Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Thanks all! Keith- wondering why you use Jones over Susie for rough rides? How do your swept back bars (Tosco?) work for the rougher more technical rides? I have limited experience using that degree of sweep and a little concerned about control- having elbows out seems more stable to me albeit

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

I'm late to the party but thanks, Keith, for the MB1/Susie photos. This is reference material worth holding onto! On Friday, March 26, 2021 at 5:30:19 PM UTC-4 duh...@gmail.com wrote: > Congrats Ben on your new Susie, please keep us posted with the build! > > Mine is finally "done", tho I'll

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Congratulations, and good call. This will be your prize bike for many years, if not life. 86cm PBH will work well (I have an 87 PBH, you can see my seatpost extension in the photos further back in the thread) Depending on the rest of your proportions ( torso length) and assuming you're

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

You're going to love it, I think it's one of the coolest bikes Riv has ever done and I love the fillet joints. I'm 80-ish PBH on a Medium, I think your Large will be perfect for you. On Sunday, March 21, 2021 at 10:00:58 PM UTC-7 benjami...@gmail.com wrote: > I snagged the last one! Well

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

I snagged the last one! Well thanks to all the reviews here and elsewhere, including some long discussions with Will, I bought the LAST Susie! It's a large, and I'm a little anxious it's too big even though plenty of people say it won't be (PBH 86). I currently ride a Jones Plus LWB size M, and

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Every few days I'd go on the Riv website and see if that orange 53 was still available - and I noticed the other day when it wasn't. Glad it's gone to a list member and I'll get to see it built up hopefully! There was no possible way I could buy it, but I liked to daydream... -- You

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Nice ride Joe! That gives me an idea of how the proportions of mine will look. I briefly tried 155 cranks but they felt strange and didn't last long. I used to ride 170 but but have been riding 165s for the past couple years. I have some of the Silver two piece cranks in 167 for the Susie.

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Ash, my PBH is 80cm. I like my saddle a little lower than Grant's recommendation. I won't have much seatpost showing on the 53 but I like that look and it's easier to get the bars higher. On Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 3:18:37 PM UTC-6 Ashwath Akirekadu wrote: > > Congrats Tim! > >

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Congrats Tim! Curious what's your PBH.. On Wednesday, 10 February 2021 at 18:22:33 UTC-8 Tim Baldwin wrote: > Well after seeing all these great builds, I decided to pull the trigger on > a Susie frame this week. It was down to a blue 51 and an orange 53 since I > could fit either one. I

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Thanks Jared. I really like the looks of your setup with the Tosco bars. I have Persuader bars on my Atlantis and I really like them on there. I think they would be quite a stretch on the Susie unless using a very short stem. I do miss having a swept back bar bike so that's what lead me to the

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Congrats Tim, you're gonna love her! I'd have gone orange if I could've, looking forward to seeing your build. Jared On Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 6:22:33 PM UTC-8 Tim Baldwin wrote: > Well after seeing all these great builds, I decided to pull the trigger on > a Susie frame this week.

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Well after seeing all these great builds, I decided to pull the trigger on a Susie frame this week. It was down to a blue 51 and an orange 53 since I could fit either one. I went with the orange seeing as I have the blue (well blue-green) covered with an Atlantis. Excited to build this bike up!

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Mark, As for seat post, I picked up a NOS Shimano black one on eBay.Thanks to Analog, I even got a powder coated black Mark's rack. Haven't had a chance to mount it yet. Will post pictures once that's attached. I replaced the Bosco with Nitto B604AAF Promenade black from Soma. So,

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Very nice configuration there Jared. The ergonomics looks quite perfect! On Tuesday, 9 February 2021 at 10:58:57 UTC-8 duh...@gmail.com wrote: > Update on my Susie: > > Now running Selle Anatomica X1, Nitto/Riv FacePlater, and Riv Tosco bars. > > Keeping the black Nitto/Crust stem &

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Great looking build, Ash. What black seat post are you planning to use? All black components but keeping the brown saddle would look pretty awesome. The swoop top tube is actually a big plus for me. In addition to being functional, that graceful line complements the fillet-brazed construction.

