I have no dispute with your opinions, masmojo. It's totally fine to suggest them. It's admirable that the suggestions are motivated by goodwill towards Rivendell's business. My own stable has multiple bikes with 1-1/8" steerers, multiple bikes with hydraulic disc brakes, and multiple bike with threadless. You are right that all three are very good things.
1-1/8" steerers are stronger than 1". Fact. Even fatter would be even stronger. There is something that is strong enough for riding, and Rivendell thinks 1" is strong enough. Rivendell also thinks a fork SHOULD fail to save the frame. There are plenty of options out there for folks who think 1" steerers are too weak for normal riding. Hydraulic disc brakes are more powerful. Fact. Dual hydraulic disc brakes would be even more powerful. There is some amount of braking power that is powerful enough and Rivendell thinks rim brakes are powerful enough. There are plenty of options out there for folks who think rim brakes are too weak for normal riding. Threadless steerers allow for cheaper manufacturing of bicycles. Fact. If a model comes with only one wheelsize, and if you don't have any qualms about using one fork rake for all sizes, then there is money to be saved. Most Rivendell models have multiple wheelsizes through the size range, and different fork rakes for different sizes. There are multiple options out there for those who want to know that more attempts at manufacturing efficiency were made in the design of their bike. On Friday, June 23, 2017 at 11:48:08 AM UTC-7, masmojo wrote: > > Bill, it would be a stretch to say I want Rivendell to go more mainstream. > If that were the case I wouldn't even be here. But, embracing classic > design, materials & craftsmanship need not come at the expense of > practicality or functionality. > I could totally go either way with respect to disc brakes, but I do think > they might make sense for certain models, like the Hunq.. No need to go > there, but no real need to avoid it either. > One thing they've clung to though is 1" steer tubes and I am sorry, but > there's a reason why nobody uses them anymore. They bend much more easily > then the now standard 1 1/8". > I am a former bike shop employee from back in the day when 1" was all we > had and we would regularly see bent steerers not from some extreme use or > running into something; just from normal use over many years they > would/could get a but of a bow in them, especially longer ones. But, I've > never seen this with a 1 1/8" steerer. > Just about any custom builder these days will build with 1 1/8" it's just > better, plain & simple. Additionally, for a company like Rivendell thats > perpetually cash strapped; going to a 1 1/8" steerer could save them tons > of money! Instead of needing a different fork for every size of every > model. They could build one fork that could be used on a variety of models > & sizes. And replacing a fork, should it become necessary would be a breeze > and less expensive. No it's not quite so easy to raise and lower your stem, > but honestly once I get my stem height dialed in, I never change it anywayz! > As Patrick said these things are not what define a Rivendell to me anyway. > People don't stand around waxing about their bikes quill stem or caliper > brakes; nothing wrong with those, but they are not critical elements. > -- 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.
