Just went full Hilli with my Clem, replacing some 2.25 G-One Allrounds with a 2.6 Mezcal (actual 2.55) in back and a 2.6 Nobby Nic (actual 2.4) in the front. Might as well be a new bike - can’t say enough good things about the Clem! Rode some technical singletrack today and had a blast! Some observations that may be helpful to others thinking of going full MTB with their Hillies:
-Clutch derailleur is going on asap! Dropped my chain thrice on chunky decents. In this context I think clutch easily trumps rapidrise -Clem BB is lower than I’m used to (coming from FS 26”), even with the big 2.6 tires. Not a showstopper, but had more pedal strikes than I’m used to. -Alba/dirt drop combo was surprisingly great; no slippage to report, but I will probably tilt them down a bit next time to take some pressure off my wrists; I’m going to try Soma Ospreys next, but the swept back position combined with the long chainstays was incredibly confidence-inspiring. I let loose on a downhill jump line and the bike never came close to bucking me or forcing me airborne. Was still able to book it :) -Big tires fit! The Mezcal 2.6 is huge. Probably too big for the rear (maybe), but it doesn’t rub on my Cliffhanger with a tube. No chain rub either using the new Riv 7s cassette. The Schwalbe 2.6 is way smaller, seems par for the course with Schwalbes though. Don’t give up on your Clem until you’ve maxed out the tires and dropped the pressure to 20ish or less! On Friday, October 21, 2022 at 8:13:50 PM UTC-4 rmro...@gmail.com wrote: > Paul, just re-reading your post & looking at the pics. The G-Ones? Is that > your tire of choice for the trails you ride? I expected something more > aggressive but I bet they roll fast? > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Oct 20, 2022, at 11:43 AM, Paul Clifton <paulgc...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > I ride my Gus as my primary mountain bike. I have ridden a Rosco Bebe, and > MTBubbe, a Jones and a full suspension Knolly Warden on the same trails for > several years. All of then except for the Jones use 27.5 wheels: max tire > sizes = MTBubbe and Rosco Bebe 2.35", Jones 29x3", Knolly 2.5", Gus 2.8". I > didn't measure those, that's the nominal size of tire I run on them. > > Of them all, the Gus is my favorite for everything short of black diamond > downhill. I also don't jump or drop anymore (or for the time being) so on > blue/black flow trails, I brake over the table tops and roll around the > gaps. > > The Rosco Bebe and MTBubbe are similar to a Clem L in a lot of ways. The > Bebe has shorter chainstays, a 68 degree seat tube, and a longer effective > top tube, so it requires Bosco bars. The MTBubbe is a relatively short bike > in terms of modern Rivs, and it's extremely agile, yet stable. Like an old > school MTB but without the endo potential and twitchy handling. They are > both totally capable of handling all trails, and I've even ridden plenty of > black downhill trails on the MTBubbe with the seat lowered a bit, and I've > take a few good sized drops on it. It's all around just a really good > mountain bike. It's super agile and feels like riding a skateboard > sometimes, because it's so small. It fits me; it's just a little bike and I > love it. > > The Jones basically just rolls over anything without question. The huge > wheels really change the way I approach the trails. Which leads me to my > first big point > > - What size Gus/Susie would you get? *wheel size* > > 29er wheels vs 27.5 is a legitimate concern when thinking about a mountain > bike. I know I like 27.5 wheels better, but a lot of modern trails assume > you're riding a 29x2.5 to 29x2.8 tire and the size of the rocks and rollers > is engineered with that in mind. And bigger wheels just roll over more > stuff easier. For me, it's easy to let the Jones (and Knolly) get out of > control on descents, and on the Jones, it's harder to reign it in, because > the wheels just keep going. That's a rider thing, but my fat 27.5 Gus rolls > over everything, just without being completely unphased. It experiences the > bumps more, and therefore, so do it. > > My second big comment is about *dropper posts *- I would also like to > have a dropper post on my Gus, but I don't actually think it matters much. > I still like the Gus more than my Jones or Knolly that both have them. When > I get to the trail, I lower my seat about 2 cm and usually just leave it > that way. Short of really gnarly downhill stuff (and I do mean really > gnarly), I'm able to get my butt back far enough to handle it. I just > bought a QR seat post bolt, so that should make my life even easier. > > Which brings me to my third point: *handlebars* > Riv put Boscos on the Gus and Susy. That makes for a great upright riding > position, but IME, they are bad for mountain biking. They hit my legs when > I go around switch backs and