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Sharp looking build! What black seat post will you be using? I think the all black but keeping the saddle brown would look fantastic. In terms of the swoop, that is a big positive for me in the looks department, in addition to making a lot of sense from a functional standpoint. It gives the

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Thank you Jared. On Monday, 8 February 2021 at 11:28:18 UTC-8 duh...@gmail.com wrote: > > Hey Ash, > > It's a Nitto/Crust > > I > purchased off of a group member, 31.8 30* I believe. > > I did

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Hey Ash, It's a Nitto/Crust I purchased off of a group member, 31.8 30* I believe. I did however just switch to a Nitto/Riv FacePlater with

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Hey Jared, Which is that black stem on your Susie? I wanted to completely 'black out' my Susie build. I'm almost there. I do have a vintage dirt drop like black stem that I'm not too happy with. Benjamin, I can write a page about my thoughts on Susie, compare and contrast its ride with

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

That's probably also why a lot of vintage MTBs make better gravel bikes than most actual gravel bikes :-) On Thu, 4 Feb 2021 at 14:25, Mark Roland wrote: > And as you know, photos rarely capture the significance of the grade. > Those late 80s geos are basically like small, flat bar road bikes

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

And as you know, photos rarely capture the significance of the grade. Those late 80s geos are basically like small, flat bar road bikes with a bit fatter tires. A geo responsible for popularizing if not coining the term "endo", so not terribly confidence-inspiring. On Thursday, February 4,

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Johnny wrote: *do the long stays give more traction and stability and a more laid back position so it's not necessary to hang off the back of the saddle so much? * Short answer: In my experience and opinion, the longer stays contribute to a more stable descent. I am not an expert gonzo

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Hey all, Not sure if this is on topic, but I wonder if the long chainstays on the hillibikes makes dropper posts a bit redundant for this kind of bike? I.e. do the long stays give more traction and stability and a more laid back position so it's not necessary to hang off the back of the saddle

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Andrew, You mentioned you ditched the pec deck. Care to give your opinion on it? I'm planning on making & using one or two. Thanks. -Matthew on the fence about starting a (new) pec deck post/thread On Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 12:07:53 PM UTC-8 Bill Lindsay wrote: > Grant is a notably

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Grant is a notably competitive steep-climber. His "philosophy" of short periods of extreme exertion coupled with his tendency towards slow riding makes ultra-steep-climbs his perfect activity. Many of us RBWHQ visitors know that if Grant doesn't have his hands full, he may just decide "Bill,

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

I think part of it is your physical proportions and fit. I tend toward a shorter torso and longer legs, so I'm naturally going to have less weight on the front wheel, especially with a long front-center. I didn't mean to go so far as to say that the Susie (sorry for the misspelling earlier)

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

I guess I am either blessed or cursed with less sensitivity in these matters. I tend to ride the same roads and trails 80 percent (or more) of the time, and over the years I've ridden them with lots of different bikes with lots of different geometries and setups. I'm not sure exactly what

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

On Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 12:28:41 PM UTC-7 Christopher Cote wrote: > I haven't ridden a Gus or Suzie, but I have had a similar experience on > more conventional MTBs. If I set the bars up high and back for ultimate > comfort, there's not enough weight on the front tire to "bite" into

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

I haven't ridden a Gus or Suzie, but I have had a similar experience on more conventional MTBs. If I set the bars up high and back for ultimate comfort, there's not enough weight on the front tire to "bite" into the terrain, and handling suffers, IMO. If you're just tootling along, the sit up

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

"Twitchy" often means different things (I'm guilty of using it to describe multiple things myself) but, if Andrew means what I think he menas, then "yes," I am experiencing it too. Namely, I have to make constant small steering corrections - especially at slow speed. This isn't a flaw in the

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

re: Andrew's comment that the steering is "light to the point of being twitchy" I'm curious if others have that experience. I ride hands free all the time (again, XL frame + 10cm DirtDrop + choco bars) and find the bike to be supremely stable and not at all twitchy. Basically, my question

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Yes more pictures please Andrew. I'd especially like another shot of the handlebars. Those are exactly what I've been dreaming about lately. I'm trying the Persuader bars on my Atlantis. After going that wide, the swept Riv bars seem so narrow. I'd love a wide version of the Albatross or

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Killer build Andrew We'd love to see some updated pictures if you've got any Jared On Monday, February 1, 2021 at 10:21:39 PM UTC-8 Andrew Stevens wrote: > Sam, the MBs were 90s mtbs, more similar to an Atlantis than a Susie. The > Susie has a much more upright position, and a radically

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Sam, the MBs were 90s mtbs, more similar to an Atlantis than a Susie. The Susie has a much more upright position, and a radically longer top tube (70cm on the XL, with a 59cm seat tube.) The design of early mountain bikes, and most race designed bikes regardless of generation, is to spread

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Awesome photos Keith, well done Very cool to see them side by side, you can *feel* the difference just looking at them. Jared On Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 11:01:09 AM UTC-8 iamkeith wrote: > On Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 11:59:37 AM UTC-7 iamkeith wrote: > >> As long as I was posting

