Marc, Couple of months ago I went to Riv to test ride Sam. Loved the bike, didn't like the orange color. Couple of weeks later went back to take another look. The more I looked at it, I started liking the orange :) However, after riding both Sam and Joe for an hour each, I decided to order a Joe.
Sam was more nimble, but Joe felt more comfortable. Joe has a longer chain stay. This means you're sitting closer to the center of the bike on Joe. This's probably the reason it felt more comfier. On Sam (though it is not as bad as most non-Riv road bike and MTBs out there) you are sitting closer to the rear axle- so you feel bumps slightly more. Much like how you get tosses slightly more if you ride in the back seat of a car. Joe is slightly heavier. Maybe by a pound. That's not a huge factor for my use (commuting and occasional touring). Another way to look at them: think of Sam as Mazda6 and Joe as Mazda CX5. Both are fun automobiles. One is slightly faster and nimbler and the other is slightly more comfortable and has more utility. I felt that both these bikes are more fun and comfortable than all my other bikes (1 steel MTB, 1 aluminum MTB, 2 steel road bikes). Joe also has an interesting fork. At the 'shoulder' of the fork there extra braze-ons. I felt like those might come handy for one purpose or the other. I'm waiting for the green frame to arrive. I'll have a more detailed review in a month. Cheers, -Ash PS: The Allegheny Passage trail should be a lovely experience. I was planning for it when I lived in Maryland. I moved to left coast before it materialized (didn't have the right bike at that time). Definitely going back one day with the Appaloosa to ride Pittsburg to DC. On Friday, 3 February 2017 13:15:15 UTC-8, mlpessar wrote: > > Guys, I have a good problem to have. I'm in the process of deciding > between an Appaloosa and a Sam Hillborne. I'd very much appreciate your > input; particularly from folks who are familiar with both of these bikes. > 90%+ of my riding is on pavement. The rest is light trail riding over > occasionally bumpy terrain. I am planning on some longer touring, > specifically doing the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal this Spring. I > will likely do this with a mix of camping and B&B stays. I am an older guy > (pushing seventy). Comfort is definitely a consideration. In reading > previous posts I have noted that some feel what they describe as a sense of > ease on the Appaloosa. That sounds appealing. For those who share that > perception could you characterize that more fully? I also understand that > the Sam is a more "spritely" ride. For those who have ridden both bikes how > would you describe what distinguishes the two? Are these differences > relatively subtle or easily noticeable? I hope that the above makes sense. > I am more than happy to provide additional info. Unfortunately at present > there are no Rivendell dealers in my region nor have I yet to see a Riv in > the wild in my neck of the woods. > Thanks, > Marc > > > -- 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.
