Heck yeah! Great post Leah. Yes, the downtube was a barrier to me (thanks Joe for the term). But now that I've come to own a Clem and ridden a few miles I am amazed at the comfort and ability to climb hills on this 'heavy' bicycle. It can handle wide tires, racks, fenders, stickers, bags, mirrors, bells, and it suits me just fine. The lime green color was also way out of my bicycle comfort zone as I'm a black and gray color scheme person, or at least I was! Doug
On Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 7:04:31 PM UTC-5 Patrick Moore wrote: > Understood. The question about Clems is all the more interesting, then. > > On Tue, Nov 16, 2021 at 4:09 PM Leah Peterson <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Hi Patrick, >> >> I don’t have a question per se, and no one is complaining that the Clems >> are too unorthodox. Rather, I am musing (celebrating?) what the Clems have >> become. As far as I can tell, they have livened things up for the company >> and made a great number of customers very happy. Again, it is only my >> observation and not necessarily FACT, which is why I wondered if anyone >> else had observed the same… >> Leah, whose Clem is really rather eccentric >> >> On Nov 16, 2021, at 2:53 PM, Patrick Moore <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> When I read this post I did not look to see who posted it, and while >> reading through it I very quickly thought to advise the reader, "You are >> not alone! Leah has Rivendells tricked out in all the colors of Joseph's >> coat!" And then I scrolled up and saw the list ID. No need to preach to the >> choir director! >> >> So, Leah, what is the question? Are people complaining that Clems are >> being built in unorthodox colors and kit? Is there a purist group who >> demands that Clems be restricted to authorized versions? >> >> Me, I wholeheartedly encourage individual choice of builds and colors, >> subject of course to the universal rules of good taste which belong to no >> particular culture or group, and which within that general guideline permit >> a huge variety of tastes. For the record, there are objective aesthetic >> criteria, as rigorous as mathematical criteria; only, not susceptible to >> formulas. *De gustibus non est disputandem* means that these criteria >> have to intuitively recognized, and that they are not susceptible to >> quasi-mathematical analysis, though they can be articulated. It's no >> accident that *sapere*, "to taste," is the root of *sapientia,* "wisdom." >> Example in proof: >> >> [image: image.png]) >> >> Patrick Moore, whose dog in this fight is that the Clem is currently at >> the top of his would-buy Rivendell list. How would I build it? First, it >> would be a true all-rounder, for running the dog and riding our sandy >> bosque, but also fleet enough to enjoy on pavement. Upright, but not >> omafiets: sufficient bend at hips to make pedaling comfortable. Fattest and >> softest tires possible. Fenders? Lights? Dunno, but certainly sufficient >> luggage for a 12-pack and chips. Perhaps my Med Saddlesack or V Large >> Ortlieb bikepacking saddle bag (extends rearward in an almost-unending >> tube). No rack.* And no g-d front basket!!! *2-speed kickback? Fixed? >> Ss? S3X with freewheel? No derailleur, that's for sure. Perhaps bolt on the >> ugly mast to hold the QR dog leash. No attempt to lighten it up; heavy be >> damned as long as it's fun to ride. >> >> Seriously, if the Clem could accommodate 700C X 76 mm tires (fully 3" WTB >> Rangers) with sufficient clearance even without fenders, this bike would be >> at the absolute top and pinnacle of my list; as it is, the Monocog >> replacement currently resides there. >> >> On Tue, Nov 16, 2021 at 10:14 AM Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> [image: 84256557-932F-4AD7-99B6-8BE9DC178396.jpeg]Can we talk about the >>> Rivendell Clems for a minute? I hesitate as I write this, because opinions >>> on here tend to be strong, but I see this as a fun topic and worth >>> exploring. We can be nice, even if we disagree. I have been seeing Clems in >>> several colors, in a variety of configurations, all over Instagram. >>> Blue Lug and Helmet Kids are two of my favorite bike Instagram accounts, >>> and they frequently feature Clems on their group rides. Calling In Sick, a >>> bike magazine you’ve likely heard of, did an entire issue on the magic of >>> the Clem, which is also all over Instagram. I suppose it could be that >>> Clem popularity is imagined by me; I personally love Clems and therefore >>> notice them, so I’ll add that caveat here. But I really do think the Clems >>> are having their moment. >>> >>> When I first discovered Rivendell in 2012 the only social media I knew >>> about was the List. The bikes were all lugged, and built with silver >>> parts. There was a definite prescribed look. The demographics of the group >>> were not exactly varied. There were few women, and even fewer in my age >>> bracket (early 30s). But then Grant made the bike he said he’d never >>> make, and the TIG’d Clem was among us. With the coronation of the Clem, >>> those unable to afford a Rivendell suddenly could. I began seeing >>> younger people riding them. Baby seats began popping up on these bikes. (I >>> felt like I was the only one in the Rivendell world pulling my kid on my >>> Betty Foy in 2012.) And in several generations of Clems, the owners have >>> now taken that bike in new directions. Clems are for everyone! >>> >>> The Clems are pure Rivendell in manners and ride, but they are >>> divergent. Black parts abound. 1x gearing. Trigger shifting. Young dudes >>> shredding all over the ‘Gram with them. Some lucky kids are riding them! My >>> sons have been raised on Clems (the H version, but we have the L version >>> for when they are grown). Worries over the step-through frame being >>> considered “a girl bike” seem to have been unfounded. (And in my family we >>> have 2 giant Clem Ls the men ride.) People seem to really love the >>> versatility and ease of a step-thru frame. >>> >>> I see the Clem as a Rivendell, modernized. >>> >>> The colors have been brilliant; the Clem has never been subject to color >>> constraint. Atlantis bikes will be Atlantis green, but Clems are like >>> Skittles - we’ve had bright turquoise, black, orange (Clementines), creamy >>> mustard, a creamy blue, a glittery blue, grilver, lime, bronzey green… We >>> really do need a metallic red, but I digress… >>> >>> On my own Clem, I have been unafraid to put zany parts on it. Anything >>> goes. “It’s a Clem,” I say. I’ve got a red front hub and an orange rear >>> hub. Bright red pedals that look like shoes to me. I damaged the paint when >>> a U lock rubbed it off as we traveled, but I never think about it. I have >>> blue wire soldered into the black dyno wire and it will never irk me. I’ve >>> been way more picky about the appearance of my Platypus, but my Clem is >>> unhindered by rules. >>> >>> The newest Clems have just arrived at Riv HQ and I hope their owners >>> will delight us with photos and write ups here and on Instagram. I’m so >>> excited for another wave of customers to get to know these bikes. The >>> Rivendell Clems, those gentle giants, are so good to us. >>> >>> -- >>> 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 [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c7f0ba0f-4d17-4ecf-bc91-1f574ea65301n%40googlegroups.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c7f0ba0f-4d17-4ecf-bc91-1f574ea65301n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> >> >> -- >> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Patrick Moore >> Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum >> >> -- >> 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/dqoOrlGkFdg/unsubscribe >> . >> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >> [email protected]. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgsvxUhdOHkSEoXRidoKstk70Hs4bitRhemwJcV_aLbigQ%40mail.gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgsvxUhdOHkSEoXRidoKstk70Hs4bitRhemwJcV_aLbigQ%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> >> -- >> 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 [email protected]. >> > To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9542FEC9-4488-4333-A7E3-1B53D1B3B0D3%40gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9542FEC9-4488-4333-A7E3-1B53D1B3B0D3%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > > > -- > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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