I have a 52 Clementine, Large Gus (a heavy duty Susie), 60 Betty Foy. The Clementine is by far the easiest to get on and off of, but requires the longest stem to get the handlebars high enough. I should have gotten the 55 Clementine, but it was purchased partly with my girlfriend in mind, who has now become my wife and appropriated the Betty Foy, because it is lighter and mostly because she loves the red hearts in the blue frame lugs, the seat barely clears the top of the seat tube, but she likes the bars up high. The Clementine is getting a Crust Clydesdale fork with a long threadless steerer and is likely to become my go-to bike once complete. Note that I am 65 and overweight, so the step-through becomes more important as time goes by. BUT, I also have a Medium Mountain Mixte Rosco Bubbe, that is about 90% complete as well as a Rosco Baby that is also 90% complete - searching for that perfect step-though!
Laing Delray Beach FL On Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 5:47:42 PM UTC-5 Joe Bernard wrote: > Weight differences between Clem L and Susie: Right off the bat the problem > I have here is I didn't have both bikes at the same time so take this for > what it's worth (it's not worth much cuz who knows how good my memory is on > this??). I've owned a 52cm Clem L and 53cm Susie, both with the the wheels > that come on Clem completes, both with similar parts specs. IMO the Susie > is slightly lighter but not enough for it to be the decider in which frame > you pick. > > Susie/Wolbis (no, I don't understand the names either) is a more expensive > frame with very nice fillet joints and a mid-high toptube, it's probably > going to be stiffer than a step-thru for the mountain biking-ish mission it > was designed for. This is also helpful for a later electric conversion > (Clem L's can get noodly with a motor), plus that higher toptube leaves > room for a battery on the downtube. > > Clem L (I still like the Clementine name better) is much cheaper new, has > perfectly acceptable TIG welds, and of course has that way-low toptube > (droptube is the moniker I'm trying make trend). And this is where I have > to shout out The Word According To Leah, especially as she's in this > thread: Droptubes are better! If you don't need the triangulation the Susie > offers, Clem L wins hands down for ease of getting on and off, as well > sliding off to one foot at stops during the ride. And it's a very pretty > bicycle. > > That's what I think! > > Joe Bernard > > On Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 2:07:52 PM UTC-8 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! > wrote: > >> I am not an expert, but I AM a Clem fan. To be fair, I’ve never ridden a >> Gus/Susie, but (and don’t hate me, Gus and Susie fans) I’ve never >> understood the allure of that bike. Looks and names and decals aside >> though, I wonder if there’s a difference in the frames re: weight. Like >> you, I’m a thin woman and I don’t want the bike any heavier than it has to >> be. A friend of mine (also a woman) said she examined the Susie and it was >> SO heavy. Even compared to her stout Appaloosa and my Clem (which she rode >> one time). Maybe someone can tell us if there is a significant weight >> difference between the frames. I think that matters, and I don’t care how >> many folks jump on here to tell me it doesn’t. And on that note, the Clems >> are heavy enough that I think they benefit from lightening up. I put a >> lightweight wheelset and tubeless tires on mine, plus aluminum bars. If I >> could do it over, I’d gear it as a 1x, and save the extra weight from the >> shifter/derailleur and chain ring. >> >> Meanwhile, the Clem’s personality. It is a gentle giant. It is elegant. >> It is LONG. But honestly, I like how I feel on that bike even a bit better >> than my Platypus (which is still my #1 bike because it is RASPBERRY SPARKLE >> and I am fickle). The length is a problem if you need to get it on public >> transportation or if you are storing it in your tiny living room. You will >> need a long wheelbase bar for your vehicle bike rack. But that length also >> (I think) makes it such a great riding bike. You feel like you sit down and >> in it. I don’t like my Clem with a front rack; I think it rides better with >> a rear rack. You will never regret a step-through. The Clem, in my never >> humble opinion, is unimprovable. >> >> YIKES! I’m late to pick up my kid from school! Ok, good luck!!!! >> On Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 1:08:51 PM UTC-8 Kiley Demond wrote: >> >>> This has probably been hashed over numerous times so at the risk of >>> making some of you go "arghhhh!"... >>> >>> What are the differences of note between Clem L. and Susie W.? >>> >>> - Handling (stability, nimbleness) >>> - Wieldy-ness (overall size, weight, etc.) >>> - Suitability for electrifying at a future date >>> - Any other thoughts, whether experiential or theoretical >>> >>> The person asking is 5'10" 140lbs with a pbh of 91. I had a 60cm Cheviot >>> which I loved but sold several years ago when financial issues overrode >>> having such a fancy ride. I would prefer to buy a frame only and do the >>> build myself. I was gutted when I saw that an orange Susie W. frame was >>> listed (and sold); I wasn't paying sufficient attention. I "won" the >>> right-to-purchase lottery for a Clem but couldn't do it because they were >>> sold as complete and I hadn't done my due diligence on Susie Ws. >>> >>> Thank you for your collective insights and wisdom! >>> >> -- 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/9c9954bb-fd6d-4385-a877-90a4a68262dan%40googlegroups.com.
