Mark - do I really deserve the weight weenie label if I have 2 handlebar bags and front AND rear racks? š
Iām starting to think of this bike as the Clem of Many Colors, but Kaleidoscope Klem definitely works, too... Ryan - the reason you feel angst over my bike problems is because I come over here and publicly howl over them. Sorry about that š¬! But, do you also feel my joy when it all gets solved? I hope so! Yes, I have spent a LOT of money on this bike, but I regret nothing. I love love love a step-through and in RBW Blue, itās just, well, I have heart eyes for it. Youāll understand when you get your Clem built up and on the road. I canāt tell you how nice it was not to swing a leg over my bike last night; Iāve gotten used to the giant 52 Clem H Iāve been riding in place of my Clementine. I had about zero standover, and I felt like I was riding my best friendās giant quarter horse, back in girlhood. Well, this cup of coffee is finished, and the sun is already high in the sky. I best get out there before the temps get much warmer. Iāll be back later! Leah Sent from my iPad > On Jun 4, 2020, at 3:21 AM, Mark Roland <absolutegal...@gmail.com> wrote: > > ļ»æ > Spectacular. Looks like the bike shop guys did a nice job--certainly using > old style cable guides to keep your dyno wire tidy was a high class and > thoughtful touch! > > You are now officially a weight weenie with a Kaleidoscope Klem. Looking > forward to the ride reports! > > <bright-circular-seamless-kaleidoscope-pattern-vector-8644933.jpg> > > > >> On Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 2:00:20 AM UTC-4, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! >> wrote: >> Weeks ago, I took my 2019 Clementine to a bike shop for a major makeover. I >> plunked down the money to make my only bike (until the Playpus arrives) a >> Next Level Clementine. I decided Iād finally get dyno, which Iād never had >> an longed for for years, and Iād get new wheels and tubeless tires to >> lighten up my heavy bike. Iād seen Analogās beautiful work on Instagram, and >> dyno and hand built wheels and tubeless tires are their wheelhouse. Candice >> and James created and shipped the most colorful, beautiful >> wheelset/tires/dyno you could ever imagine. Ever. Now all I needed was a >> mechanic. But this is Vegas, and good bike shops are hard to come by. >> >> These are the days of COVID 19 and bike shops are overburdened everywhere. I >> donāt have any options close by, so I had to point the van SW and drive 35 >> miles, deep into Vegas. I got to the bike shop 20 minutes before opening and >> there was already a line. I grabbed my Clem, secured my spot, waiting in the >> sun. The mechanics came out to and explained no repairs, save simple flat >> fixes, would be done - they were swamped. I turned around and put my >> Clementine back on the rack. From the parking lot, I called several bike >> shops (one had 6 handwritten pages of names on their waitlist) and found >> only one that could 1. Accept my bike (other shops were too full to take >> more bikes) and 2. Get the bike back to me in less than a month. The catch >> was that the place was called Pro Cyclery. Yikes. How can I show up at a >> place like that with a bike like mine? They will laugh me out of the parking >> lot. They will think I brought them a beach cruiser. >> >> I bit back tears. I looked back at my fancy Analog wheels. And then I >> pointed the van in the direction of Pro Cyclery, arriving 15 minutes later. >> >> When I arrived there were employees apologizing to a mother-son duo that >> they could not get parts, due to a worldwide shortage. There was carbon >> fiber and drop bars and mountain bikes everywhere; it was just as I >> imagined. An employee met with me to write up my ticket. I had a long list >> for him. The list was: >> >> ~Remove old wheels and install Analog wheels (tubeless tires were already >> set up and ready) >> ~Hook up dyno >> ~Adjust brakes, which were too loose >> ~Grease stem >> ~Adjust derailleurs >> ~Check click in pedal - bottom bracket? >> ~ Install new 38 tooth front chain ring (had a 35 and it was too easy) and >> trouser guard >> ~ Install new Kool Stop ebike brake pads >> ~ Check rear fender to make sure itās correct because some idiot (me) >> installed it. Without taking off the rear wheel. >> >> The mechanic looked at me uneasily. He said he was sure his more experienced >> mechanic would help us. āIs this going to be ok?ā I asked. āDo you ever hook >> up dyno here?ā >> >> āWell, I see them at community bike projects. But I canāt see how Iām going >> to hide this wire,ā he said, frowning at my fork š. >> >> The shop really stretched itself to figure out how to set up the dyno (they >> even called Candice), but when they were done they were really proud of >> their work. They used fancy metal clamps instead of zip ties, something Iām >> not sure they ever have cause to do. They hated drilling into my pretty VO >> fender, but they did it with great precision. They cleaned that bike until >> it sparkled - and this is no exaggeration if youāve seen RBW Blue paint. >> They recognized my bike for what it was - āWhoever made this bike really >> cares about quality. We know quality when we see it. We donāt see bikes like >> this come through the shop.ā By the time I arrived to pick it up, they had >> all ridden my bike and they LOVED it. I brought my bars to show them I was >> swapping out the 55 cromoly Bosco bars for the 52 aluminum Boscos. The >> senior mechanic said, āOh, no! That will change how this bike rides and this >> bike rides perfect! Itās so nice - weāve all ridden it and itās so smooth! >> If I were you I wouldnāt be concerned with weight.ā Hahaha - you can all >> feel the irony of the words leaving his lips in a room full of carbon bikes >> with a sign on the building saying Pro Cyclery. >> >> Anyway, I paid them way more money than they initially quoted me (oh well, >> itās a Next Level Clem), left them a 6 pack of chilled hard cider and drove >> home. I swapped the bars, which took some time because I managed to screw up >> the cabling, and then only had time for a quick 3 miles. >> >> Oh, but those 3 miles were glorious. If youāre going to have a Clem and you >> live in hilly/mountainous country, then you owe yourself a Next Level Clem. >> Dyno is sublime - oh, not having the dumb light on the bars blinding the >> people you meet is really fantastic. Never needing to turn your lights >> on/off - fabulous. The light and easy ride of tubeless Gravel Kings - be >> still my heart. And then the COLOR. I told James and Candice to go wild >> because thatās how I think Clems should be and they did. The wheels rainbow >> from one color to the next in the spoke nipples, and they are larger and >> more visible than the ones that come stock on a Clem. #RivSister Roberta >> gifted me bright orange valve caps (also from Analog!) to put on the magenta >> valves, and it was a nice touch. š The hubs are mismatched - a beautiful >> burnt orange on the back and a red on the front. The Edux II headlight is >> burnt orange as well, tying it all together. >> >> My parts are now worth more than I paid for the complete bike but I canāt >> feel badly about that because this is a Next Level Clem. Iāll attach a lot >> of pics and a couple videos, which will take a couple of posts. Iāll write >> here as I discover more for anyone interested in how these wheels/tubeless >> tires ride. >> >> Now, onto the photos and videos! Thanks for hanging with me if you made it >> this far. >> Leah > > -- > 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/N5w--nIDb0E/unsubscribe. > To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, 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/1343aa99-5a2e-4519-8ec9-e3c3f095df16%40googlegroups.com. > <bright-circular-seamless-kaleidoscope-pattern-vector-8644933.jpg> -- 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/A557B0BC-6FCC-4D14-BF75-48908FD617BB%40gmail.com.
