Re: [RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[William Lindsay]

Nikko has gotta hear more about how I categorize bikes. He said “ i'm happy
to treat a cyclocross bike as a gravel bike any day. “

There’s nothing wrong with treating a cyclocross race bike as a gravel
bike. There’s nothing wrong with using your cyclocross race bike as a
gravel bike or riding it on a gravel ride. Similarly one can take their
cyclocross race bike on a road ride or a brevet or a commute. Those uses
don’t change the fact that the Rivendell Legolas is a cyclocross race bike.
That’s all.

Gravel Bike means a broad spectrum of things in 2022.  For me the main
differences between a gravel bike and a cyclocross race bike are the gravel
bike has a lower BB, wider tire clearance, a longer front center, and a
slacker STA (in my book). A cyclocross race bike is also set up to be
carried in cyclocross races.

Bill Lindsay
Somewhere near the border of Germany and the Netherlands.

On Thu, Aug 25, 2022 at 10:42 PM Nikko in Oakland 
wrote:

> Bill (via Toshi)
> Off topic, but I gotta hear more about this delineation between a racing
> cyclocross bike and an aggressive gravel bike. I have my own thoughts on
> the same topic, but i'm happy to treat a cyclocross bike as a gravel bike
> any day.
>
> On topic, I was dithering pretty heavily on whether or not my Legolas was
> going to be my brevet bike or not, and decided against it for some of the
> same reasons Bill mentioned. A bit too responsive (great for short rides
> and hard corners), and it's set up slightly more aggressive than my past
> rando bikes. I was initially hunting down a 60cm Rambouillet for brevets
> and commuting, but ended up stumbling upon a good deal on a Boulder Brevet
> that is literally the perfect bike for me.
>
> My two cents... Ram, AHH, Sam, Roadini, Roadeo are your better bets for
> rando, from best to least best (mostly because of luggage options and the
> such). At Del Puerto 200km 2021, I did see someone on a really sick ruby or
> red Atlantis.
> On Wednesday, August 24, 2022 at 4:08:10 PM UTC-7 John Hawrylak wrote:
>
>> Just 1 bit of advice for the weight in a front bag & saddle bag for a
>> Rivendell, I remember from a Grant P blog
>>
>> Put the heavy items, tools, tubes, extra clothes, extra food, in the
>> saddlebag .Put LIGHT items in the front bag, food until the next
>> control *and* items you will want to get while moving *or* not
>> dismounting.
>>
>> Since the Riv models have higher wheel flop (due to higher trail),
>> keeping the load light upfront minimizes the effects of high wheel flop.
>>
>> John Hawrylak
>> Woodstown NJ
>>
>>
>> On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 4:52:59 PM UTC-4 Dick Combs wrote:
>>
>>> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K
>>> rides. Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks
>>
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[RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[Nikko in Oakland]

Bill (via Toshi) 
Off topic, but I gotta hear more about this delineation between a racing 
cyclocross bike and an aggressive gravel bike. I have my own thoughts on 
the same topic, but i'm happy to treat a cyclocross bike as a gravel bike 
any day. 

On topic, I was dithering pretty heavily on whether or not my Legolas was 
going to be my brevet bike or not, and decided against it for some of the 
same reasons Bill mentioned. A bit too responsive (great for short rides 
and hard corners), and it's set up slightly more aggressive than my past 
rando bikes. I was initially hunting down a 60cm Rambouillet for brevets 
and commuting, but ended up stumbling upon a good deal on a Boulder Brevet 
that is literally the perfect bike for me. 

My two cents... Ram, AHH, Sam, Roadini, Roadeo are your better bets for 
rando, from best to least best (mostly because of luggage options and the 
such). At Del Puerto 200km 2021, I did see someone on a really sick ruby or 
red Atlantis. 
On Wednesday, August 24, 2022 at 4:08:10 PM UTC-7 John Hawrylak wrote:

