One thing, I think, that separates Riv road bikes from other brands is the
maintaining of good fit AND handling geometry at the smaller frame sizes
this thread is dealing with. The 700c wheel size has to be dealt with
because they physically "get in the way" of good geometry more as the
frames
Wow, I show up late and there are ten thousand replies already which is too
many to read through now
My initial thought is that going from the racing platy's very upright
position all the way to a drop bar road bike is a huge jump. I have to say,
drop bars are truly the best in headwinds, but
Bending those "BL" rules forced me to concede that the front derailleur I
chose for my 3x1 build was too crappy. I kind of smugly used the crappiest
front derailleur in my bin, because friction shifted front derailleurs are
a dime a dozen. The crappiest one (old Deer Head) proved to be too
That might have been me.Was it green, the Romulus? This was a route that
began and ended in Pagosa Springs. And agreed, it is a good road bike, and
I still have mine. I do recall, however, that I had a work a little harder
keeping up on fast road rides on the Romulus that I did on my Gunnar
The thread title is "roadbike curious" not drop-bar curious.
I ride a Bruce Gordon Taiwan BLT with a drop bar. It's like an original Sam
Hillborne -- basically the same geometry, and a frame that weighs 2700
grams by itself. It's stiff to carry a load on rough roads. I've ridden it
with road
Yeah thats a big haul too. New wheels, cockpit, brake setup, gearing
(potentially). New road focused bike is 100% the way to go. :)
PS: I would feel the same way about getting a bike that would then need a
cockpit overhaul automatically like that. A good deal gets to be less of
one when you
I'm doubling tripling down on the drop bar racing Platy. I've lost count
how many Platy's Leahs has, 2,3.4 ? IDK. I think the World won't stop
rotating to spare a drop bar Platy to try, at least initally, especially
since Leah has never even ridden any drop bars. Nor has she ridden a "real
Putting myself in Leah's place to answer your question, if I had her
plethora of Platys I would choose a new/different bike for drop bars
because it would be more interesting. Popping drops on one of my Platys
with wide tires and a dynohub ain't gonna do the roadie thing for me.
Joe Bernard
--What if I flip the question on its head and say could I do club riding
with my Cheviot, and what would I gain from getting a road bike?
I've not ridden a Platypus, but I would assume that it would be similar to
a Cheviot.
If I stripped down my Cheviot, then I am confident that I would be
Well, I'm currently working on a major rehab and overhaul of a '95 Schwinn
Ridge Searcher for a lady that she somehow got for free. It's in a pretty
decrepit condition, but hey, I have plenty of time to engage in such
volunteer activities and when it's done she'll be riding a bike the likes
Yes, George, exactly. I was excited that such a nice frame was available but with the size being iffy, the whole bar/brake lever/cables/housing and the tires needing a swap I just didn’t feel confident this was the answer.On Apr 24, 2024, at 3:32 PM, George Schick wrote:Heh. After all of this
Heh. After all of this back and forth discussion about drop bars and the
various hand positions, it turns out to be set up much the same way as the
bikes she already has with an upright riding position and regular bars.
'Course, this bike "could" be reconverted to a standard road bike without
Disagree, I much prefer 38mm over 32mm for rural road riding. I ran Grand
Bois 700x30 (really 32 on the calipers) before converting to 650Bx38. Then
again I live in the land of low quality chip seal with basically tar over
huge rocks, so there is that.
Jim
Austin, TX MSA
On Tue, Apr 23, 2024
A Romulus sounds fantastic if it fits you and you like the way it rides.
I came across someone riding a Romulus on Bike Tour of Colorado a while
back when I rode the event. That was a 450ish mile event over 7 days with
umpteen tens of thousands of feet of climbing and many passes over 10,000
As if you need it, I’ll give a plus one for a Ram or Romulus. I have had my
orange Ram for over 15 yrs and it has been on many club rides, centuries,
short rides, gentle gravel rides, and nowhere rides. It is probably the
best designed “everything but real dirt” roadish bike Grant’s ever
Jim stated: " If you can have more than one bike, I don't see the sense in
trying to make everyone of them an all rounder".
