My two cents in this discussion and worth no more than that, is tires, tires, tires. Not long ago I swapped out 38mm Soma B-lines for 32mm Grand Bois Cypress on my Hillborne. Faster feeling? Yes. Realistically? No. But I do like the way they "feel" for my 100% road riding. Another anecdote: My Mercian Audax is an entirely different bike running the same GB Cypress tires and Continental 5000 28s as opposed to the 38mm Gravel King slicks I had on it for awhile.
Best, Rich in ATL On Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 12:25:03 PM UTC-5 [email protected] wrote: > There's a BlueLug video on YouTube where they visit Mike Varley at his > bike shop, and a similar question was asked about his frames and why they > ride so well. This is a question I've had ever since riding a BMC > Monstercross as it's an exceptionally fun and zippy ride for pretty > unexceptional tubing and geometry, so I was keen to hear the secret come > out..."I don't know why." LOL. He did suspect bottom bracket height being a > contributing factor in the way a bike feels though. > > From my experience, a faster feeling bicycle comes from 3 objective > requirements: a bike designed with the intention of being ridden quickly ; > 2: the desire from the rider to ride said bike quickly. and 3: the rider > being comfortable riding it. However, the key word in all of this is > "feeling." I think the answer you're looking for lives somewhere in the > deep, dark forests of subjectiveness, don't overthink it, just enjoy the > kinship you found with your bike! > > - Andrew > On Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at 11:06:02 AM UTC-6 Ron Mc wrote: > >> I used a Nitto double lamp bracket and mountain bar ends to add more grip >> positions - Ahearne bar, same angles as Northwoods (and Jones-H), longer >> ends. >> Adds comfort options in a long ride, and makes a big difference with a >> headwind. >> [image: E0XMVWT.jpg] [image: adK6urQ.jpg] [image: rgmBJU1.jpg] >> >> My favorite recent mod was finding the Nitto Erlen saddle bag support, >> which stacks on the seat rails - the Ostrich S-2 bag bottom sleeve >> literally fits it like a glove. >> [image: AQznVeB.jpg] [image: b0acs4P.jpg] [image: e8hOGnt.jpg] >> On Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at 10:35:19 AM UTC-6 Patrick Moore wrote: >> >>> Thanks, Ron. + 1 for John's Paramount. Also, interesting "North >>> Road-type" bar setup with the aero extensions. >>> >>> Fit and position certainly makes (part of fit) a huge difference and >>> I'd guess it's the principal reason, or at least one of them, why some >>> bikes just feel easier to pedal. That '58 Herse was like that: I just had >>> to adjust saddle and bar height and angle slightly to make it fit and feel >>> like one of my custom Rivendells. The Herse was 60 cm X 56 cm c-c (sure >>> about the st, think the tt was 56) compared to the 57 c-c X 56.5 or 57 cm >>> of the 1999 and 58 for the Matthews Riv clone, but those have sloping tts >>> and extended steerers and heads and shorter stems so the fit is the same. >>> >>> I've moved the (original Flite) saddles forward by =/< 1 cm (on 73* sta) >>> since the days when I used a rubber mallet on the nose to get them all the >>> way back on the DA 7410 sps but I still like sitting back and leaning >>> foward and pushing the cranks forward for momentary torque on climbs. >>> >>> Tires: The 2020 Matthews feels slightly slower with 42 mm Naches Passes >>> (ELs) than with 28 mm Elk Passes (slightly; it hardly interferes with the >>> pleasure of riding but I do notice a tiny bit more effort when accelerating >>> and even while maintaining cruising speed; and certainly the bike handles >>> less nimbly). OTOH, those 622X60 Big Ones .... Certainly not nimble but >>> felt as fast at steady state as the Elk Passes. >>> >>> >>> >>> On Tue, Jan 2, 2024 at 7:12 AM Ron Mc <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Hi Patrick, >>>> Riding position is a big factor in speed and spin power. >>>> Getting your weight off the bar, and leaning into core muscles will >>>> find an immediate burst of spin power that should take you up any grade. >>>> >>>> Can only think of one tire size that made a difference. Gee, I've >>>> never ridden a 23, and haven't ridden a 25 since I was 40 years younger >>>> and, um, 20 lbs lighter. >>>> But this bike, Viner Pro CX built as upright, is the only bike where I >>>> noticed a tire/speed difference. >>>> (this is also the bike that gets the new Berthoud decaleur, replacing >>>> the red straps) >>>> Photographed here in Laguna Atascosa NWR. >>>> [image: a8PC190033.JPG] >>>> >>>> I first built this bike with 38-mm Barlow Pass and it felt lumbering. >>>> Noted in our regular Sunday morning crack-of-dawn ride (kina like >>>> bike-church), where the lead group always turns the first 7 miles into a >>>> sprint to the Alamodome. When I made the swap to 35-mm Bon Jon, found a >>>> rolling efficiency difference, especially on the pavement, and these tires >>>> do the job anywhere I want to take the bike. After the tire swap, the >>>> young guys on carbon bikes ask me if I have a motor in this bike. >>>> And your Matthews is a beaut. Your Paramount also, John. >>>> >>> -- 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/d2201425-9db9-4bb0-a423-a8615840ff62n%40googlegroups.com.
