Awesome to hear, I'm just starting to see how much variability there is. Asking the tri folks so far there hasn't been a single person who was riding or suggesting steel. Hopefully someday I'll be in the happy/ fast/steel ridin' category. Right now I'm 2 out of 3.
On Dec 14, 9:35 am, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com> wrote: > 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.
