On Tue, Jan 9, 2018 at 9:55 AM, Steve Palincsar <palin...@his.com> wrote:
> > On 01/09/2018 10:37 AM, Jonathan D. wrote: > >> I believe the Roadini was intentionally designed without the rack mounts >> to discourage folks from loading up the bike. Grant stated that rack mounts >> encourage carrying loads and eventually this bike would end up like all his >> others. This bike >> Is meant to be a tripped down light bike. The Sam is the do it all. >> >> > Confirming that it wasn't designed to be used as a commuter... But any Rivendell can be used outside its main design focus. Grant espouses "under-biking", where you push a bike outside its parameters, just for the fun or challenge. I have a Rivendell Road Standard, the first roadie Riv, basically a (very) fancy RB-1. I tour on it, ride gravel, commute, and I've even done (easy) singletrack on it. I carry a front randonneur bag on a Mark's rack (with long stays down to the fender eyelets, due to no rack eyelets). It handles a #10 commuting load pretty well, but I admit that a fork with low trail (wish list) would probably handle that load even better. And that a fork with rack eyelets would have been easier to equip. I also admit that it didn't have enough tire/fender clearance, which is why I changed it to 650b wheels and long-reach centerpull brakes. But, my point is it can do many things well that weren't its main focus, *so long as you can adapt and compromise*. Patrick S, you just have to weigh your priorities. The Roadini has a lower price, less tire/fender clearance, fewer eyelets, decent commuting ability, and a little lower weight. A Sam has more of each, and a canti-Sam would have even more. The Roadini will probably feel lighter and handle more sprightly than a Sam or other heavier Riv. But each is fun to ride in its own way. FYI, Rivendell's mid to high trail front geometry means they're happier with front panniers than with a top front load. The Sam is no different than the Roadini in this regard. So, if you prioritize carrying a load above the front wheel, you may be happier on a bike with a low trail fork. -- 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.
