I'd suggest a right sized roadini, note the latest email says they are going to start letting buyers take care of frame prep and headset install, either themselves or via a shop they trust. Or a Black Mountain Cycles Road. Heck of a good value for your $. Were I buying new with your priorities I'd pick between those two based on aesthetic and stem style preference.
I'm very happy with my BMC Road V3, very well behaved, quite zippy. I also really like the looks of my wife's Roadini though I've not ridden it. On Saturday, June 27, 2020 at 7:06:09 PM UTC-7, Andrew Turner wrote: > > Hello Group. > Maybe I'll just start this conversation off with what I'm searching for > and I'll add the backstory after. > > - steel frame + fork (lugged preferably) that could clear 700x32 tires > - rim brake > - lightish tubing ( I weigh a scant 132lbs at 6'1") > - DT shifter braze-ons > - Trying to keep the price to no more than $1000 for frame + fork > - Frames of all ages welcome > - Designed to hold weight in the front (but I can make do with a > saddlebag) > > Bikes I've had in the past to try to fit these requirements: > > - VO Campeur: way better suited for heavy touring. Way stouter than I > need. > - Black Mtn Cycles monster cross: pretty nice but that frame really > wanted tires in the 38mm+ range which is overkill for me. > - Rivendell Roadini: damn fine frame and very comfortable. Tig welded > though and I might've gotten too large of frame with the 61cm. On my list > of possibilities though. The quality was also a disappointment for my > first > riv, chipped paint out of the box and very poorly installed headset. > > I just got done with my first longer ride on a 58cm Gazelle Champion > Mondial AA frame . I built it up because riding my first brevet on the VO > Campeur a year ago made me realize how important a more nimble bike, > especially for majority road use, is. But I might've gone too far. It's a > rocket no doubt but I found it fatiguing having to stay so vigilant on > descents. And putting the weight up front lead to a very close call down a > particularly sketchy downhill. I think slacker geometry might help with > that ;) > > All this to say, if any of you rando kids have some suggestions I'm all > ears! > > Thanks Group, > Andrew > > -- 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/ff949fe0-b55a-4cbf-9c7a-2bcc367d43bdo%40googlegroups.com.