> Just 1 bit of advice for the weight in a front bag & saddle bag for a 
> Rivendell, I remember from a Grant P blog
>
> Put the heavy items, tools, tubes, extra clothes, extra food, in the 
> saddlebag .Put LIGHT items in the front bag, food until the next 
> control *and* items you will want to get while moving *or* not 
> dismounting. 
>
> Since the Riv models have higher wheel flop (due to higher trail), keeping 
> the load light upfront minimizes the effects of high wheel flop.  
>
> John Hawrylak
> Woodstown NJ
>
>
> On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 4:52:59 PM UTC-4 Dick Combs wrote:
>
>> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K 
>> rides. Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks
>
>

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[RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

['John Hawrylak' via RBW Owners Bunch]

Just 1 bit of advice for the weight in a front bag & saddle bag for a 
Rivendell, I remember from a Grant P blog

Put the heavy items, tools, tubes, extra clothes, extra food, in the 
saddlebag .Put LIGHT items in the front bag, food until the next 
control *and* items you will want to get while moving *or* not 
dismounting. 

Since the Riv models have higher wheel flop (due to higher trail), keeping 
the load light upfront minimizes the effects of high wheel flop.  

John Hawrylak
Woodstown NJ


On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 4:52:59 PM UTC-4 Dick Combs wrote:

> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K rides. 
> Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks

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Re: [RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[Toshi Takeuchi]

Hi all,

Bill is enjoying a trip in Europe right now, but was able to send me a
quick message to relay to the group.  Straight from the horse's mouth:

As Toshi pointed out I’ve done brevets on a ton of Rivs and a ton of other
bikes. I’m probably a lousy resource for suggesting ‘the best Riv for
brevets’ because folks can do brevets on any bike. To me it’s all about
setup and preparation.  If you are prepared and if your bike is set up
well, you’ll have a great time. If you are poorly prepared, no bike will
fix it. If your set up is poor, no amount of prep will be sufficient. The
trick is how to tell somebody else to set up a bike that will work for
them. I’m extremely adept at setting up a bike for myself, but it’s taken a
lot of work to develop that expertise and self-knowledge.

Some people don’t like to hear the truth about my Legolas. My Legolas is a
cyclocross race bike.  One can do a brevet on a cyclocross race bike, but
the Legolas is not a ‘brevet bike’ or even a ‘fat tire road bike’. It’s not
a ‘gravel bike’ either. It’s a cyclocross race bike.

I’ll chime in more in September

Bill

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Re: [RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[Ted Durant]

On Tuesday, August 23, 2022 at 5:44:03 PM UTC-4 ttoshi wrote:

>  He might have said that the Sam H. was a perfect brevet bike and that 
> despite it being heavier than other bikes he has ridden, he was fast on the 
> bike and rode one of, if not his fastest time for a 200k on the bike.
>

This wouldn't surprise me. As lots of people have chimed in, it's mostly 
about comfort. Even if there's a lot of climbing, we're carrying a bunch of 
gear and food and the weight of the bike is a small percentage of the total 
rider/bike/gear package.

As I mentioned, my fastest 200km ride was on my Heron Road, which was a 
prototype that was built using the rear stays from the touring bike as that 
was all Waterford had at the time they built it. It also has a very heavy 
rear wheel and freewheel, and when you pick up the bike you can really feel 
how heavy the back end is, even without the steel-rail Brooks B-17 that 
used to be on it!

My Bleriot, which is very similar to the Sam H, was plenty stout (let's 
say, heavy) and I happily rode it on 200-600km rides with a wide range of 
average speeds. It's much more about the motor than the chassis, though as 
the comment on the Legolas points out, the handling has a big impact on 
long-distance comfort.

Ted Durant
Milwaukee, WI USA

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Re: [RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[Toshi Takeuchi]

Yeah, I've ridden with Bill when he has ridden 4 different Riv models:

300k on a 700c A Homer Hilsen
200k on a 650b Sam H.
200k on a 700c Legolas
200k on a 700c Roadeo

I believe he also did a 200k on a Roadini, but I don't think I was on that
ride.  The only complaint that I ever recall is that the Legolas handling
is very responsive and for a long ride, it may require more attention than
riding the Roadeo/Sam/AHH, so it might not have been as pleasant. He might
have said that the Sam H. was a perfect brevet bike and that despite it
being heavier than other bikes he has ridden, he was fast on the bike and
rode one of, if not his fastest time for a 200k on the bike.

I'm sure we'll hear it from the horse's mouth soon enough :).