I really wanted to come here to make that point, but Jim made it better
than I can. I wonder if Leah could borrow a club member's bike for a ride
or two? Modern road
Don’t sleep.Make the deal happen, tonight!P. W.~(917) 514-2207~On Apr 23, 2024, at 2:44 PM, Leah Peterson wrote:No worries, I just want a 32 or so. I am too scared of the 28s that are on there. This is a LOT of change for me. Drop bars, new shifting, diamond frame, true road bike…I can’t ride
It’s an honor to have the Bill Lindsay Rules bent for our delight here. We await. Bated breath, and all that jazz!On Apr 23, 2024, at 5:51 PM, Bill Lindsay wrote:"Let’s both Rom-ride this summer! We could even do it in Michigan! "I need to grab a bike right now to head over to the dentist. I'm
"Let’s both Rom-ride this summer! We could even do it in Michigan! "
I need to grab a bike right now to head over to the dentist. I'm going to
break my own self-imposed rule and ride my Romulus on its first ride. Pics
will prove it.
Bill Lindsay
El Cerrito, CA
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at
No worries, I just want a 32 or so. I am too scared of the 28s that are on there. This is a LOT of change for me. Drop bars, new shifting, diamond frame, true road bike…I can’t ride 28s.The guy has one other interested party who wanted to see the bike Friday. He made no promise to hold it, but he
I think 38s are great for a 200 pounder like me, but if you weigh 110 like
my daughter, they are overkill, and she does fine with 32s or even 28s. And
I gotta admit, I've got 30s on my road bike and they feel good. My road
bike is set up optimally for smooth road riding, I've got other bikes
> On Apr 23, 2024, at 4:22 PM, Corwin Zechar wrote:
>
> Nothing wrong with riding wider tires.
>
+1.
32mm are the skinniest I have now, on my Riv Road, Heron Road, and Waterford
ST-22. I wouldn’t think twice about those tires on a group road ride, other
than to think how fast and comfy
My orange creamsicle (the fastest color) Ram is currently wearing 38mm
Schwalbe Marathon Racers. The Racers are mounted on skinny Mavic Open Pro
rims, but still measure 37.25mm. I would wager, I could mount a pair of
Schwalbe 40mm tires on the Ram with adequate clearance.
I ride the Ram and my
This is such great news. Just read all the posts on her new blog!
On Monday, April 22, 2024 at 3:38:11 PM UTC-4 Patrick Moore wrote:
> And Velouria has an April 2024 post!
>
> Leah might want to read back issues of Lovely Bicycle; Velouria/Constance
> had a similar bike journey, including
Agreed. I own a 54cm Ram and it's equipped with fenders. The max tire
that works in this set up is a 32mm. But without fenders one might be able
to get 35mm or more on the wheels, but I still don't recommend it for a
"road bike". While wider tires may be a good thing for general riding
Johnny, the progression of those models at that time connects. The AHH - a
Country Bike - was a Ram with bigger clearances, then the Saluki was an AHH
with 650B wheels.
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 1:33:25 PM UTC-7 Johnny Alien wrote:
> The Romulus was essentially just the Rambouillet and I
The Romulus was essentially just the Rambouillet and I fit Kojaks on it.
Those are stated to be 35 but I think they were actually more like 36. With
that in mind it worked but I am not sure I would have been able to or
wanted to go to 38's. It was probably possible though.
Interesting that in
Yep, according to that Riv chart, up to 38mm. But I don't recommend going
there because they will increase your SOH. And you don't really need any
tires of that size anyway if you have a road bike that you're going to be
riding on paved roads - 32mm or so would be good enough.
On Tuesday,
Worth a shot Leah! Do let us know how it works out
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 3:13:08 PM UTC-5 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!
wrote:
> …which would give me room for that larger tire!
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Apr 23, 2024, at 4:09 PM, George Schick wrote:
>
> Hmm... according to a geometry
…which would give me room for that larger tire!Sent from my iPhoneOn Apr 23, 2024, at 4:09 PM, George Schick wrote:Hmm... according to a geometry chart for the Romulus http://cyclofiend.com/rbw/romulus/romflyer/04.html a 55cm Rom should have a "typical PBH" of between 79-80 and a 57cm for those
Hmm... according to a geometry chart for the
Romulus http://cyclofiend.com/rbw/romulus/romflyer/04.html a 55cm Rom
should have a "typical PBH" of between 79-80 and a 57cm for those with
PBH's of 81-83. So...disagreeing as I do with Grant about "going larger is
better" on frame size, I'd say
The stated standover for the size 55 Romulus is 80 cm.
