I have absolutely zero inside knowledge of Riv... but this rationale seems spot on.
Eric Daume Dublin, OH On Thu, Dec 13, 2012 at 12:19 PM, Jeremy Till <jeremy.t...@gmail.com> wrote: > I think the re-jiggering of road models over the last 10 years or so has a > lot to do with component (esp. brake) availability as a whole. In the > "dark ages" of 94-2000 or so, there were simply no long-reach brakes > available for road bikes, so Grant had to integrate his ideas into the > "Road" which made the best use of the shorter-reach calipers available and > the "All-Rounder" which used cantilever brakes. When Shimano started > making 57mm reach sidepulls again in the early 2000's, he came out with the > Rambouillet (and then the Romulus/Redwood) to take full advantage of the > clearance those brakes offered. Finally, once he convinced Tektro to make > the Silver sidepull in 2006-2008, the Ram/Rom was superseded by the Hilsen > and Hillborne, which, with the clearances provided by the 55-75mm reach > caliper, I think finally matches *his* ideal of what a "road" bike > can/should be. So, unless somebody comes out with a caliper with even * > greater* reach, which is unlikely given that such a beast would have a > hard time being strong enough to produce any real braking force, I don't > see the "road" models changing much in the coming years. > > I think the 650b bikes (Saluki, Bleriot) were similarly created to take > advantage/encourage the resurgence of 650b wheels/tires. Once 650b gained > a measure of wider acceptance, those models were rolled into the production > road models (Hilsen/Hilborne) since grant believes 650b isn't really needed > for larger sizes and 650b as a standard didn't need the publicity of a > dedicated model anymore. > > In terms of the Roadeo and San Marcos, part of me wonders if these really > fit Grant's system of road bike ideals or if they were an acknowledgement > of greater market forces, namely the demand of folks like me, who want more > clearances than a normal road bike but find the clearances of something > like the Hilsen or Hillborne a bit excessive (at least for their purposes) > and like the aesthetics and better braking performance (debatable, i'll > admit) of slightly tighter frames and smaller, stiffer brake calipers. It > definitely seems that they were both created with a great deal of > encouragement from other folks, Mark Abele for the Roadeo (maybe?) and Jim > Porter of Merry Sales for the San Marcos. > > > On Wednesday, December 12, 2012 11:00:58 PM UTC-8, Michael wrote: > >> Or do you think the Hilsen has a lock on it for now for the >> general-use-mobile? >> >> The reason I ask is because if I had to buy a new bike soon, it would >> have to be the Hilsen for my taste/needs (commutin'/rec-rides). >> Was wondering if sum-n' new might come out since they seem to stop >> production on frames every few years and come out with a new model >> replacement. >> >> Just ponderin'. >> >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/bwGlEzoboBAJ. > > 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. > -- 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.
