'fast' is so subjective. and what is perceived as fast may not actually be 'fast' if you compare times, it just feels 'faster' (not that there's anything wrong with that). I do the same route all the time: about 2k feet of climbing (starting off with a 31-35 minute climb) and ~30 miles. I've done it repeatedly on a Hunqapillar, a Jones Plus, a FS Trek mtn bike, my new Rivendell Rosco Road (which is more like a Legolas or Rodeo in terms of tube thickness and frame build, so I hear), a Gunnar Sport (my lightest and raciest bike), and a Sam. The one thing I pay attention to is how fast I do that first 31-35 minute climb using Strava. The fs mtn bike is the slowest for sure, it actually took me about 37-38 minutes the other week. Otherwise, I get w/in 31-33 minutes with every other bike I mentioned, except the Sam which I only had briefly and honestly sold because I felt it rode just like the Hunqapillar, even thought the Sam was setup as a sportier road bike and the Hunq more upright w/ racks and basket. The Hunqapillar usually took me longer at 35 minutes but I pushed it to 31-32 once or twice and felt pretty good about it. I've been rocking my fastest times on the Rosco Road lately. I just tuned up the Gunnar and will start taking that out for the first time in a year to see how it does and compares to a year of riding the rosco road up there. It's been a while since I took the Jones but I remember hitting that same 31-33 minute mark which was surprising to me. All guesstimate numbers as I don't meticulously track it, but I feel I'm comfortably in the ballpark w/ those numbers based off my sometimes questionable memory ;)
But in general, I appreciate the extra minute or two I can get on the Gunnar or Rosco Road, especially when I'm with a faster person and i don't want to be far enough behind they have to wait for me at the top of the climb. I could care less about the rest of the ride, for whatever reason that first climb is my main measurement of speed. For some reason I never feel concerned about keeping up w/ the group on flats or downhills, its just the long ass uphills that I want to want to smoke people on, or at least not leave them waiting at the top. But that's bay area hills with long extended climbs. Most other rides where it's not so many long climbs like that, I feel that any bike can be just as 'fast' if I push it. It's more a matter of feel at that point. And the Gunnar and Rosco Road 'feel the fastest', and I like that too. So by that measure, I feel that everything I've heard about the Roadini, especially that it rides more like a rodeo but w/o the $$$ lugs and Waterford-built frame, would make it both feel and probably be a little faster than the Sam, depending on terrain and riding fitness. However, the big 'If' and the other end of the equation is fitness and inherit athleticism. I ride a 30-mile road ride once a week almost every week (sometimes substituting a 10-20 mile dirt ride). I'm not naturally athletic and more on the slow slide. But I can keep in the top 1/3 on a club ride even with my heavy ass steel 'touring' bikes (as others call it, usually the Gunnar or Rosco) due to my fitness and weekly riding. But I know people who ride way less frequently who show up on a heavier, 'slower' bike (ahem, Tony and Clayton SF) and kick my ass with little effort and never seem to get tired. For them, I imagine a Sam would be fine in almost every scenario. So ultimately I hesitate to say a Roadini would be 'faster' than a Sam, and here's where you get into a lot of trouble asking opinions of everyone on the list because some can ride a 50's clunker and kick my ass on a 13 lb carbon bike, and their idea of 'faster' is way different. But, I got back to my earlier comment. This sounds like it's really a question of money at the end of the day. Do I spend $$$ or $ and will I notice or regret any decision? I doubt you'd ever feel you made the wrong decision with the Roadini, but w/ the Sam you'll always wonder 'what if'. If it's a hassle money wise and there's other things you can do with that money like eat, provide shelter, save for kids college or your retirement, any smart investor would say save the money. But, since we're all bike nerds that spend too much money on bikes, then buy it (assuming you've got the disposable income). D 'adding to the confusion' Stein On Wed, Jan 17, 2018 at 2:36 AM, Peter Turskovitch <patrick.tu...