To clarify: this Motobecane (Eric stole it from me) felt fast and lively. My point is that it didn't feel any faster and livelier than other bikes that had oversized and (since they are Rivs) doubtless sturdier tubing. Hell, the Herse I mentioned felt at least as fast with the same IRC Tandem (30 mm labeled, 28-9 mm actual) tires.
Of course, I was usually carrying 15 to 40 lb on the back of the Motobecane, so who knows. On Mon, Apr 7, 2014 at 4:59 PM, Eric Norris <campyonly...@me.com> wrote: > My ’73 Motobecane Grand Record (which is, come to think of it, eerily > similar to the one Patrick used to own) feels plenty fast and lively to me. > Switching from Paselas (700x25) to the new Compass Stampede Pass tires > (700x32) made a big difference—much more comfortable and responsive-feeling. > > P.S. Because I noted the other day on this list that I hadn’t had a flat > yet with the Stampede Pass tires, I got a flat this weekend. However, the > (rear) tire was nice enough to start going soft only a few blocks from > home. A less quality tire would have flatted 25 miles from home. > > --Eric N > campyonly...@me.com > Web: www.campyonly.com > Twitter: @campyonlyguy > Blog: campyonlyguy.blogspot.com > > On Apr 7, 2014, at 3:54 PM, Patrick Moore <bertin...@gmail.com> wrote: > > George: the OP's -- or OPs' -- negative perception of the Ram is entirely > a personal matter. (For the record, it is also entirely legitimate.) What > is in question is very obviously NOT a collection of Ram qualities alone, > but a collection of experiences that certain riders have of their Rams. Or > perhaps more precisely, we are discussing the relationship between certain > riders and their Rams. > > Tires have been mentioned as one variable. There are probably an > indefinite number of others, among which is a subset consisting of the many > ways in which a rider's build, pedaling style, gearing choices, cockpit and > saddle setup, and so on, affect the efficiency with which he can interact > with the bike, and, in addition, the way the bike feels when he is > interacting with it. > > I' guessing, but I am no merely groping in the dark, since I've at least > started to see patterns in the relationship between "planing" and the > characteristics of those who experience it. One is pedaling style. Someone > with a mashing pedaling style may well be less prone to benefit from a > light-tubed frame; he may not be able to experience "planing" and may well > find that a given stout-tubed bike performs very well. Someone who pedals > fast in low gears may well find that same bike dead feeling. > > Another possibility: geometry and setup in relation to a rider's build and > pedaling style. Again, no hard data but enough data to raise legitimate > "suspicions". > > Me, I find my blue-category Ram perfectly normal. It's not the fastest > feeling bike I own, but it's not by any means the slowest. My erstwhile Sam > Hill felt more sluggish even with Jack Brown Greens (and the SH's "feeling" > was well within normal by my experience and standards -- just not what I'd > choose as a fast road bike. I sold it for wholly other reasons, not the > lack of spriteliness). Likewise, the Fargo shod with 35 mm Kojaks felt > considerably less spritely than the Ram shod with the very same pair. > > Of which speaking: can anyone tell me the particular specs of the tubing > for a 1973 Motobecane Grande Record? I know it is light 531, but what gauge > and butts? I ask because of all the bikes I've owned in the last 5-6 years, > this had the lightest frame of any bike that I've owned (frameset > considerably lighter by heft, anyway, than either of my 2 remaining Riv > customs), but I didn't experience any particular feeling of speed with it > (granted there are all sorts of other factors here), while a stout tubed > and very definitely heavier Herse that others had found sluggish (I think I > am accurate with that qualifier) felt, to me, particularly spritely. > > Oh my, all of this hurts my little head. > > Patrick Moore, fighting spring headwinds and wishing dead-feeling frames > were his only obstacle in ABQ, NM. > > > > > On Mon, Apr 7, 2014 at 3:17 PM, George Schick <bhim...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> I've been reading through the threads on this post since it was started >> last Friday and finally decided that I'd better get out my '04 Ram to see >> if maybe I've been missing something. I haven't been on it all Winter so I >> figured it would be like a "new" test. So I rode it today and for the life >> of me I can't see any of the same problems being discussed here (except >> maybe the pedal strikes which may be lessened by lower profile pedals). >> Mine is a 54cm shod with 32mm Paselas (standard, not TG's). Maybe the >> larger 58cm frame makes a difference? Maybe the headset or its adjustment? >> Dunno. But, yes it certainly does seem as though not every bike is for >> every person. >> >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and letters that get interviews. By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. Other professional writing services. http://www.resumespecialties.com/ Patrick Moore Albuquerque, Nouvelle Mexique, Etats Unis -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
