Michael, I would also chime in in favor of the Hillborne. I owned a Bianchi road bike and a SOMA hardtail mtb when I was recently lucky enough to pick up a used, orange 56 Sam. I had been test riding the bikes at Rivendell looking for a commuter/all-arounder. All rode great but I was choosing between the Hunq, Homer and Hillborne. My goal was to reduce down to one bike for all my mixed terrain riding (maybe with two sets of wheels/tires).
The Homer is an amazing bike that I could see ditching the Bianchi for but not the SOMA. I imagined light club rides, S240s and hard pack riding without a problem. The Hunqapillar was also great but seemed sturdier than I needed (although it would definitely handle anything I could throw at it). That got me thinking, maybe ditch the SOMA and keep the Bianchi. Talking with Grant he had described the Hillborne as a nice middle ground between the Homer and the Hunq. I would agree. The Hillbornes I test rode had lighter wheels than the one I found which felt great. Fast, smooth and stable. I’m a big fan of the sloping tt which provides nice standover, a longer headtube and higher bars (my Bianchi also had one). It really has felt like the right blend of stability and liveliness without any compromise. I feel that I could do a reasonable tour on it without a problem. An overall built price that was going to be 25% less also made the Hillborne more appealing but wasn’t a deal breaker for such a long-term, high-use purchase. As a disclaimer, I’ve only owned my Hillborne for a short while and I’m 5’10” and 170# with an 85cm pbh (not 235 with a 35’ pbh!). However, I commute almost everywhere on a mix of roads and trails in both urban and suburban environments. I’m currently doing that with a saddlesack small, a randonneur bag that came with the bike and a large and fairly heavy Ortlieb Office Bag with nothing to balance it out on the other side. I have to schlep a computer (sometimes 2), books and occasionally art supplies. Even with the lopsided load, the ride has been stable and smooth. When the front and side bags come off, it has been a real lively ride. I’ve since sold off the Bianchi and hope to eventually purchase some lighter, 32h wheels (with Supremes?) for road riding. I haven’t sold off the SOMA just yet but it has only been wall decor since I acquired the Sam. Trails have not been a problem on the 36h wheels and 40c Schwalbe Mondials that came with it (feel similar to the old Marathon XRs). If I get a second set of wheels, I may sell the SOMA. I’m feeling that with 45c knobbies (no fenders) on the 36h wheels and 32-35c Supremes on 32h wheels, the Hillborne could span as broad a range of riding as I can manage to keep up with. All that said, in a perfect world where teachers made as much as my friends in the private sector make, my dream would be a Homer or Rodeo for roads and a Hunq or Atlantis for the rough stuff. I agree with what Roger said. Talk to Riv and give them a very clear idea as to what your current and future riding intentions are. Everyone I've dealt with there have been incredibly knowledgeable and unbelievably patient. They genuinely seem to strive to make sure everyone ends up on the bike they should be on. I can't say enough good things about their customer service... so much so that I still feel guilty for having bought used! John On Sunday, January 25, 2015 at 6:25:13 AM UTC-8, michael sellers wrote: > > Some thoughts from the group please? I have my wife"s Riv ordered and hope > to place the order for mine soon. I am 6' 235 pds 35' PBH,and will use my > bike for quick 4 mile trips to town, 35 mile rides to family visits in the > next county,and (hopefully) at some point a trip across the State of Tn. > Very limited off road use but maybe occasional rides on State Park fire > trails. Is this asking too much long term of a Sam? Would an Atlantis or > Hunq be better suited to my plans? Thanks,Mike S. > -- 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 [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
