I have four bicycles right now with centerpull brakes, one of which is brazed on, the rest have a traditional mount through the fork crowns and seat stay bridges. I would be hard-pressed to tell the difference. In fact, the Dia Compes are my favorite brake. Visually, you need to be a cognoscenti to even notice the difference between the two mounting options. I will grant that having the brazed on posts is not an affectation, but it will not change the enjoyment of the bicycle.
My two cents: Get the AHH, since that is the bike you want. Get it stock, and put some nice centerpulls on it. You can hardly tell if they are brazed or not, so I don't think this will wreak havoc on your "classic road" aesthetic--in fact, the braze-ons are not nearly ubiquitous enough (now or then) to qualify as classic. If at some point down the road, you really really really think your life will be improved by getting the braze on style, go for it. Buying a bike that is purpose built for 5% of your riding (which may turn out to be an overestimate, if you are like most folks) does not make much sense. At a rider weight of 180, you will be able to tour with the baggage you need. The VO Campeur is a nice bike, but if you really can't swing for the AHH immediately, why not look for a used bike with centerpulls and wide clearances and put the rest in the piggy bank so you can get the AHH that much sooner--a new bike loses a big chunk of value as soon as it comes off the floor. I picked up this Takara for $100 a few weeks ago--centerpulls and clearance for 40mm tires easy, probably 38 with fenders. Even has Rivish lugs. Here it is still with 27" wheels: <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mewxFisUDJ8/V6dO5AzjZyI/AAAAAAAAHaY/AsZphgC4Rq0yvLh3Vc66oHqa3md-GtK4wCLcB/s1600/IMG_0680.JPG> Of course if it were to be used for touring, everything--including water bottle cages--would have to be clamped on. On Saturday, August 6, 2016 at 9:35:58 PM UTC-4, Hunter Ellis wrote: > > You guys are all the best and very helpful. > > I realize it sounds a little silly, but yes, the bottom line is, I want a > touring bike with centerpull posts. > > I just like them, and I like the idea of them. I ride 28's now, which seem > wide (I know, I know, I'm working my way up), so 38's sound plenty huge. > From my emails with Vince and Rivendell, it sounds like its more > complicated/expensive to REMOVE the canti posts and add centerpull posts. I > don't know why exactly, but that's what he said. His suggestion was to add > the to the AHH because they don't have any posts already. > > Honestly, 95% of my riding time will be spent commuting, roaming, > exploring, maybe doing a S48O, and basically carrying 5-15 lbs (in addition > to my 180 lb self). I just want the OPTION to load it up for 2-3 weeks. > > I might acquire a VO Campeur before I can afford a Riv, in which case I > could save that for dedicated touring and use my Riv as a wannabe > Rando/commuter/country bike. I'd liek to be able to take it on some fire > roads or even smooth singletrack, not cyclocross style or anything, just > exploring-style. > > I'm also all about touring on "not the right bike," I just don't want to > break it :-) > > The easy thing is just to accept canti brakes, but I just love the idea of > centerpulls with posts. It fits more with the "classic road" aesthetic that > I want in this baby. > > One option is to just go all in and get a custom rivendell. Another option > is to get centerpull posts brazed on to a hillborne, but they can't do that > before they're painted, so it would require a re-paint. > > Ah the choices. But a million thanks to everyone on here who has given me > more to think about. > > To hijack this thread slightly, what exactly are the experienced > differences between the appaloosa, hunq, and atlantis? > > > On Saturday, August 6, 2016 at 1:26:54 PM UTC-7, David Hays wrote: >> >> I have a AHH with Dia Comp 750 centerpulls, 650B and Hetres with fenders. >> I don’t see any limitation in the bike other than what I decide. >> David >> >> > On Aug 6, 2016, at 3:50 PM, drew <drewbe...@gmail.com> wrote: >> > >> > Is it just a touring bike with centerpull posts that is in question? I >> assume rivendell can put centerpull posts on most of their bikes for a fee. >> > >> > -- >> > 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-bun...@googlegroups.com. >> > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com. >> > Visit this group at https://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 https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