Toshi in Oakland


On Tue, Aug 23, 2022 at 1:24 PM Eric Marth  wrote:

> I'm surprised that Bill Lindsay, a board member who's done a lot of
> brevets on a lot of different Rivs, hasn't written in.
>
> Seems to me that from the current lineup a Homer or Sam would be a great
> way to go given rack mounts as well as tire and fender clearances. Looking
> further back in the catalog perhaps a Saluki or Bleriot would be solid
> choices as well.
>
> On the Velo Orange blog the other day there was a post titled "What Makes
> a Good Rando Bike?" Worthwhile read:
> https://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2022/08/what-makes-good-rando-bike.html
>
> On Sunday, August 21, 2022 at 9:51:29 PM UTC-4 Benz Ouyang, Sunnyvale, CA
> wrote:
>
>> The best Rivendell for brevets is obviously a custom Rivendell designed
>> for brevets. I understand the waiting list isn't crazy long. :)
>>
>> I've done a few 200k and populaires, and had taken everything from my
>> custom Rivendell that was designed for brevets, to my commuter Toyo
>> Atlantis complete with front and rear racks, fenders, dynamo lighting and
>> brevet-approved boxy front bag. I even rode a Jan Heine-archetype Boulder
>> Cycles bike with "skinny tubing" to see if a planing frame with low trail
>> geometry is the bee's knees. It's all doable, as long as you have the
>> mental fortitude, physical fitness, and correct "comfort" bike fit. The
>> speeds *will* be different, but randonneuring is never about all-out
>> speed; randonneuring is about finishing within the time limit, having fun,
>> and perhaps having a bit of self-discovery and introspection.
>>
>> As others have pointed out, remaining comfortable (particularly with the
>> contact points) and having a reliable bike are two critical factors that a
>> bike can make. I'll also add that one shouldn't skimp on tires, so that
>> eye-watering  spent on Rene Herse or other fast-rolling supple tires
>> will seem good value when you're wondering if you can make that last 20%.
>>
>> Good luck!
>>
>> On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 1:52:59 PM UTC-7 Dick Combs wrote:
>>
>>> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K
>>> rides. Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks
>>
>> --
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> 
> .
>

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[RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[Eric Marth]

I'm surprised that Bill Lindsay, a board member who's done a lot of brevets 
on a lot of different Rivs, hasn't written in. 

Seems to me that from the current lineup a Homer or Sam would be a great 
way to go given rack mounts as well as tire and fender clearances. Looking 
further back in the catalog perhaps a Saluki or Bleriot would be solid 
choices as well.

On the Velo Orange blog the other day there was a post titled "What Makes a 
Good Rando Bike?" Worthwhile read: 
https://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2022/08/what-makes-good-rando-bike.html 

On Sunday, August 21, 2022 at 9:51:29 PM UTC-4 Benz Ouyang, Sunnyvale, CA 
wrote:

> The best Rivendell for brevets is obviously a custom Rivendell designed 
> for brevets. I understand the waiting list isn't crazy long. :)
>
> I've done a few 200k and populaires, and had taken everything from my 
> custom Rivendell that was designed for brevets, to my commuter Toyo 
> Atlantis complete with front and rear racks, fenders, dynamo lighting and 
> brevet-approved boxy front bag. I even rode a Jan Heine-archetype Boulder 
> Cycles bike with "skinny tubing" to see if a planing frame with low trail 
> geometry is the bee's knees. It's all doable, as long as you have the 
> mental fortitude, physical fitness, and correct "comfort" bike fit. The 
> speeds *will* be different, but randonneuring is never about all-out 
> speed; randonneuring is about finishing within the time limit, having fun, 
> and perhaps having a bit of self-discovery and introspection.
>
> As others have pointed out, remaining comfortable (particularly with the 
> contact points) and having a reliable bike are two critical factors that a 
> bike can make. I'll also add that one shouldn't skimp on tires, so that 
> eye-watering  spent on Rene Herse or other fast-rolling supple tires 
> will seem good value when you're wondering if you can make that last 20%.
>
> Good luck!
>
> On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 1:52:59 PM UTC-7 Dick Combs wrote:
>
>> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K 
>> rides. Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks
>
>

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[RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[Benz Ouyang, Sunnyvale, CA]

