The Appaloosa is a bike that is capable of more tire width than the Sam. Between the two and after seeing those pics, you'd be better off with an Appaloosa than the Sam. I mean, sure...you could ride them on a Sam, but would it be fun? You just have to ask yourself that.
*"Rivendell SAM HILLBORNE* *FOR ALL ROADS— paved, dirt, or gravel; and the kinds of fire trails a Conestoga wagon could negotiate, but not the kind that would require a jackass. If you're skilled and have good judgement and fattish knobby tires, you can ride the SAM where you shouldn't. Stick with what it's designed for: all the above, and **ROAD TOURING, ROAD SHOPPING, and ROAD COMMUTING.* *The Sam is a versatile road and light trail bike." * That's part of the description for the Sam on rivbike.com and I would say it is pretty accurate. "Clearance for 54mm tires. Mine have about 43mm tires on them, and I’ve ridden it this way on the second rockiest road on Mt. Tamalpais, and down Repack, too. If you don’t have any of our bikes and you kind of want to get one, the Appaloosa is as good a choice as any. I’d put 50mm tires on it, some kind of roadish or combo tread." That's part of the Appaloosa description. The Appaloosa has more tire clearance; on my size 51 with 650b wheels/cliffhanger rims, I can get a Schwalbe G-one in 60mm on the bike. It doesn't have much mud clearance with those tires but it will fit. I bet the most you can realistically use on the Sam is a 48mm tire...unless the clearances have changed since I had mine. I rode my Sam with 38mm Pari Motos and the bike rode great, but it would be a chore to ride it over rocky stuff like that second picture. I sometimes take a cyclocross bike out and ride really busted up jeep trails. It's fun and an adventure, but I'm definitely underbiked for such terrain on the bike. It wasn't a ride I did terribly often with the cyclocross bike because at the end of it I was pretty sore. Way more comfortable riding that route on my Trek Fuel or my Niner Sir9. A solid selling point for Rivendell bikes is the amazing versatility of the bikes. You do not have to pigeonhole a Sam into a "light trail bike" if you don't want to and the same goes for the Appalooosa. good luck with the decision... Ryan - and I realize I misspelled Appaloosa up there...not even gonna change it. ; ) On Saturday, December 26, 2020 at 9:52:12 AM UTC-6 philipr...@gmail.com wrote: > But to quote their own website "Appaloosa > <https://www.rivbike.com/collections/framesets/products/2017-appaloosa-frameset> > - > Road touring bike with long, stable geometry" > > On Saturday, December 26, 2020 at 9:34:53 AM UTC-6 Nathan Mattia wrote: > >> Ok, with those trails the Joe might do you better than the Sam. >> You’ll just have to figure out the best stem combo for your drops. >> >> -Nathan Mattia >> >> “I saw a tiger. Now I understand. I saw a tiger and the tiger saw a man.” >> >> On Dec 26, 2020, at 8:47 AM, Philip Barrett <philipr...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Still chewing on this cud! When I spoke to Riv they recommended the >> Appaloosa too, however isn't that more touring orientated (per Riv's own >> website)? Forgive the stock photos but these are the actual trails I will >> be riding in addition to the A roads thru farm tracks. >> >> <xcampervan-scotland-306.jpg> >> >> <5-of-the-Best-Wild-Mountain-Bike-Rides-in-Scotland-1.jpg> >> >> >> On Wednesday, December 23, 2020 at 1:34:11 PM UTC-6 Matthew Williams >> wrote: >> >>> Welcome to the group, Philip! >>> >>> Before I got my Appaloosa, I rode a 1985 Stumpjumper. The Stumpjumper >>> was the modern, big-boy version of my old Schwinn and rode like a sports >>> car--it was wonderfully responsive and nimble, and was perfect for someone >>> with a spirited style of riding, but as I got older I realized my riding >>> style had changed. >>> >>> When I began researching bikes, I test-drove the Atlantis, the A. Homer >>> Hilsen, the Sam Hillborne, and the Appaloosa. The AHH and the Sam had a >>> light "road-and-town" country feel, while the Appaloosa and Atlantis felt >>> like heavier cruiser/touring bikes. I bought an Atlantis frame for a build, >>> but then I found a complete ride-ready Appaloosa so I sold the Stumpjumper >>> and the Atlantis. >>> >>> I didn't fully appreciate the Appaloosa's design until I rode it >>> immediately after riding the Stumpjumper--of the two, I much prefer the >>> Appaloosa's cruiser-like ride to the Stumpjumper's dirt-bike quickness. The >>> Appaloosa's ride is perfect for my nearly-upright style of running errands, >>> and long-distance rides on roads and dirt. I'm also tall, with long legs, >>> so the Appaloosa's longer wheelbase and lower center of gravity are welcome >>> upgrades from the sporty bikes I rode in my younger days. >>> >>> Ultimately I think you'll be happy with the Appaloosa, AHH, Sam, or >>> Atlantis for the rides you're describing. Please keep us posted, and send >>> photos--the west coast of Scotland sounds like a fantastic trip! >>> >>> >>> >>> On Dec 3, 2020, at 6:03 AM, Philip Barrett <philipr...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> New to this group, I actually currently own & ride a Grant Peterson bike >>> already (Bridgestone MB-1) plus a CIOCC road bike but am interested in >>> something more dual purpose. The area the bike will be used primarily is >>> the West Coast of Scotland = narrow, rutted B & C-roads, fast A-Roads & >>> graded dirt tracks with lots of rain & wind thrown in for good measure. I >>> like to ride as "spirited" as my late-50s legs will allow, am most >>> comfortable on the hoods & I may eventually do some minimalist bikepacking >>> overnights. >>> >>> From looking at the Rivendell range it would seem that the Sam Hillborne >>> or Homer Hilsen would be a good fit, however the Riv folks also recommended >>> the Appaloosa. >>> >>> I'd love to hear some opinions on this from the folks that own them & >>> thanks in advance for any advice you can give. >>> >>> <Screen Shot 2020-12-03 at 8.03.40 AM.png> >>> >>> -- >>> 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-bun...@googlegroups.com. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/2f5fc75e-0d42-4efe-86b8-aad2faa896f8n%40googlegroups.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/2f5fc75e-0d42-4efe-86b8-aad2faa896f8n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >>> >>> <Screen Shot 2020-12-03 at 8.03.40 AM.png> >>> >>> -- >> >> 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/9jHGpZgcUIE/unsubscribe >> . >> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >> rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/7bc9df5e-61bc-451a-8972-10154a7bd39bn%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/7bc9df5e-61bc-451a-8972-10154a7bd39bn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> <xcampervan-scotland-306.jpg> >> <5-of-the-Best-Wild-Mountain-Bike-Rides-in-Scotland-1.jpg> >> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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