I have not timed myself, nor do I plan to, but that's a good point. It's not important to me how slow or fast I actually am, but how I FEEL when on the bike. And for me, the Sam never FEELS springy when I'm climbing. I suspect it's a function of the frame size more than the geometry or tubing.
I would totally agree about the Cadillac feel of the bike when on the flats and downhill. That's exactly how I think of the Sam. I just wish it had a little more juice when grinding up the pass. It rides like my Toyota Matrix up the hills. On Friday, January 6, 2017 at 6:26:12 AM UTC-8, Philip Kim wrote: > > John, have you done a time test? Maybe borrow a bike that feels faster for > a couple of days. Ride up the same hill with both bikes, the hillborne > first, and then the "faster bike" next? Then reverse the order the next day > and compare times? > > I have found riding on many Rivs, it's a very stable and Cadillac-type of > ride, which can be deceptively quick for such a useful bike. > > My usual morning commute is mostly uphill in the morning. I found the Hunq > comparable in time with my lighter-tubed BDB Pelican. I ride the Pelican > mostly because it's more enjoyable to ride uphill, but it only gets me to > work faster by a minute or two. > > So if the way the bike rides is something you can't get along with, then > you should get a bike with geometry for the type of ride you are looking > for. If you like your ride, it will only get you on the bike more. For this > same reason, get a bike with a level top tube. The Atlantis is a bit more > burly than the Hillborne, so the A Homer Hilsen or Roadeo might be > something to look into, or possibly the Roadini, but I doubt level top > tubes will be prominent on Riv-production bikes. There are too many sizes > to accommodate for. > > > > On Thursday, January 5, 2017 at 7:53:23 PM UTC-5, John Bokman wrote: >> >> Joe, it does feel calmer. That's a good way to put it. Descends very >> well, excellent on the flats, stable, comfortable...all the attributes one >> would associate with a Rivendell. I have often wondered if it isn't just a >> size issue. That is, I was between sizes and was encouraged to go up and >> get the biggest I could fit. In retrospect, I wonder if the smaller size >> would have "felt" speedier up hills. It's a moot point now, but it has >> bugged me ever since 2009. The way the frame is designed almost begs you to >> get the smaller of the two frame sizes that will fit, because the design >> seems all about getting the bars up there really easily. As it is now, I >> had to get a 7cm stem (to effectively shorten the top tube), and it's >> slammed down as far as it can go. Yet my PBH is 89-90 depending on how hard >> I cram the book up into my crotch, which is definitely 60cm Sam worthy. >> >> On Thursday, January 5, 2017 at 3:57:04 PM UTC-8, Joe Bernard wrote: >>> >>> I think that's probably it, John. Using the reverse direction down hill, >>> I have an Appaloosa and a Brompton, two almost comically different bikes. >>> The Appaloosa descends smoothly and confidently, then if I head down the >>> same hill with the tiny-wheeled folder the next day, the same speed feels >>> like I'm going 100mph and I dare not put too much input into the bars. >>> >>> The practical effect is I descend slower on the Brommie, which would >>> mirror your experiences. I suspect your Sam is a great bike which feels >>> calmer in general than the other, which translates into a slower feel on >>> climbs. >>> >> -- 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.