The best Rivendell for brevets is obviously a custom Rivendell designed for 
brevets. I understand the waiting list isn't crazy long. :)

I've done a few 200k and populaires, and had taken everything from my 
custom Rivendell that was designed for brevets, to my commuter Toyo 
Atlantis complete with front and rear racks, fenders, dynamo lighting and 
brevet-approved boxy front bag. I even rode a Jan Heine-archetype Boulder 
Cycles bike with "skinny tubing" to see if a planing frame with low trail 
geometry is the bee's knees. It's all doable, as long as you have the 
mental fortitude, physical fitness, and correct "comfort" bike fit. The 
speeds *will* be different, but randonneuring is never about all-out speed; 
randonneuring is about finishing within the time limit, having fun, and 
perhaps having a bit of self-discovery and introspection.

As others have pointed out, remaining comfortable (particularly with the 
contact points) and having a reliable bike are two critical factors that a 
bike can make. I'll also add that one shouldn't skimp on tires, so that 
eye-watering  spent on Rene Herse or other fast-rolling supple tires 
will seem good value when you're wondering if you can make that last 20%.

Good luck!

On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 1:52:59 PM UTC-7 Dick Combs wrote:

> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K rides. 
> Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks

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[RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[nlerner]

In past years before I sold it off, my brevet bike was a Romulus. It saw 
many centuries, a few 200k rides, a 300k ride, and a couple of 24-hour 320k 
flèche team rides. I ran it with 32mm tires and fenders. As others have 
said, comfort at the contact points is key: feet, butt, and hands.

Neal Lerner
Brookline MA

On Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 1:45:53 PM UTC-4 Ted Durant wrote:

> On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 4:52:59 PM UTC-4 Dick Combs wrote:
>
>> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K 
>> rides. Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks
>
>
> I've done 200-600km brevets on various bikes, Rivendell and others. My 
> first 200km was on a Heron road bike, and I just last week set my personal 
> best time for 200km on that same bike. On the first one I had a saddle bag, 
> and that was the last time I did a brevet without a handlebar bag! The most 
> similar Riv models to the Heron road would be Roadeo, Rambouillet, or 
> Roadini. I have done a large amount of brevet riding on a Bleriot, and the 
> "country bike" line descended from that  (A Homer Hilsen, Sam Hillborne) 
> would be similar. 
>
> As others have said, comfort is the priority, but I would be more specific 
> and say that comfort _over many hours_ is the priority. A lot of things, 
> like cushy saddles and cushy shoe soles, are comfortable feeling at the 
> start, but after 8 hours of riding can be the source of much agony. I would 
> put your riding position at the top of the list, and everyone is different 
> in that regard. I am light and flexible and the most comfortable position 
> for me for very long rides is the classic road bike position, back at about 
> 45 degrees, drop bars with the tops almost even with the saddle and a 
> pretty deep drop so my position changes a fair amount as I move around on 
> the bars. One of the important lessons I have learned is that riding too 
> slowly can be a problem, just as trying to ride too fast can be a problem. 
> They are different kinds of problems, to be sure. For me, riding too slowly 
> means 1) I'm in the saddle longer (duh!), and 2) I'm putting more weight on 
> my butt and less on my legs. I have many times been struggling in the last 
> half of a brevet and found that spending some time riding a bit faster has 
> helped me to feel better. Having the ability to change between a broad 
> range of positions is important for me, and all my bikes, despite their 
> differences in tubing and geometry, wind up with very similar rider 
> positioning.
>
> Back to the handlebar bag ... for me that is a very important part of the 
> setup. While I love the way Grant's designs ride and handle, they tend to 
> have fairly high steering flop that is amplified by the weight of a 
> handlebar bag. I don't usually carry a lot of weight there, and  I mostly 
> ride relatively gentle hills,so it's not a deal-breaker. If I was doing a 
> lot of curvy mountain descents, I wouldn't choose a Rivendell with a 
> handlebar bag that had much weight in it. That's one of the reasons I ended 
> up replacing the Bleriot with a bike with less trail. I took the Bleriot 
> (which was my travel bike) down some descents that would have been more fun 
> with more linear steering response. Also, I had my Heron fork pulled for 
> more rake, less trail/flop.
>
> Lastly - tire sizes (carrying over from another recent thread!) - with the 
> wide availability of truly excellent tires in 622 and 584 diameters and a 
> wide range of sizes, it's almost irrelevant what size wheels the bike uses. 
> If your brevets involve rough roads/gravel/dirt, of course you will want 
> pretty wide tires. You probably want decent fenders, too, if there's any 
> chance of it raining. I've done brevets on tires ranging from 26mm to 54mm 
> wide. Wider is generally better, but I've had good and bad rides on all of 
> them. All Rivendells tend to have more tire and fender room than other 
> bikes designed for similar purposes.
>
> Ted Durant
> Milwaukee, WI USA
>

