Lum, my story is a counterpoint to yours:
After years of riding drop bars, I developed some neck problems which made
riding drop bars uncomfortable. After a long trial-and-error process with
handlebars and stems, I now ride Albatross bars exclusively. My neck is
comfortable, and I also have
I like 'Meander", or better, the archaic spelling, "Maeander". The
headbadge could show the sinuous path of its namesake, the Meander River in
Turkey.
Jack
On Saturday, May 5, 2018 at 4:59:41 PM UTC-7, Garth wrote:
>
> On Friday, April 27, 2018 at 3:24:19 PM UTC-4, Jeremy Till wrote:
> >
Bill, thanks for all the informative reporting on your 'Leo'. I've admired
this bike from afar and you are making it very difficult for me to resist.
The Roadini would be a replacement for my Nordavinden, which has not been
ideal for purely subjective reasons. I was taken aback when you
Bill said: "If I wanted a more expensive Leo, I’d probably let Grant
design that for me."
It's good of you to say that. At one time I considered having Grant's
geometry replicated by another builder in welded lightweight tubing, but
wouldn't do this without getting Grant's consent and
I don't like threads where the poster asks a very general question like 'my
brakes squeal' but provides *zero* additional information. Helpful
responders then prompt the poster with pertinent questions, like 'what kind
of brakes', 'what conditions cause the squealing' etc. However the OP just
Like Joe and Patrick, I also think CF *can* be safe but the buyer/owner
needs to do a lot more due diligence than when buying steel. Because the
consequences of CF failure are so great, sloppy design and construction
simply can't be tolerated. I would tend to trust company like Salsa (for
for bicycles (and when CR tries to write up bicycles the results
> are virtually useless), most of what most bike mags publish is useless
> drivel, and BQ mostly does customs / handbuilts.
>
> On 07/26/2018 08:10 PM, jack loudon wrote:
>
> "And what would the nature of this d
Joe, you don't know (for certain) what's inside your Riv frame either. But
you trust Grant to build you a safe, good-performing bike, and you trust
Matt from Crust to provide you a good bike. Both Grant and Matt had to
trust that the Taiwanese builder would adhere to their specifications.
an answer from me.
Jack
On Thursday, July 26, 2018 at 12:15:57 PM UTC-7, Steve Palincsar wrote:
>
>
>
> On 07/26/2018 12:48 PM, jack loudon wrote:
>
> Like Joe and Patrick, I also think CF *can* be safe but the buyer/owner
> needs to do a lot more due diligence t
That's a beaut! I'm a bit jealous... if I wasn't so lazy I'd sell my
Nordy and get one of these.
Jack
On Sunday, August 5, 2018 at 11:56:01 AM UTC-7, Joe Bernard wrote:
>
> Check it out yo. I gots a 54 on the way.
>
>
>
Sean said "worry about putting too much stress on the frame on rough
surfaces?"
IMO it would be very hard to find a frame that would be too flimsy for your
needs. Production frames are almost always overbuilt (although there are
some exceptions) to survive the heaviest strongest rider that
Thanks for sharing this, Bill. It's beautiful country, hard to believe
it's so close to millions of people. I have ridden some of these roads,
but in shorter stretches and slower speeds than the randonneurs. A few
roads are truly remote, with no cell service and sometimes not a single
Wow...it's good you didn't get hurt - or worse yet, your bike get harmed
:).
I can't help but comment on your 'thank God for fenders' remark: I think
your fenders may have inadvertently contributed to the blowout, because
they concealed the tire from view and prevented you from noticing
I'd prefer that you keep "buying/fiddling with/selling bikes" because it's
very entertaining to us'all :)
On Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 10:27:14 AM UTC-7, Joe Bernard wrote:
>
> Hehe, I'd love to snag a Roadeo if I stumbled on a good "it's the dead of
> winter" deal, but realistically the
"Fiddlin’ is fun but expensive and exhausting."but also absorbing and
consuming, in a good way. If not actually riding, it's a pretty good way
to to occupy one's time, especially when the weather doesn't cooperate.
As far as cost, there are far more expensive hobbies/avocations (I've
Bill: "Thanks for that, Jock. Like you, I have no idea what 'planing' is."
Thanks to both Jock and Bill for validating that I'm not totally deficient
(or at least not alone) because I also don't understand planing, after well
over 100,000 miles of riding.
