Mike, I can only report my experience to give you data. I spent half of last summer (I'm a teacher) just riding around on my Hunqapillar. It was never too beefy. The riding around meant paved or dirt with no hesitation in transitioning from one to the other. There were many overnight excursions exploring new roads to pleasant destinations.
Now seat, seatpost, wheels, tires, and handlebars might have a lot to do with it not feeling too beefy, so here is my setup: Boscos extended far on a Ritchey mountain stem, Rich-built LX hubs in Atlas rims, and 700x55 Big Ben tires. I use a B17 on the lugged steel Nitto wayback stem. I really hit the sweet spot with the handlebars. I got the angle I like and the forward extension I need for these bars. The 90's Ritchey Force stem (with its perfect 25.4 mm clamp) made this easy. The stem is 140 mm. I ride a lot of bikes for variety, but I could go to this Hunqapillar as the only one. I sometimes think, "how can so much matter seem to disappear when I ride this?" Yes, I climb other bikes uphill faster (on pavement), but I think the extra time only adds to the enjoyment. On dirt, I am often faster climbing than my mountain biking friends. What the Hunq brings for dirt tours far outweighs any compromises on pavement, and those compromises on pavement are very slight. Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46035786@N07/11765735035/in/set-72157639418587383 -Jim W. On Jan 31, 2014, at 10:31 AM, Mike K. wrote: > Hi everyone, > I've been admiring Rivendell's website and the various Flickr pages > associated with it for a few years now. This year looks like I should finally > be able to buy one. I have a few bikes now that I have set up as near a > Rivendell as I can, but they're just not what I'm looking for (probably all > psychological, but still). > > I'm torn between the Sam Hillborne and the Hunqapillar. I don't do any > touring now, but that's largely due to not having a bike to do it. I have > plenty of friends who go bike camping now that I'm in Texas, and am looking > forward to it this summer. Upwards of 30 miles each way, fully loaded with > camping gear, food, etc. for a few days' trip. > > Mostly, though, I am a commuter. About 4 miles each way. I have a commuter > now, a 1984 Cannondale 56cm ST300 frame with an SR Apex 30/44/48 Triple front > and a 12-32 8-speed Cassette in the back, 35mm Bontrager "Commuter" tires > with Longboard fenders, Nitto Mustache bars with bar ends and a Nitto > Technomic Stem, and a Daija Rear Rack I bought from VO. It's a good bike, but > just a tad small and I'm not comfortable loading even for the camping trips. > > I would be all-in for the Hunqa, except I'm concerned about it being a bear > to just ride around with a light load or unloaded if I was heading out for a > day ride around town, which points me to the Sam. Plus the Sam is a good bit > cheaper these days, but I would move a good deal of components from the > Cannondale to the new frame. > > Anyway, sorry for the word vomit. My point: anyone have experience with these > two as far as handling? I'd love a Hunqa. I think it's a real beauty, > diaga-tube and all. I'm 6' even with longish legs. Around an 89 PBH, so I'd > be looking at a 58cm in either bike, 2tt on the Sam, diaga-tube on the Hunqa. > I'm just afraid it's too beefy for just riding around. > > Any help is much appreciated. > > Cheers, > Mike > > -- > 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. James Warren [email protected] - 700x55 -- 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.