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[RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[Ted Durant]

On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 4:52:59 PM UTC-4 Dick Combs wrote:

> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K rides. 
> Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks


I've done 200-600km brevets on various bikes, Rivendell and others. My 
first 200km was on a Heron road bike, and I just last week set my personal 
best time for 200km on that same bike. On the first one I had a saddle bag, 
and that was the last time I did a brevet without a handlebar bag! The most 
similar Riv models to the Heron road would be Roadeo, Rambouillet, or 
Roadini. I have done a large amount of brevet riding on a Bleriot, and the 
"country bike" line descended from that  (A Homer Hilsen, Sam Hillborne) 
would be similar. 

As others have said, comfort is the priority, but I would be more specific 
and say that comfort _over many hours_ is the priority. A lot of things, 
like cushy saddles and cushy shoe soles, are comfortable feeling at the 
start, but after 8 hours of riding can be the source of much agony. I would 
put your riding position at the top of the list, and everyone is different 
in that regard. I am light and flexible and the most comfortable position 
for me for very long rides is the classic road bike position, back at about 
45 degrees, drop bars with the tops almost even with the saddle and a 
pretty deep drop so my position changes a fair amount as I move around on 
the bars. One of the important lessons I have learned is that riding too 
slowly can be a problem, just as trying to ride too fast can be a problem. 
They are different kinds of problems, to be sure. For me, riding too slowly 
means 1) I'm in the saddle longer (duh!), and 2) I'm putting more weight on 
my butt and less on my legs. I have many times been struggling in the last 
half of a brevet and found that spending some time riding a bit faster has 
helped me to feel better. Having the ability to change between a broad 
range of positions is important for me, and all my bikes, despite their 
differences in tubing and geometry, wind up with very similar rider 
positioning.

Back to the handlebar bag ... for me that is a very important part of the 
setup. While I love the way Grant's designs ride and handle, they tend to 
have fairly high steering flop that is amplified by the weight of a 
handlebar bag. I don't usually carry a lot of weight there, and  I mostly 
ride relatively gentle hills,so it's not a deal-breaker. If I was doing a 
lot of curvy mountain descents, I wouldn't choose a Rivendell with a 
handlebar bag that had much weight in it. That's one of the reasons I ended 
up replacing the Bleriot with a bike with less trail. I took the Bleriot 
(which was my travel bike) down some descents that would have been more fun 
with more linear steering response. Also, I had my Heron fork pulled for 
more rake, less trail/flop.

Lastly - tire sizes (carrying over from another recent thread!) - with the 
wide availability of truly excellent tires in 622 and 584 diameters and a 
wide range of sizes, it's almost irrelevant what size wheels the bike uses. 
If your brevets involve rough roads/gravel/dirt, of course you will want 
pretty wide tires. You probably want decent fenders, too, if there's any 
chance of it raining. I've done brevets on tires ranging from 26mm to 54mm 
wide. Wider is generally better, but I've had good and bad rides on all of 
them. All Rivendells tend to have more tire and fender room than other 
bikes designed for similar purposes.

Ted Durant
Milwaukee, WI USA

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[RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

['John Hawrylak' via RBW Owners Bunch]

I would say a Homer, to give a direct answer.   As the others pointed out, 
almost any bike would work.

A fellow in NJ Randonnuers has been using a AHH-MUSA for over 10 years 
(56cm I think).

The one AHH-MIT I rode felt very light, lighter than I thought it would.  
 I was surprised.

You can fit wider tires and fenders compared to Riv models earlier then the 
AHH.