"The standover heights here are with a 700x27 (686 mm [diameter]) road
tire. It will be lower with a typical 700x23, and of course, higher with a
700x38."
It's probably fine. I'd mock up an 80 cm top tube and see how comfortable
you think
And congrats if you get it. That is a very solid road focused Riv at a
really fair price.
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 4:05:36 PM UTC-4 Johnny Alien wrote:
> That still falls into that "rivendell likes to size up" thing. I had a 54
> Rambouillet and while I am 5'9" I have a lower PBH (around
That still falls into that "rivendell likes to size up" thing. I had a 54
Rambouillet and while I am 5'9" I have a lower PBH (around 80). The 54 was
the max I would be comfortable with. A 55 Romulus would likely work. Leah's
PBH is slightly larger so I think the 55 would be a great fit. Going
My only contribution to this very engaging, and very long thread:BUY IT!P. W.~(917) 514-2207~On Apr 23, 2024, at 1:02 PM, Leah Peterson wrote:Let’s both Rom-ride this summer! We could even do it in Michigan! Sent from my iPhoneOn Apr 23, 2024, at 3:46 PM, Bill Lindsay wrote:I think that falls
I will let you know, Piaw. If it doesn’t work for me I hope it can work for your wife.Sent from my iPhoneOn Apr 23, 2024, at 3:55 PM, Piaw Na wrote:The Romulus had a different geometry with a much misleading frame sizing. Here's the geometry:
Let’s both Rom-ride this summer! We could even do it in Michigan! Sent from my iPhoneOn Apr 23, 2024, at 3:46 PM, Bill Lindsay wrote:I think that falls into Joe Bernard's recommendation of taking a flyer on a used Rivendell at decent price. Love it if you can and sell it if you find you can't
The Romulus had a different geometry with a much misleading frame sizing.
Here's the geometry:
https://notfine.com/rivreader/Brochures/Rivendell%20Frames%20Romulus.pdf
Looks like if you were 5' 10", that'll put you onto a 59cm Romulus. Unusual
compared to today's Roadini sizing, but the Romulus
>> So I found a 55 cm Romulus for $1250. What do we think of THAT?
We think that you need to find a geometry chart for the Romulus.
The older AHH and Roadeo charts show 80.9 and 80.6 cm standover clearance,
respectively, for the 55 cm size.
That's awfully close to your stated PBH of 81 cm.
It’s only got under 1k miles. Was someone’s wife’s and is in “excellent” condition. Sent from my iPhoneOn Apr 23, 2024, at 3:46 PM, George Schick wrote:Sounds great, right in and around your PBH and SOH. 'Course, that all depends upon what kind of shape it's in, where it has to come from
Sounds great, right in and around your PBH and SOH. 'Course, that all
depends upon what kind of shape it's in, where it has to come from (shipped
or local) therefore sight seen or unseen, etc. I'd say give it a shot -
there aren't many of those Romulus models around and they're almost
I think that falls into Joe Bernard's recommendation of taking a flyer on a
used Rivendell at decent price. Love it if you can and sell it if you find
you can't love it. Go for it if you can stand over it.
I bought a used 59cm Romulus this year, and built it but haven't ridden it,
because
So I found a 55 cm Romulus for $1250. What do we think of THAT?On Apr 23, 2024, at 3:02 PM, Jim Bronson wrote:Get an old one like a Rambouillet for true road-ability. The early Rivs are the best if you are into club riding. I love my Clem for being versatile but I have ridden over 20,000 Km of
Get an old one like a Rambouillet for true road-ability. The early
Rivs are the best if you are into club riding. I love my Clem for being
versatile but I have ridden over 20,000 Km of brevets on my 90s Riv Road
Standard or custom, not sure which. I bought it used. I have mine 650B
converted,
If that used Centurion is in your general size range, it would be a
fantastic starting point for your road bike exploration. Refreshing an old
frameset (whether to replace worn out parts with new ones or to improve
fit) can be such a fun and satisfying process.
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at
Since I haven't chimed in on this yet - which is unlike me - I shall do so
now. Don't buy bikes you don't want, don't put drops on a frame you've
already designed around another purpose. Do pick up a Ram or Roadini if you
stumble on one you love now, you can sell it later. Do grab that Gallup
I don't know if this has been brought up but there's nothing stopping Leah
from simply using a drop bar with an appropriate stem and saddle to go with
the position. I can't speak to what bar heights/lengths are attainable, but
I suspect with the smaller versions she has now, it would easy.
