a bit "wandery" but it did as well as the 2003 custom, which probably had stouter tubes, that I am presently debating whether to keep or to sell. IME, it's not always the stouter-tubed bikes that carry loads -- at least rear loads -- best, but those that have the right combination (I suppose) of tubing, geometry, and of course a good rack.
On Wed, Sep 9, 2020 at 1:57 PM Mike Godwin <spokenhu...@gmail.com> wrote: > When the Rambouillets first were advertised in the planning works, do you > guys recall who (Ted King?) did a dirt ride parallel to I-80 through the > Humboldt Basin / Lake Lahontan (east of Reno) on a Rambouillet? That got me > interested in the bike. The same test bike was on the floor at Riv, Grant > loaned it to me for a weekend. I rode it on pavement and through various > parts of dirt trails on Mt Diablo. I eventually got RB005, a pre-production > version. It fits 36 mm wide tires (actual) and would probably safely accept > up to 40 mm wide tires. I did grocery runs on it, but never loaded touring > with front and rear racks. Very capable multipurpose bikes. So that was > the origin of my question, they are capable of handling different riding > conditions and uses, but loaded down, it seems they can handle front and > rear loads too. > > Mike SLO CA > > On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 10:53:28 AM UTC-7, Ben Mihovk wrote: > >> By any chance, did you buy the one off eBay being sold by Walter? I >> messaged him a few times about the bike and decided I needed something a >> little more rugged, but man...that bike was very tempting. >> >> On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 10:00:23 AM UTC-5 mpc...@gmail.com >> wrote: >> >>> I personally just purchased a Ram that was sitting in a garage looking >>> beautiful but not being used. I've been wondering how hard I can push it, >>> especially on dirt/gravel. So, Andy, thank you for your insight here. The >>> more I read the more I'm gleaning that this bike should NOT be too heavily >>> loaded. >>> >>> On Monday, September 7, 2020 at 6:48:46 AM UTC-4 Fullylugged wrote: >>> >>>> The Ram was intended for lightish touring and it does that well. >>>> Handling with any kind of front load depends a lot on the handlebar type >>>> and stem length used. I toured with the stock Nitto Noodles. I used a >>>> Mark's rack with P-Clamps and a small Baggins bag with up to 5 lbs in it. I >>>> also used a Duluth Candy roll handlebar bag for lightweight, want quick >>>> access to stuff, like lip protector, my phone, etc. Mostly, supplies went >>>> into 2 Nashbar panniers on a lightweight aluminum rear rack. That was to >>>> keep the center of gravity lower. Rain jacket and pants, helmet cover was >>>> in a large Baggins bag on top of the rack. I had a Keven's bag under the >>>> saddle with tire change stuff. The bike was a little rear heavy that way. >>>> handling was fine, but picking up and carrying was different. I have almost >>>> always ridden the same 32 mm Paselas that were original issue. >>>> >>>> These days, that bike is re-configured as my Townie/Sunday Cruiser but >>>> still has a rack in back and a Baggins bag on top. >>>> >>>> Bruce >>>> >>>> -- > 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5fb9cdc5-8868-45aa-90cd-91a92c5c038bo%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5fb9cdc5-8868-45aa-90cd-91a92c5c038bo%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum -- 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgu1qBqieM3-TMdpZZHZKp63ST-EM83OmYmLQ64fQDZW5Q%40mail.gmail.com.