>From everything that's been written on the AHH, it appears to have the 
lightest tubeset of any Riv model.   Just watch how much weight you carry 
in the front since the wheel flop is high (true for any RBW model).   

John Hawrylak
Woodstown NJ

On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 4:52:59 PM UTC-4 Dick Combs wrote:

> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K rides. 
> Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks

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[RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[ascpgh]

+1 on responses prioritizing comfort.


I haven't done any official randonneuring but I have ridden across the 
country with a small group on a light credit card touring ride and every 
summer I try to ride some self-inflicted centuries. 

When I was first approached about the cross country ride I realistically 
assessed my RB-1 as not up to it. I was sore, stiff and not very functional 
after anything more than four hours of riding it. I spoke to Grant about 
possibly a Riv custom and he told me about the upcoming Rambouillet and I 
bought one. Predictable handling, responsive to inputs and comfortable for 
long (8-12 hours) days of riding. Really great. 

My only addition is to consider what your load situation would be. I found 
that as I took on a bit more gear and anticipated more unpaved than I did 
for the mostly state road trek coast to coast the envelope of any bike can 
be reached. My Ram with fenders maxes out with 32mm tires and being 
moderate to high trail it doesn't tolerate loading in the front well and 
doesn't have braze ons to encourage such. This means if I head out for a 
few days my load in my Carradice Nelson Longflap saddlebag with a Bagman 
support adds to the already rear heavy distribution of just me on the bike 
and requires keeping the inflation of the rear tire to be higher, limiting 
the comfort of the 32s over time. A model with clearance for more tire 
width would be the next consideration 

Andy Cheatham
Pittsburgh




On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 4:52:59 PM UTC-4 Dick Combs wrote:

> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K rides. 
> Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks

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[RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[George Schick]

I would add that to the saddle the most comfortable pair of cycling shoes 
and pedals to accompany them - clipless if you use them or platform 
otherwise - are among the most important items you can select.  If your 
feet start to feel numb and painful after so many miles, not to mention 
your bottom, you'll be miserable long before the end of the brevet.


On Friday, August 19, 2022 at 11:26:18 AM UTC-5 Jeffrey Arita wrote:

> Hi Dick,
>
> I will chime in here: I rode a 400k brevet in April on a (new to me) 
> Rambouillet.  I purchased it from a list member here in 2021 and it rides 
> well (vs. my other brevet bike).  I did use a Brooks Cambium 'carved' model 
> (my favorite saddle).  Tires were 700x32 Panaracer GravelKing slicks at 
> relatively low pressures.  Comfy.  As others have duly noted, just about 
> any bicycle will do, as long as its comfortable for you.  
>
> Good luck,
>
> Jeff
> Claremont, CA
>
> On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 1:52:59 PM UTC-7 Dick Combs wrote:
>
>> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K 
>> rides. Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks
>
>

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[RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[Jeffrey Arita]

Hi Dick,

I will chime in here: I rode a 400k brevet in April on a (new to me) 
Rambouillet.  I purchased it from a list member here in 2021 and it rides 
well (vs. my other brevet bike).  I did use a Brooks Cambium 'carved' model 
(my favorite saddle).  Tires were 700x32 Panaracer GravelKing slicks at 
relatively low pressures.  Comfy.  As others have duly noted, just about 
any bicycle will do, as long as its comfortable for you.  

Good luck,

Jeff
Claremont, CA

On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 1:52:59 PM UTC-7 Dick Combs wrote:

> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K rides. 
> Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks

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[RBW] Re: Randonneuring Bike

[Wesley]

Hi Dick,
I've ben thinking about this myself. I believe the most important 
consideration will be your ability to endure 24 hours in the saddle of your 
bike. The pace for finishing a brevet within the time limit is not so fast 
(8.25 mph), so any bike can get you there. As long as your bike puts the 
seat, pedals, and handlebars into a comfortable configuration, you'll have 
a good base. Then you can figure out what bars, tires, pedals, and saddle 
will suit your preferred balance of speed and comfort.
-W

On Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 1:52:59 PM UTC-7 Dick Combs wrote:

> Looking for opinions/thoughts on the best Riv for Brevets, 200-400K rides. 
> Looking for current models as well as older models. Thanks

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