Howdy. I was a member here a few years ago when I owned a Romulus. I've moved on to different makes as a result of Grant/Rivendell's influence, and I thought y'all might be interested in that story.
My introduction to adult cycling came with a Goodwill Columbia, and a copy of Bicycling with a write-up about the Bstone CB-Zip. I was intrigued by Grant's "against the grain" philosophy, and later wandered into a shop and picked up the '92 catalog. I eventually went through a '94 XO-3, a '90 RB-1, and the '94 MB-5 SUS I still own, before finally landing my Rom. During those years I kept raising my bars higher and swapping saddles, never quite beating the saddle sores and wrist pain that plagued me. Grant probably won't be thrilled to hear this, but he planted the seed that put me on a recumbent. The articles about the Vision and RANS "crank forward" bikes in the Reader got me thinking in that direction, so I went in search of them, but got a test ride on a full 'bent first and loved it. I ended buying a long-wheelbase 'bent, then sold my Rom and purchased a short-wheelbase version, which I preferred. I then sold the big one and bought an upright folding bike for throwing in the car, but do all my long-distance work on my RANS Rocket recumbent. The RANS has a comfortable saddle, high bars, and isn't the lightest bike on the market. Sound familiar? It has chubby tires and flat Rivendell sneaker pedals. I use Rivendell full-finger and summer gloves, and, on cooler days, Riv riding pants and a wool undershirt, tights and arm warmers. The folding Dahon uses Grip Kings and a Sackville Big Loafer (I might have the name wrong). And I ride for the ride, not the race. The moral of my story is: I no longer ride a Rivendell bicycle, but their philosophy and riding gear stays with me. Thanks for listening, and good to see yous again. -- 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-bu...@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.