Bill, thanks for the great ride
I like threadless mainly because of the removable faceplate. I change out
handlebars and stems way too frequently, so a removable faceplate saves a
lot of bar tape unwrapping/rewrapping. Other reasons for threadless are:
(a) more rigid connection with steerer tube, which I like but others may
Thanks for the photos and comments. Two things:
First, Bosque is a new word for me. Thought you meant Basque until I
Wiki'd it. Thanks for the introduction.
Second, regarding your comment: "And I noticed again that being bent over
very often, and in this instance, *removes* weight from your
John, I've never tried the Allmotions but (like others) have had very good
luck with Supremes. First set 700-50's went close to 10,000 mi with no
flats; I did nothing but add air occasionally. I finally retired them
because of a sidewall slice that didn't go through, but was nonetheless
I was on the other side of the scenario once, as a would-be helpful driver
being yelled at by a cyclist. There is a narrow 2-lane road in Seattle
that winds through a park (the Arboretum, for locals), that is also a main
thoroughfare and very busy. It also has no shoulders, so it's difficult
I must be doing something wrong, because I'm also 175lb, and pinch flats
start happening at 80-85 psi! Maybe it's my narrow Mavic Open Pro rims;
been thinking that wider rims might make a difference. I also ride a lot
of rough pavement, some gravel, and occasionally hop up curbs. Before the
to
a point that a pinch flat was inevitable.
On Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 8:42:06 AM UTC-7, jack loudon wrote:
>
> I must be doing something wrong, because I'm also 175lb, and pinch flats
> start happening at 80-85 psi! Maybe it's my narrow Mavic Open Pro rims;
> been thinking tha
"For me it started with the double-TTs on already plenty stout bikes. As a
tall and lightweight rider, I've essentially lost interest in their
products :-("
I'm with you on this. The Roadini frameset in a medium size was reported
to weigh 7.75 lbs. The top tube is said to be .9/.7/.9 and the
Doug said "I was told that you really start to notice the difference with
Compass at 32 and above."
I have to agree with the above. My Compass 28's have to be pumped to near
90psi to avoid pinch flats, and at this pressure I don't feel much
suppleness so there's little to distinguish them
Thanks for your remarks, Bill. I'm glad to know you still enjoy your
Roadini after the infatuation period has subsided. I recall you own some
very special bikes, so I was specifically wondering if Leo had earned
'keeper' status. Now I know.
Jack
Seattle
On Thursday, September 20, 2018 at
Joe, your orange one is a beaut!
On Friday, September 28, 2018 at 11:59:28 PM UTC-7, Joe Bernard wrote:
>
> I'll second the 'keeper' status. I did a nice town ride on mine today and
> it's SUCH a great bike. I have a tendency to catch and release a lot, but
> this one has a special vibe for me
"Looking back on my childhood, I am amazed at how much freedom I and my
siblings had..."
This was also my experience, growing up in rural northern California in the
'50's and '60's. As long as I did well in school and was polite to
grownups, I could do just about anything. My otherwise
Hmmm... Ultra-romance is called a 'Rivendell sponsored rider and mobile
dealer". Does this mean Ultra got a free frame plus revenue on (his) sales
in exchange for promoting Rivendell? No negativism intended, as it sounds
like a good move, that will potentially expose Rivendell to a younger
I agree with Patrick, and for pretty much the same reasons. My 1x10 has a
friction thumby and the 2x9 has friction bar-ends, and I have no desire to
go back to indexing. The lateral play in the derailleur jockey wheel makes
the chain self-align with the cog to a certain extent, so missed
"I like the idea of doing it myself, and I don't want a machine to take it
over for me!"
As I get older I also find myself leaning more toward simple over complex.
Complex can be wonderfully convenient until it fails, and I've had two
indexing failures. My first shifter fail was 9-sp Campy
[image: thorn]
I'm sure many of you have seen this from Sheldon Brown...
On Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 6:43:55 AM UTC-7, esoterica etc wrote:
>
>
> Howdy all,
>
> I’m looking into possible ways on how to construct a “quick release”
> method for easy swapping of cockpits. My Atlantis
Patrick: "I agree that what works for one person or one race may not be
the same for another."
