Great review, now for some pictures! Eric
On Fri, Aug 28, 2015 at 7:19 PM, Clayton.sf <clayton...@gmail.com> wrote: > Shared this with Rivendell already, but figured there is probably some > interest here too: > > The following musings only pertain to the 60cm / 700c version and are a > longwinded way of saying the bike is amazing. (I am 6’ tall, male, 165lb.) > > > > This is a very special (in a good way) bike. I own two other fantastic > bikes. One is a Jones Diamond/Truss mtb the other a Boulder 650b all-road. > I have also owned many more over the years including a Rivendell Quickbeam > and Atlantis. That being said, this Cheviot really stands out for obvious > and less obvious reasons. Most obviously it is a step-through frame, which > is considered girly by some, but besides that actually offers some real > benefits. It is easier to get on and off the bike with a large rear load. > The increased stand-over height is nice for off-road riding. It allows you > to lean (set it on edge) more for extra grip on dirt, is less threatening > to the “boys” when you need to put a foot or feet down on uneven ground, > and is easier disentangle yourself before you hit the ground in the event > of a crash about to happen. > > > Less obvious at first glance is the long wheelbase (54cm chainstays!). > There is a great Blug post about this already but I am going to say a few > things too. The long stays help smooth out bumps your rear wheel > encounters. It is like sitting in the middle of bus vs. in the back over > the rear wheels. I can still easily make a U-turn on the sidewalk and > riding twisty single-track has not been a problem either. I notice the > length of the bike on the car rack elevators. Other than that there are no > drawbacks as far as I can tell unless you are really into wheelies. More > pannier/heel clearance too for the non-saddlesackers. I also feel like the > length imparts a certain ride quality that is hard to accurately describe > and is likely confluence of other factors too (bars, tires, etc), but the > bicycle rides very smooth and stable, but it is not sluggish, slow, or hard > to steer/handle. There was no “getting used to it period” no initial weird > feeling. I notice a difference betw. the Cheviut and my other bicycles, but > it is not hard to ride either or switch back and forth. You will likely > need two chains though. > > > What about riding on dirt with chainstays this long, won’t the rear wheel > spin out, because you can’t weight it down? No, it does not for me. > Personally, I believe this is the result of long rearward sweep of the > bosco bullmoose bar (more on the bar later) and the bar height. The bar > allows me to shift my weight far back when climbing steep technical > sections. This keeps the rear wheel from spinning out while at the same > time the long stays keep the front wheel planted. Climbing like this on a > short wheelbase bike would result in wheelie. Don’t worry, it is still > possible to unweight the front to get over obstacles, just takes a > conscious effort as opposed to it happening spontaneously (when you don’t > want it). The long wheelbase also creates a larger “sweetspot” you can move > forward and backward on the bike quite a bit without adverse handling > impact. Of course the Cheviot is not a pure mountain bike or the ideal > thing for hella gnar drops, but for riding on classic bay area single-track > (Tamarancho, China Camp, Skeggs, etc.) it is fun and perfectly adequate. > Sure you have to pick your lines and pay attention, but if your offroad > riding skills are somewhat honed you will have fun and if you not then your > skills will be somewhat honed very soon. It is a blast to ride on trails. > Don’t buy it to just be your mountain bike (it is not a mtb), but don’t be > scared to ride it on single-track either – you will be pleasantly > surprised. Oh, and no toe overlap with my size 12 shoes when pedaling > midfoot. > > > I set mine up with Boscomoose bars. The bar angle is indeed perfect, don’t > worry. For me they are the perfect bar for this bike. Combined with the > long stays and the longer than typical theoretical top tube (62cm for the > 60cm ctt seat tube) the bar allows for a good variety of noticeably > different and useful hand positions without ever feeling cramped or too > stretched out: from upright – great for looking around, steep dirt > descents, looking over cars, to Aero when gripped next to the stem. > Climbing with this bar is interesting too. As opposed to hunching forward > and “lifting” with your lower back, you climb in an upright position > similar to a person carrying cement buckets up the stairs or walking a > wheelbarrow. This position makes for powerful climbing because your body is > better aligned. Like those safety drawings telling you how to lift. > > > No matter where you stand or what you believe regarding the whole “trail” > debate, this bike handles very well (as good as my “low-trail” bike) with a > front load. It also handles very well with a rear load. In summary it > handles well with a load - be this groceries on the way home from work or > camping gear on the weekend. > > > It is not a race bike but it is surprisingly fast despite of its laid back > appearance. It is not a mountain bike but handles dirt trails really well. > It is not a touring bike but handles load well. It is very comfortable for > short and long rides. It handles supremely well not matter what the > surface. I ride it about 80% of the time. It feels strong but not harsh or > dead. It looks beautiful and friendly, but copes with nasty mean rides just > fine. It makes me smile a lot. > > > > Build list: > > - 60cm Cheviot orange > > - Boscomoose bars > > - Paul brake levers > > - Paul thumbies > > - Shimano 8 speed bar end shifters (mounted on those Paul > thumbies) > > - Tektro rl559 brakes with stock pads – stop just fine > > - Mark rack with med. Wald basket > > - Nitto rear long stay rack with a large saddlesack on it > > - Xt triple front derailer > > - FSA threadset headset > > - XT long cage dynasys rear derailer with clutch (yes, this works > with the 8 speed Shimano bar end shifters mounted on Paul thumbies and 8 > speed cassette VERY well no matter what you read on the internet. Shifts > the whole cassette just fine!) > > - SRAM cassette 11-32 8 speed > > - ESI grips and Newbaum tape > > - XT hubs laced to DT Swiss TK540 rims 36h > > - Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 700c x 50 ties > > - Nitto S86 two bolt post > > - KMC 8 speed chain (two of those because of the long chain stays) > > - Brooks b.17 select > > - IRD cartridge bb 113mm > > - Sugino xd2 triple > > - Welgo MG1 pedals > > - Pletscher Flamingo (one legger) kickstand > > > Best, > > Clayton Scott > > SF, CA > > -- > 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. 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