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

I largely agree with Clark. My '91 MB2 was "light" and "snappy" compared to the Susie, but I never really felt comfortable on it. The Susie is what you want your bike to be, but it isn't. On Saturday, January 30, 2021 at 2:19:10 PM UTC-8 Clark Fitzgerald wrote: > Sam- The Susie is

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Sam- The Susie is completely different from a stock MB2. Susie has higher bars for a more upright position centered over your feet, wider tires, and a longer wheelbase. I found the Susie much more comfortable and confidence inspiring on rough terrain. I sold my 1992 MB2 and bought an Atlantis-

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

How does the susie compare to an mb2 I have an mb1 and assume it is the same geometry. Had to use a short stem for drips and just picked up some albatross bars to experiment. On Thu, Jan 28, 2021, 1:24 PM Jared Wilson wrote: > Got mine set up a couple weeks back with Tumbleweed Persuader bars.

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Nice setup. Those Tumbleweeds look sweet on there. Too many dang bars to choose from is the problem these days. Back in the day it was Cinelli or 3TTT, 40 or 42. On Friday, January 29, 2021 at 6:55:40 PM UTC-5 duh...@gmail.com wrote: > Here ya go Paul > > Still needs some tweaks and waiting on

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Good point. Which brings up the whole notion of weight limits. My guess is, the Susie is stouter than a vast majority of production bicycles out there. How many of them come with weight limits? On Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 9:47:05 PM UTC-5 Joe Bernard wrote: > "Susie still available" > >

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

"Susie still available" Right now the problem is Will's update on the max weight was only in a weekly email, it's not on the product page at rivbike.com. If I hadn't seen that email I wouldn't have picked up a used one here a month ago. They need to fix the page. On Thursday, January 28,

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

I don't quite get it either, why they still have Susies. Especially singe they upped the recommended weight another 50lbs, to 210. I've said it before, but I think the latest generation of Rivendells, led by the Hillibike models, represent some seriously high level, A-game bicycle design,

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Don't do it, Ray! I have many years of practice leaning bicycles. Plus, my Clem has a double kickstand, which makes up for NKS on the Susie. On Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 12:43:54 PM UTC-5 Ray Evans wrote: > It's almost worth ditching my kickstand to get that little gold monkey > mounted >

[RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

would love to see a pic of your build, jared! paul takoma park, md. On Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 4:24:33 PM UTC-5 duh...@gmail.com wrote: > Got mine set up a couple weeks back with Tumbleweed Persuader bars. > > Bike is looonnnggg, but still feels nimble enough on single track, not to >

[RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Got mine set up a couple weeks back with Tumbleweed Persuader bars. Bike is looonnnggg, but still feels nimble enough on single track, not to mention smooth! I find she likes to self steer towards rougher terrain just to see what happens ;) I came from a Bridgestone MB2 and I'm very happy

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

It's almost worth ditching my kickstand to get that little gold monkey mounted On Thu, Jan 28, 2021 at 9:23 AM Tim Baldwin wrote: > Mark, that is one sweet Susie. Great colors and looks like a fun ride. I > wish Riv would sell out of the small Susies so I can stop being tempted. > I've gotten

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Mark, that is one sweet Susie. Great colors and looks like a fun ride. I wish Riv would sell out of the small Susies so I can stop being tempted. I've gotten down to just two bikes, an Atlantis and a Troll. I've barely ridden the Troll since getting the Atlantis. Most of my riding is pavement

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Oops, accidentally posted and then deleted the post, which was a little on the bizarre side anyway and I don't have time to recreate it, time to make dinner. The crank is a vintage Kooka: On Wednesday, January 27, 2021 at 5:55:04 PM UTC-5 Lucky wrote: > Wow! Bitchin’ bike. > Love the BMX

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

The crank is a vintage Kooka. It's a triple so I call it the Kooka Fran and Ollie. (I know, it's Kukla. I said Kooka when I was a kid.) The big ring is Fran, the middle is Ollie, and then you have granny Kooka.But I'm kidding. I don't have nicknames for my bike parts, or even my bikes. Not

Re: [RBW] Re: Any Susie owners out there?

Wow! Bitchin’ bike. Love the BMX stem. What crank is this? > On Jan 27, 2021, at 14:48, Mark Roland wrote: > >  > Went for a lunchtime WFH ride to the hardware store today. > > > > > > >> On Wednesday, January 27, 2021 at 3:22:29 PM UTC-5 Paul Richardson wrote: >>> On Wednesday,