Same conversation I have with my wife annually, sometimes semi-annually.
Haha
Doug
On Monday, April 22, 2024 at 9:36:01 PM UTC-4 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!
wrote:
> My husband just now: Are you getting ANOTHER bike?
>
> Me: Well…not necessarily. I have to weigh out all the pros and cons, you
>
> On Apr 22, 2024, at 8:35 PM, Leah Peterson wrote:
>
> Him: I know how this ends. It ends with the Annual Bike Purchase of the Last
> Bike I’ll Ever Need.
>
Doesn’t he know about the n+1 theory of bicycles?
Ted Durant
Milwaukee, WI USA
--
You received this message because you are
My husband just now: Are you getting ANOTHER bike? Me: Well…not necessarily. I have to weigh out all the pros and cons, you see.Him: I know how this ends. It ends with the Annual Bike Purchase of the Last Bike I’ll Ever Need.Sent from my iPhoneOn Apr 22, 2024, at 9:26 PM, Leah Peterson
> On Apr 22, 2024, at 8:26 PM, Leah Peterson wrote:
>
> Tony, I swooned. Actually swooned. Gorgeous, gorgeous.
>
It’s even better in person.
> But it was the best ride. Did we have wind? Yes. But somehow it was great and
> energizing and we just killed it. I had done an intense upper body
Tony, I swooned. Actually swooned. Gorgeous, gorgeous.I rode the Mon Night Ride on my Racing Platy tonight. I was so apprehensive at the start because the winds were 13 mph with 21 mph gusts and it was open road. I should not be doing this, I thought. Where is my road bike?But it was the best
Leah,
Don't overthink this. It's hard to build an actual "bad" bike, and the big
names don't do it.
There are bike that are too "special" in some way -- too slow- or
fast-handling, or whatever, but these are nuances. I can switch from a
crit-geometry racer to a tourer and by the end of the
When you "cut to the chase" many of us old farts on this blog started
riding bikes in a serious way back in the early 70's. And the go-to manual
for bikers back then was Eugene Sloane's "The Complete Book of Bicycling."
In that excellent instruction manual, as it were, he went to a great
And Velouria has an April 2024 post!
Leah might want to read back issues of Lovely Bicycle; Velouria/Constance
had a similar bike journey, including Rivendells and customs, from cycling
urban Boston to brevets, IIRC.
On Mon, Apr 22, 2024 at 1:30 PM Bill Lindsay wrote:
> "I have to look up what
"I have to look up what “on the ramps” means. "
Five hand-positions, defined and illustrated, by the lovely "Lovely
Bicycle":
http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2012/06/drop-bar-hand-positions-introduction.html
BL in EC
On Monday, April 22, 2024 at 11:16:35 AM UTC-7 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!
All of these replies are interesting. And when I read one I think, “Yes,
that’s right” and then read another which conflicts and change my mind.
This is going to be a journey. I can’t even believe how much there is to
know.
I’m later getting here than the rest of you, I think. It was 2012 when
Hi Leah -
I would generally agree with what Ted said. Riding position and fit are
very important. But I don't think that's the only criteria I would use. I
have ten bikes. Five are Rivs. I have a Custom, Quickbeam, Roadeo, Ram and
Hubbuhubbuh. I find that geometry is important in my riding.
Another plus one for the Crust Lighting bolt. I’ve had a riv road, original
Hillborne, Cheviot, and finally a Hunqapllar which is hopefully my forever
bike. I recently picked up a Canti Lighting Bolt and it’s a lovely
complement to my Hunq which is setup as an ATB. The LB is quick and
> On Apr 21, 2024, at 7:59 PM, RichS wrote:
>
> Leah, one more thought building on the Sam, Homer, Ram, etc. suggestions. The
> periwinkle color samples Will showed in the Friday Riv newsletter strikes me
> as a color that is right in your wheelhouse. I know one of the country bikes
> is
Leah, one more thought building on the Sam, Homer, Ram, etc. suggestions.
The periwinkle color samples Will showed in the Friday Riv newsletter
strikes me as a color that is right in your wheelhouse. I know one of the
country bikes is not at the top of your wanted list, but I believe you
could
Yet another thought Leah, building on the Sam, Homer, Ram, etc.
On Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 5:42:41 PM UTC-4 Lucky wrote:
> Leah,
>
> Did I miss the part where you got a professional fitting somewhere local
> to you and then ordered a Custom Riv Road just for you? Heck, you could
> build a
Leah,Did I miss the part where you got a professional fitting somewhere local to you and then ordered a Custom Riv Road just for you? Heck, you could build a step thru custom Riv Road if you wanted! I bet that will be a beautiful bike. Yours, Riv Sister Liz On Apr 21, 2024, at 14:29, Chris Halasz
They look dorky but with the right height stem something like Soma Condor 2
bars can make drops more comfy than ever. If they are high enough you can
comfortably ride on the tops, hoods, or drops. I just replaced Billie bars
on two bikes with Condors. Steering is less twitchy with hands in
I see many here of the relatively long torso to short inseam chromosomal
group recommending square frames (top tube similar to seat tube)
geometries. I wonder if that will work for Leah.
This never worked for my 5' 5" wife. The only non-custom dropped bar bike
she ever fit decently on was the
As someone else said, skip the scruples and just try drop bars. They're
*comfortable*, which is (I assert) the reason why they've been used for
well over 100 years.
Riders don't use drops because their bars are positioned far too low; the
hoods position on modern bikes is like the hooks position
On Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 4:07:47 PM UTC-5 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!
wrote:
Ok, ok….I really will consider drop bars. But I do wonder…everyone says
they offer so many hand positions; but I only see people with their hands
on the hoods. Are riders really utilizing different hand positions?
I promise not to be offended by a great wave of advice coming my way here - I have asked for it and you all have kindly delivered. Ok, ok….I really will consider drop bars. But I do wonder…everyone says they offer so many hand positions; but I only see people with their hands on the hoods. Are
This is going to be a fun thread. Please don't take a great volume of
advice as condescending; I think that this thread will elicit a very large
amount of love for road bikes as a distinct genus of bicycle.
I think you very particularly will benefit a great deal from the right road
bike and that
Interestingly I just went through a similar process, and considered many of the bikes already mentioned (Roadini, Lightning Bolt, Pescadero). I wound up buying a Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross. It just arrived last week and I’m gathering parts for the build. The plan is drop bars, SRAM Eagle
Forgot to say:
If there's a co-op nearby, you'll find kindred spirits and a likely a few
bicycles to try. Not a bad place to start the search for something used.
On Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 11:51:03 AM UTC-4 pi...@gmail.com wrote:
> I haven't seen the Gallop's geometry,. Can you post it?
>
>
I haven't seen the Gallop's geometry,. Can you post it?
As for Leah's original question, my wife rode a Cheviot but after she rode
my son's Roadini to work a few weeks she decided that she really liked the
Roadini better.
We're still vainly hunting for a 50cm Roadini, but the other bikes I'm
Hi Leah,
Your thread has generated a remarkable amount of discussion.
Before I get wordy: you said you didn't know what your 'standover' height
was... it's your PBH minus whatever margin you're comfortable with. I've
ridden bikes where that margin was zero, and didn't worry about it, but I'd
*- "Would they love it as a road bike? Or is it kind of all-purpose?
Thanks!"*
Rivendell makes stuff to be pretty flexible so even the Roadeo "could" be
built out to be kind of all-purpose but the geometry and intent of the
Gallop is to be a road frame that replaces the Roadini. My prototype
Hi Leah!
I think you would dig a Crust Canti-Lightning Bolt as a complementary
addition to your wonderful stable of Rivs - not only for the ride quality,
but you can get a cool Lilac (with pink graphics) or Light Sea Green frame
in your size now. I own this bike, and it is light, quick, and
Good morning Leah,
I’m not sure where I read it but apparently Grant had at one point been a fan
of Mercians.
A few years after I bought and built up my 650B Homer I found a used Mercian
KOM on Craigslist. I’ve since picked up another off the list and had one
purpose built for me. Very
Hi Leah,
I'm also excited to hear about your journey towards a road bike; you
probably don't know it but your writing on this list was one of my main
influences towards ending up with a Riv. Drop bars and pavement are very
familiar, comfortable territory for me, and – like others have said here –
I’m starting to wonder about a roadbike. But it has to be a Rivendell
roadbike because I’m loyal and all that. Anyway, I don’t know that the
Roadini really offers enough of a change for me. I have no idea what is
going on with the Gallup. Then there’s the Roadeo - that one looks great
but
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