My mother is 99 and still healthy and mentally sharp; she still lives in
the house she was born in. Her diet is poor, heavy on starchy sweets -
sometimes when I visit we both have nothing but pie
Patrick, a site I trust is switchbacktravel.com. They review all kinds of
hiking gear, and I’ve bought boots, backpacks, and rain gear largely on their
recommendation. On light hikers, I currently have two they recommended,
Merrell Moab and Altra Lone Peak, both great shoes IMO for different
Scott: " my wife and I decided we didn’t need a clothes dryer and ditched
ours"
Says the man who lives in Tucson :)
Jack in perpetually soggy (so it seems...) Seattle
On Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 8:01:05 AM UTC-8, Scott Calhoun wrote:
>
> After a couple of trips to Spain the last few years,
Many of the bike shops in Seattle have shifted more to
maintenance/repairs. Lucky for them, an astounding number of bicylists
(present company excepted, of course) barely know how to add air to their
tires, let alone do anything more complicated.
On Thursday, January 2, 2020 at 10:17:33 AM
Nice story, nicely written. Thanks.
Jack - also an Edward Abbey fan, and I don't care a whit if some of his
non-fiction was (reportedly) largely fictionalized
On Saturday, January 4, 2020 at 4:25:01 PM UTC-8, Patrick Moore wrote:
>
> Met a friend at the Sandia Pueblo commuter rail station for
"I’m still hung up on the $60 patch kit. Not only that, added I still need
to carry a spare tube."
In addition to the above, fenders are needed to contain the latex spray
that is otherwise flung on bike and self as the larger punctures seal. Ask
me how I know :)
Jack - Seattle
On Friday,
I have used 3 sets of RH tires (all 700C, extralight) with tubes; 28mm,
35mm, and 38mm widths. By rough estimate, I got flats on average every 2.5
weeks to 2 months, which translates to about 200 to 700 miles. The 28's
were the most flat-prone (due to higher pressure?), followed by the 38's
Very inspiring video, thanks for posting. It's great to see the pleasure
Vera gets from riding and from inspiring others.
Last week I was riding in an unfamiliar place and stopped to look at a map.
There was a friendly-looking bicyclist stopped nearby so I asked him
directions, and we began
I would add the Rawland Nordavinden to your list. It meets every one of
your criteria (except tigged frame) and its standard diameter thinwall
tubing would complement your light weight. It's low trail though, so as
Paul said, it's important to know your preferences. I eventually decided
low
d bringing it back to his business model, in relation to his product, he
> certainly knows his customer base, and he knows how to reach beyond it a
> bit as well.
>
> Paul Brodek
> Hillsdale, NJ USA
>
> On Sunday, July 26, 2020 at 12:10:22 AM UTC-4, jack loudon wrote:
> [sni
I'll point out another flaw in the RBW business model. Grant has inspired
the creation of many, many bike designs brought out by other manufacturers,
for which he has received little credit and no monetary compensation. I
am evidence of this as I've never owned a Rivendell, though I have
One final thought on bad backs and backpacks; I would think twice about
carrying heavy loads in a backpack if my back was already ailing.When
mine was acting up, lifting a heavy pack onto and off exacerbated my back
problems, even though things felt okay once the pack was in place. Years
Patrick: "Have others had James's problem with RH cranks loosening? If so,
I shall resolutely avoid buying one."
There was a thread about RH cranks coming loose a few months back, and mine
are among a few that have had that issue. It happened more in the beginning
and decreased in frequency
One thing about Tilley hats that may not have been mentioned is that most
are washable, and I like a hat that can withstand repeated washings. My
Airflow (now 6 years old) gets sweat stained and generally nasty, but a
quick wash in the sink and it looks and smells like new - and keeps its
Patrick, I have also avoided 'exercise' my whole life, and haven't set foot
in a gym since my college days more than 45 years ago. I don't do much
besides bicycling, walking (often hiking, sometimes jogging), and building
construction. My main back problems were before retirement, working
Kushan,
Thanks for the ride report and beautiful photos. I live in Seattle but
visit Western Sonoma several times a year (my mother and other relatives
live there) and agree it's cycling paradise, especially the remote
low-traffic roads. Hard to believe you're just an hour away from 8
Regarding Rene Herse bb spindle length, on mine a 111mm bb spindle length
results in a 119mm clear space between the arms, though this could vary a
bit on different bb's and RH cranks due to machining tolerances. To
determine at a bb spindle length for an RH crank you could subtract 8mm
from
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