We had a guy come in to the shop a couple years ago to buy some canvas/ leather bags for his all-carbon bike. Seems strange, but you can't exactly clamp any luggage capacity on carbon seatstays, seatpost, or handlebar.
Anyway, he told me about his intention to do at least one brevet series leading up to and including PBP 2007. While we were chatting, I suggested a test ride on a Rambouillet, which was probably about 8-ish lbs heavier than his carbon bike. He liked the ride quality on a short test ride, but left without buying the bike. He called a week later to tell me he wanted to buy it, but, unfortunately, that bike had been sold, and the only one I had left seemed too big. He said he wasn't sensitive to bike-fit and decided to buy the bigger bike despite my apprehensions. I lowered the saddle as low as it would go, and sent him on his way. A few weeks later, he told me he loved the bike and was, in fact, noticeably faster on some of his regular training loops than he was on the same loops with his lighter bike. I watched the brevet results come in all season, and noted that this guy was consistently one of the fastest riders. (it should be noted the he didn't fit my stereotype of a fast rider: middle-aged, stocky, etc, but he is WAY faster than me, and I'm 25 years younger!) He did it all on a "heavy" bike with comparatively wide, heavy tires. The point is that the weight of the bike and the width of the tire is way less important than people think it is. I know guys who go ga-ga over 16-lb bikes with all the trimmings and then ride "long" 20-mile flat-terrain rides all-out at 12 mph, and I know others who ride 38-lb super-commuters with big tires and cruise long distances closer to 20 mph. On Dec 13, 11:55 pm, Jason <jasonshaef...@gmail.com> wrote: > This is a follow up to the post "Visit to RBWHQ and Sam Hillborne > purchase" (It's a little long but I wanted to include everything I > wish I'd known when I started looking at the Hillborne) > > After much resistance my wife got me to take a Sam Hillborne for a > test ride and the next thing I knew I'd handed over a credit card for > a deposit. > > I'm new to cycling, in November I signed up with team-in-training to > do a triathlon and raise money for cancer research. Up until this > point I've been happy with any bike that rolls, but I've never really > enjoyed riding. > > The tri that I'm doing is an Olympic, so the biking distance is only > 25 miles. That said, I have a hard time being passed, so I didn't want > to get a bike that would slow me down too much. The bike that I've > been riding is an aluminum Giant with really compact geometry. > > As soon as I test rode the Hillborne I noticed that I could breath > better (and I was smiling). My posture felt much more natural, chest > more open. I think the combination of a longer top tube, a higher/less > aggressive handlebar height, and wider handle bars made for much > better breathing (and probably more belly room). > > The Hillborne rides beautifully, and the feel of the steel is much > more humane than what I'm used to with my aluminum bike. > > The tires on the shop bike were chubby and plush. I was initially > talked out of getting thinner tires and ended up calling back to > meekly request the the Ruffy Tuffy tires (it felt like ordering a > steak at a vegan restaurant). The Ruffys are a great ride and all the > reviews say they are nearly impossible to puncture. They feel faster > than the larger tires, and even though everyone at Rivendell said they > looked strangely thin, they're 28mm and do a good job on the > treacherous San Francico streets. > > Notes on the rest of the build: > > Wheels: I went for the budget wheel set. I met Rich Lesnik on my first > visit and he couldn't have been nicer. If you don't know about Rich, > he builds all the Riv custom wheel sets (here's his > website:http://handsonwheels.com/). What I didn't know is that Rich also tunes > all of the "budget" wheel sets. There's some cache with getting Rich > to build your wheels from scratch, but the budget set is fantastic and > they won't get out the door without Rich's approval. > > Shifters: I went with the bar end. The bar ends are made custom for > Rivendell and they look beautiful. I chose friction instead of > indexed, and they are smooth and easy to adjust. > > Cable housing: I asked if they could put blue cable housing on instead > of the stock. It took a little extra time to arrive, but it looks > sweet against the orange. If you haven't seen the orange paint it's a > beautiful deep vibrant color with a gold shimmer. > > Cassette: Everyone suggested that an 8 speed cassette works best with > the friction shifters. It's a triple so I have 24 gears (the granny > gear seems like I could ride up a wall) > > Brakes: This will also be a commuter bike so I had interrupter brakes > installed on the top bar. They have as much finesse as the levers on > the drops and they were only $35. I got the IRD cantilever brakes. > They have a great feel and a shiny finish that looks right on the > Hillborne. > > Pedals: I put Shimano hybrid clipless pedals on and they work great > with regular shoes and cleats. > > Visiting the shop > If you haven't been there before, plan on driving past it at least > once before you find it. Once you find it there's always a great > feeling of being a kid in a candy shop, and you usually have to speak > up to get some help. There's definitely no pressure sales pitches. > Grant was there when I picked up my bike. He saw the saddle I brought > in and quietly walked over and said something like "I'm gonna make > this better for you". I introduced myself and he was just really nice. > He grabbed some packing material, cut it up with a Swiss knife and > started stuffing my saddle with it to give it better support. It looks > clunky but as he said you can take a certain perverse satisfaction > from having something like that on a brand new bike. In my head I have > a custom built Grant Peterson saddle. It's beautifully janky and it's > a lot more comfortable. > > I asked Grant about the name and he said that it's hard to find a name > that's not cliche or taken. I said that Sam Hillborne sounds like a > good English gentleman and he answered that it sounded like a good > honest bike. > > If you haven't been to the shop before and are going to make a trip > out I'd say plan on spending most of the day there. There's a ton of > great riding in the area, and I'm surprised they even ask for names > when you test ride a bike. My first test ride I was gone for about an > hour and I think I could've been gone most of the day without a > problem. > > Final thoughts > > Everyone who has seen the bike is incredibly impressed with the > quality of the build. Jay built the bike and he did a beautiful job. > You can tell that everyone at the shop loves the bike (it was great to > see Grant with a big smile when he test rode mine). > > For pictures of the bike and Riv HQ please go here:http://tinyurl.com/ydt6p35 > > I'm planning on having the most beautiful and heaviest bike at the > triathlon. I'd love to know if any of you have used your Riv for a > tri. It's probably an un Rivendellish activity, but I love my bike and > I love to go fast (and I really want to pass some carbon bikes). > > The tri that I'm doing is to raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma > research. I have to raise $5,000. It's guaranteed that 85% of that > will go to caner research. If any of you are feeling in the spirit an > would like to donate I can't tell you how much it would mean. The > Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a fantastic organization. Here's my > fund raising link:http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/lavatri10/jshaeffer > > I'll post more pics eventually and I'll try to get some great shots of > the bike during the tri. > > Before I forget, you and everyone you love needs one of these possum/ > wool > hats:http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/clothing?a=1&page=all#product=22... > . > > This is my first discussion post ever, so hopefully it has some good > info, and sorry if it was too long. Let me know if you have any > questions, and thank you to my beautiful wife for talking me into > getting the Hillborne. I'm a lucky bastard. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