the wrist angle makes it hard to hang on > properly when I'm getting my butt back to go down steep stuff. I put a 35mm > stem and Tumbleweed Pursuader bars on mine and it changed the ride for the > better in nearly every possible way. The mostly straight bars still > sometimes hit my legs on the sharpest downhill switch backs, but I think > that's a me problem and not a bike problem (a dropper would prob help that > though). > > *Handling* - The Gus handling is very responsive - like the best modern > MTBs, it's really easy to change the direction of the front wheel, to > quickly correct a line or keep it from flopping over when you hit a rock > the wrong way. Unlike modern MTBs, it holds its line extremely well, on > rough stuff AND when cruising. The length of the bike keeps it rolling > smoothly, even when the chunk tries to throw it around, so, unlike a full > suspension modern MTB with short chainstay and a steep seat tube, it's > stable on more than just the fast descents, ... > > so there's *Climbing* - The Gus is the most fun I've had climbing on an > MTB ever. It is hard to get the front wheel up over ledges, but the back > wheel is always completely planted and when it grabs a rock, the pedals > just keep it rolling. Tubeless 27.5x2.8 tires just kind of squish into any > surface and push the bike on up. It's hard to describe, but it's really > wonderful. As has been mentioned, I also climb easier and faster on it than > a lot of people on modern MTBs around here, especially full squish, which > I'm more and more convinced gives up a lot in the climbing department. > > I would absolutely choose my Gus for my single bike. The only reason I > haven't sold the Jones yet is that I want to get the Gus out on a > singletrack bikepacking trip, just to see how it compares loaded. I'm sure > it would make a great camping bike, especially on forest service roads, but > I do wonder whether the 29er wheels on the Jones are better for loaded > singletrack. > > My only other comment is about *terrain*. As others have mentioned, where > you ride makes a huge difference. In NW Arkansas, we have lots of roots, > rocks of all sizes, narrow trails, steep grades, and plenty of places where > some basic trials skills are required. I do walk some sections of some > trails on any bike I ride. We also have plenty of black diamond downhill > trails that take you rolling down vertical rock slabs and off washed out > ledges. No bike that performs exceptionally on that stuff is going to be > fun riding on a paved, flat, multi-use path along a creek for very long. If > you doing shuttle runs, get a full suspension bike. If you're doing long > mixed terrain rides (MUP to gravel to single track and back) something more > versatile is obviously the move. And even when I drive to the trail, I like > the Gus better than a modern MTB with slacker head tube and steeper seat > tube - it's more comfortable and just as capable. > > I'd love to see photos of everyone's terrain. Here are a few of my Gus > that show some of the gnarlier stuff I rode on a 20 mile single track and > path ride a couple sundays ago: > https://www.pandastuff.net/nextcloud/index.php/s/teREsXEdGSErnGk > > Paul in AR > > > On Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 9:39:49 AM UTC-4 rmro...@gmail.com > wrote: > >> Greetings all. First, does anyone recall reading in one of the updates >> about additional Susie / Gus bikes becoming available? >> Second, who is using their Susie / Gus as their primary mountain bike? >> Third, is anyone able to comments on a direct comparison between a Susie >> and a Clem L? >> My Clem never ceases to amaze me. It is, without doubt the most >> comfortable bike I have ever owned. I am so ingrained to my position on the >> bike that I am now uncomfortable on my dedicated singletrack bike - a full >> suspension bike with relatively strait handlebars. The Clem is really good >> off road and on mild singletrack, but its weight and flexibility have kept >> me from giving it a go on some of the rowdy, rock and root strewn tracks I >> like to ride on the full squish bike. >> Now, I have no illusions about any rigid bike being as plush and capable >> on these trails as the suspended bike. But I do have some experience riding >> a rigid bike with big tires (Jones 29") and I liked it. The notion of a >> bike that puts me in the exact same position as my Clem but dedicated to >> singletrack has me more than a little intrigued. >> Appreciate any comments / thoughts. >> >> -- > 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/5d6c7803-e42c-45c5-b10b-524578973701n%40googlegroups.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5d6c7803-e42c-45c5-b10b-524578973701n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- 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. 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