Clem Smith Jr. arrived this month last year! I threw mine together in one long night after work, cannibalizing other bikes, and by the next day it was already the most comfortable bike I had ever ridden. Smooth and stable, this Clem rode with aplomb down steep hills and flew over mangled city streets. I had never felt so IN a bicycle, and at high speeds leaning into turns it instilled a confidence I never had when being ON a bicycle. Vintage mountain bikes of Northern California are for me something of the Platonic Ideal of bicycles, so of course I had to have Clem reflect that. The og bullmoose bars are a perfect fit, giving a bit more aggressive position than the super upright boscos that were on the test bike I rode at RivHQ. While Clem's (who if the DIY decal kit had come to fruition may have been renamed Mount Clemalpais or Mt Clem) long chainstays make it tough to lift the front end over obstacles, it still feels at home on path and trail, with large tires rolling over everything but the biggest roots. This being primarily a commuter with on and off road touring aspirations, I initially installed the trusty Pass & Stow rack, but have since found the ride feels a bit nicer without the large rack which may stiffen the front end a bit too much.
<http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/dancethehempenjig/IMG_0614_zpsz7pime7c.jpg> Clem v.1 <http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/dancethehempenjig/0A16E302-128C-4B67-B49E-8712288625A2_zpsq7o0fxfe.jpg> The best use for a large and strong front rack, plus fat tires to help smooth out those streets. <http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/dancethehempenjig/0BC49675-954E-491D-86B7-316677AA55C8_zpsuh4chsqr.jpg> Equally at home off road, even when the trails are a little icy <http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/dancethehempenjig/P1180819_zps7vupv6cu.jpg> Clem in full camping regalia This July Clem was stolen. The cable lock was cut while on my front porch. What a disaster. But all was not lost! One long week later my incredible partner found Clem leaning against a frat house, U lock still holding the frayed cable on the frame, flat front tire, coffee mug still in bottle cage. She walked right up to the house, took it back, and locked it to her bike until a friend came to pick it up and return it home. What a day! Moral of the story: never trust a cable lock. Since then I have replaced the triple with a wide/low double, regressed to 8 speeds, replaced the P&S with small Nitto/Wald combo, built a generator wheel with SP hub and Atlas rim and connected that to the Lumotec Eyc. Great combo for budget generator setup, although the flickering at low speed can be a bit annoying. There's an easy fix for that though <http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/dancethehempenjig/FB964D3E-CB91-44C6-91E7-94EE1C785C13_zps3tjvooz5.jpg> Steel All in all, I couldn't be happier with the Clem. After scouring craigslist and this forum for close to a year, hoping I would find a nice used Atlantis or Hunq at a price I could justify, I thought I'd never be able to own a Rivendell. The Clem puts that dream within reach for those of us unable to afford those models, and in no way feels cheap or like a lesser bike. I hope they continue to offer the Clem in some form or another, because they are very much a gateway Rivendell for those who weren't sure the Rivs are all their fans say they are (they are). Ian, currently dreaming of a 650b Atlantis -- 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.
