on 4/7/11 3:08 PM, Aaron Thomas at aaron.a.tho...@gmail.com wrote: I wish the Riv/Soma frame didn't have Riv's new "signature" kickstand plate. I recall seeing a photo of someone's Hilsen (maybe Cyclofiend's?) that had been CX-raced in the mud. And the kickstand plate acted as a mud shelf, piling it up high behind the seat tube.
The kickstand plate seems to limit the versatility of the frame, without really giving you any significant benefits. After all, you can always add a kickstand to a frame without a plate. But you can't take a plate off a frame without labors that would require a re-paint. Other than convenience for those who use kickstands, what's to be gained by having the built-in plate? I just don't get it. I've often been tempted by the Hillborne, but I balk because of that darned kickstand plate, which is entirely useless to me, and would likely only be a liability given the sometimes-mucky off-roading I'd want to do on it. Yep. That was mine. And just to be clear, that was SERIOUS mud. Slip-sliding-strictly-sticky-significantly-saucy-spirit-sucking SERIOUS mud.... http://vimeo.com/3387689 Yeah, it stacked up on the kickstand plate, http://www.flickr.com/photos/gzahnd/3285145851/in/set-72157613897340235 but it stuck to the drivetrain pretty seriously as well. http://www.flickr.com/photos/gzahnd/3285966758 There were full-bore chainstay-bridgeless CX frames that bogged down that day. IIRC, someone took images of all the goobered-over brakes that day - it's somewhere on flickr. In short, I've not had that type of results before or since - and I've covered a pretty good assortment of conditions, both fendered and non. If I were getting a CX-specific frame, I wouldn't ask for it, but as far as a mixed-terrain monster, its significance could be overstated... - Jim -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com Current Classics - Cross Bikes Singlespeed - Working Bikes Gallery updates now appear here - http://cyclofiend.blogspot.com "There were messengers who named their bikes, but Chevette never would have done that, and somehow because she did think about it like it was something alive." William Gibson - "Virtual Light" -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
