What I love about the ride of my 2016 Joe Appaloosa (my first Rivendell) is the cushy, smooth, dreamy experience. I didn't understand at the time, it was because, partly, it had longer chain stays (at time of purchase, I couldn't even tell you what a chain stay, or a wheelbase, was). All I know is that I loved the ride, and was willing to pay for it. Two years later, I bought a second Rivendell, an A.Homer Hilsen which has shorter chain stays as compared to the Joe A, but still longer than non-Riv bikes, and it also rides really nicely. Because of the wonderful ride quality of both bikes, I'm riding more than ever. I love them and my Rivendell bikes and accoutrements. I'm happier and ride more now, than pre-Riv.
The 51 cm Joe A. is wider than my compact car but not wider than most highway lanes. I am careful driving with it in cities, through road construction with narrower lanes, and near Jersey barriers. Then, I test fit it on a city bus bike carrier. It fit, but barely. I'm so relieved about that. Taking it on a train is more difficult than most bikes, but I'll put up with that for the ride. I guess the price one pays for the dreamy ride. The AHH is easier to travel with, so that is the bike of choice now, if I travel with a bike. I am considering the new Cheviot for my retirement bike. I expect that Rivendell will make this bike also with a longer wheelbase. I hope they do, for the enhanced ride quality, but I also hope they don't go overboard with the length. For me, if I cannot fit on a city bus bike rack, I won't be able to justify the bike. Roberta, who lives in the city and and travels with her bike--by auto, by city commuter train and by city bus (I haven't tried it on Amtrak or long route buses) On Sunday, January 5, 2020 at 7:43:56 PM UTC-5, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote: > > I have wanted to start this thread for weeks. Fearing controversy, not > desiring to start fights, and worried that staff at Riv will read this, I > never mustered up the guts. But the long wheelbase bike topic has come up > in several threads now, and maybe we should just have the discussion. > People are wanting to buy these bikes, and since most don’t live near a > dealer, we need to help each other out regarding bike fit. > > I got a new Clem L (unless you have been living under a ROCK you know this > since it’s all I talk about. Go ahead, I dare you to ask me about the color > of paint that it has. 😂) and it’s nothing like the other Clems I’ve known > and loved. Why? Because it has an even longer wheelbase than than its > long-wheelbase predecessors. > > Recently, Rivendell pointed us to an Ask Me Anything with Grant on Reddit. > It was a wall of text and I read it. Folks asked their most pressing > questions and Grant graciously answered them. Over and over and over again > long wheelbase bikes were brought up, and Grant offered his opinion. Longer > bikes are more stable, Cadillac-like, comfortable, etc. The opposite of > twitchy, short-wheelbase bikes. We know this and most of us will accept it. > > BUT...what I am dying to know is this: how long can you go before it is no > longer an improvement? > > Example: My 52 Clementine was much more comfortable than my 55 Betty Foy. > Like it was tailor-made for me alone. The Betz was totally fine, no knocks > against it, but the Clementine was just more plush. So, I agree with Grant > - longer was better. > > The problem came with my Clem L, the 2019 version that had had its > geometry changed. I didn’t know I was getting a different bike. I was > surprised when I had to buy (several) different stems and a new long > wheelbase bar for my Saris rack. It’s been a lot of adjustment, and I’ve > been frustrated. If I understand correctly, several Rivendell models have > been lengthened as of late. > > The burning question I have: Can anyone tell us if the new longer bikes > are better or worse than the previous (also long) versions? We know the > theory, what of the reality? I’m thinking especially of the Clems, as they > were already SO long. But I think Atlantis people will also have something > to say... > > I wanted to have this discussion because I genuinely want to know how the > newest long bikes are working out for folks. But I also want to let others > know that there are some things to consider if you get one of these new > iterations. Will a 52 Clem fit on public transport? I think no. Will it fit > on your vehicle hitch bike rack? Mine won’t. Will it be difficult for you > to park your long bike in a public rack? Can you back your bike out of your > garage/shed easily at this new length? What if you are right between sizes? > Rivendell would have you go up, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have done better on > the next size down. > > Of course we can have this discussion and keep it kind, can’t we, Friends. > It would be so horrible if Rivendell staff read this and saw a lot of > inflammatory remarks. I think we’re allowed to have a decent and > informative chat, and undoubtedly some people will find it helpful. Plus, > maybe Rivendell will find it useful. If the extra long bikes aren’t meeting > expectations, maybe there will be changes to future bikes. > > I did put 9 miles riding up a mountain with groceries in my front basket > on the new Clem L, so I’m working our relationship! > Leah > > -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/d9dc567d-254c-4ad2-bd82-c228efcae295%40googlegroups.com.
