Everyone has posted GREAT RBW velosophies, and I love most of them, and won't waste space repeating
Except for the wonderful attitude of JUST RIDE what you got, wherever you are, in whatever clothes are in your closet. I love that! And I LOVE what I've learned from GP! but... What I will say is that for all the great things RBW pushes (wide tires, baskets, platform pedals, WOOL, Made in the USA, etc), there are a few things that I don't understand, and GP (for all of his wisdom seems reluctant to evolve on) Lets start with the twin top tube. Besides the REALLY tall frames, who actually needs it? Haven't we all seen an overloaded touring bike that got away quite well without the TTT? Didn't the mountain bikes of the past, and present have a single? Perhaps they were made of stout tubing, but we KNOW that GP loves to design frames that'll last 500 years (that ain't a bad thing, but maybe 100 would suffice). If the (normal size) TTT bikes were made of thiner gauge tubes - ok. As far as the double seat stays... Why don't they finish at the dropouts? That seems like a cute thing to do, but it would seem to make the mixte stay lose its purpose - Triangulation. I'm happy that as I learn about bicycle geometry I have an Atlantis that will accept a multitude of tire sizes, but it certainly doesn't have an "ideal" set-up. I know, I know... Thats the point right? As I learn more, I want a tool that is designed as a whole. I still carry a multi-tool, and I still love my Atlantis, but I know that a bike that is designed to fit one tire size prefectly would suit me better for an intended purpose. This is ALSO the beauty of the Atlantis! It does many things pretty well. I plan on getting a custom fork to make it do those things even better. Improvements, evolution, and adjustments are things that RBW hasn't shown a lot of care with. The geometries are those that "feel right" to Grant. Before I get carried away and say something that makes it sound like I know more than GP about frame design, let me say I don't... by a long shot! But the "it feels right" and the "I didn't like it as much as _____ bike" doesn't provide any... anyTHING really. I've noticed that GP will cite facts about the worthlessness of having your feet clipped in to pedals, but he hasn't given any thought (that I'm aware of) to how HORRIBLE his tires tested for Bicycle Quarterly (his quote in the test was something like, "I don't like this, but I won't cause a fuss." Other tire makers/designers made efforts to improve their designs and appreciatd the feedback). He says TCO isn't a problem, and if you think it is, you should either get over it, or become a better cyclist - aka don't put your feet in the wrong place at the wrong time. Furthermore it only happens at low speeds so it isn't dangerous... Falling at 4mph sucks! Especially if you just turned in a tight corner on the road where there are cars out and about. TCO can be designed out. period. Tires that are advertised as Maxy Fasty, or Rolly Polly shouldn't roll like a 45mm wide heavy duty tire. I'm trying to avoid the geometric trail convo as best as I can. I love my wald basket on my "Hotlantis" (My sister, Zoe, coined that when referring to hers! Use it wisely). The basket is so convenient, except when going uphill and it takes all my effort to try to keep it going in a straight line. Wheel flop is REAL. Its physics that is we and our bikes are interacting with! Take a look at the articles. It seems like anytime its brought up with GP, the answer is "I don't like it." OK fine. But lets NOT say that front end geometry doesn't make a difference. Lets NOT have the "I like mine just fine" be an argument for frame DESIGN. It SHOULD be an argument for riding whatever you have! (As a side note, my guess is that RBW cringes anytime someone emails or calls about the trail question.I'm on that list of btw! I don't blame 'em if they're sick of it! ) Which is a GREAT idea, so I'll take a page from GP, and don some wool and head into the mountains of Japan tomorrow. Some monkeys, some soba noodles, a lantern festival in the middle of a terraced rice field surrounded by jagged peaks during the autumn leaves. Am I gloating or just sharing? Can't it be both? ~bvo -- 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 post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