@gmail.com> wrote: > For people who have ridden one, is the roadini a fast* bike? Before I got > practical I used to ride a lot of Italian race bikes from the 1970s and > 1980s. I've had a great time on old Colnagos and Olmos, but now I'd just > plain like the bars higher. That said, I think that the value proposition > of the roadini is that it's a *road bike*, not a country or touring bike, > which happens to have high stack and OK clearance. Is that right? If so, it > would be nice if the thing was decently fast. > > *I know the motor makes the speed, but there are clear differences > between, say, a Surly and a Sancineto. Call it what you want, acceleration, > response to pedal input, snappiness, liveliness, whatever. I'm not talking > about road vibrations that feel "fast", nor am I talking about top speed, > which I think is regulated more by drag than anything else. A fast bike > lets you keep up in a peloton. Is the roadini fast? I sure hope so, because > I think it looks amazing. > > > > > On Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 6:49:12 AM UTC+1, Philip Reimer wrote: >> >> Here are my thoughts. If your Sam would fit me, you should get rid of it! >> >> In all honesty I almost always feel that new bike urge. And it is fun to >> get a new one. But taking that old bike for a spin usually makes me fall in >> love again and takes care of my desire for something new. So get some parts >> bake on the Sam, as close as possible to what you want without spending any >> money. Take it for a ride, and let that be your decision maker. I bet after >> 30 minutes on the bike you will know what to do. >> >> Phil >> >> On Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 7:40:04 PM UTC-5, Broccoli Cog wrote: >>> >>> Hello friends, I'm looking to do a road bike build and I am having >>> trouble deciding between keeping the Sam Hillborne frameset that I already >>> own or go in an entirely different direction starting from scratch with a >>> new Roadini frameset. I purchased the drop bar Sam as a complete in 2016. >>> This was my first Riv and I completely embraced the Rivendell philosophy of >>> "just ride". That drop bar Sam eventually morphed into an upright Albatross >>> set up. I got away from the drop bars because I wanted to try upright >>> riding to gain maximum comfort. This setup eventually became my S240 bike >>> and I became much more interested in riding with a heavy touring load. As >>> my interest in camping and touring grew I decided that I wanted a dedicated >>> tourer so I picked up an Appaloosa frame and swapped most of the parts over >>> from the Sam. The Sam frameset is currently sitting in my basement. >>> >>> I have decided that my riding would be best served by having two >>> different bike setups. I want to keep the Appaloosa for camping, touring, >>> grocery getting, commuting and casual riding with the Mrs. I want a second >>> bike to be a dedicated drop bar road bike that is unencumbered with racks >>> and large bags. I am thinking about building the Sam back up as a >>> traditional sporty road bike with a compact double crankset, the noodle >>> bars that I already own along with JB 33.3333's and fenders. I want this >>> bike to be my relatively fast bike that I ride when I am looking to go out >>> and get a quick ride for pure recreation and fitness. I may even be >>> ambitious enough to go do a group ride with my old riding buddies from back >>> in my racer wannabe days. Lately, the Roadini has been the object of my >>> desire. I am thinking that if I get back into riding on the road in a >>> typical club rider fashion that I would be better served by having a more >>> traditional road bike like the Roadini. My vision for a Roadini would be to >>> build it up in a retro style with downtube shifters, Noodles, Sugino >>> compact double and 28 to 33mm tires. >>> >>> I think my desire for the Roadini is mostly driven by new bike lust. I >>> feel like I am constantly chasing that feeling you get when you buy a new >>> bike. The reality is what I have found through the years and many bike >>> purchases later is that "new bike day" euphoria typically fades fades and I >>> ended up chasing that feeling again with something else. I know that you >>> guys are not my therapist but can anybody share their thoughts on what >>> decision to make? Should I keep the Sam and reinvent it as a sporty road >>> bike or should I take the plunge and go for a new Roadini to satisfy my >>> sporty road bike urge? >>> >>> >>> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the > Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/ > topic/rbw-owners-bunch/RapAh_0GRmk/unsubscribe. > To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, 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. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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