Keith: Thanks for this, very good to know. You said that 75 mm tires (2.95") fit with ample room to spare on the Susie Longbolts; thus true 3 inchers -- 76 mm -- should fit at more than a pinch; right? (That's a question, asking for an answer.)
So, I hope that the Suzy is a true option for a sand cruiser, as far as tire width goes. Next question: You say, Rivs encourage seated pedaling. This worries me, because I like high-torque, low-rpm pedaling, and this is not for chainstay reasons, but rather because I find it more comfortable -- I feel more efficient torquing at low rpm, and I run out of breath when I sit and twiddle uphill; even in my breathless senescence, I like shoving back behind the bb and shoving forward on the pedals. Doubtless much of this is habituation; I used to be a twiddler who would maintain 21-23 mph over long distances on the flat in a 64" gear; but even in these years I'd rarely used the lower gears on my cassette, and very clearly recall standing to climb while shifting down just 5 or 10 gear inches under my 65" - 70" cruising gears (now, 25 years later, my cruising gears are more like 7--75"). At any rate, I like to torque, and find 60" a nice climbing gear for moderate, extended climbs (Tramway). I don't want a frame that makes standing and honking awkward. Can you elaborate on your observation and on my anxieties? Also, I fear bars too high. I've always been more comfortable with a sufficient bend between hips and thighs, and the few times I tried High and Close the bike has felt tippy, awkward, inefficient, hard to pedal. Note: this over decades of bike setup. Can a Susan be built to allow a comfortable forward-lean position? Must look up the Scapegoat. Would you kindly post a photo? But I dream of the superlative Rivendell handling with a bike that will take 75s and let me shove back and torque ... On Sun, Dec 19, 2021 at 5:58 PM iamkeith <keithhar...@gmail.com> wrote: > Patrick, > > Answering your second question: I had 2.4 and 2.3 tires on my Clem, with > fenders. It might have fit some 2.5 tires, but probably would have > required ditching the fenders. I mostly used the excellent Schwalbe Super > Motos, which you're fond of too if I recall correctly. Since these have > shallow treads, most of that width is true casing volume, so they're good > sand floatation tires. In fact as you probably know, that's why they were > invented - for beach races popular in Europe. Having liked those, I > wanted something similar but with even bigger volume for my Susie > Longbolts, so I'm using V Speedsters. They're labeled 2.8 but measure 75mm > even at moderate inflation pressures. This combination also fits fine, > with way more than 3mm of clearance to the stays and fork blades. On both > bikes though, be aware that it's actually the fork crown that is/was the > tight clearance point. There's no way I'd be able to fit a 3" tire on the > front - even without fenders. > > Addressing but not answering your first question: I think one of the nice > things about Rivendell's long-chainstay bikes is that you don't NEED to > stand up and grind. I sort of wonder if I got in the habit of standing on > climbs because my bikes always used to have too-short chainstays, and it > was necessary in order to keep the front wheel planted. I can still stand > (and occasionally like to) on the Rivs, but think they prefer to be ridden > seated. They're generally more forgving though, and the fore-aft balance > point isn't nearly as critical. Cockpit / handlebar choice is more > important the the bike/frame design to me. > > If you're hell-bent on using 3" or wider tires, I have a Crust Scapegoat > that I can't say enough good about. Very Riv-inspired fit (shallow seat > tube/low bottom bracket), but conventionally short chainstays. And ugly > as sin. And heavier. On that bike, I have 3.25 tires + 3X drivetrain + > fenders, however! > > On Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 3:33:31 PM UTC-7 Patrick Moore wrote: > >> Slight tangent to thread -- but broad views are the sign of a liberally >> educated person. >> >> I note that the Wolbis or whateverthehellitiscalled is described as a Gus >> for lighter riders. Given Grant's penchant for overbuilding, I'd guess that >> the Wolbis is fine for a 170-lb rider who never gets pinch flats. >> >> So, question to those of you who can compare the Wolbis, Gus, Clem, and >> Platypus in a useful way, either because you've ridden several of them, or >> because you can intelligently extrapolate from one to the other: >> >> ----->>> Question: If you want that signature Riv handling for upright >> riding in sandy conditions with tire width maxed out (full2.8"/70 mm), you >> tend to torque higher gears instead of twiddling lower gears, you want a >> single speed drivetrain (~65" for flatland sandy riding, would rather stand >> and grunt instead of downshifting and spinning), and you will not be >> carrying loads (have other bikes for that -- no damned Wald baskets): which >> model would you choose? And if you'd choose a model from another maker, >> please explain why. >> >> And: Go beyond the published specs: Can any Riv model take a true 3"/76 >> mm tire with at least 3 mm to stays? >> >> On Sun, Dec 19, 2021 at 9:56 AM iamkeith <keith...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> I hope Grant doesn't get mad at me, but I think this is one version: >>> >>> >>> https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1403/7343/files/THIS_ONE_Hilliworker_October_9.pdf?364 >>> >> -- > 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/9cc20b2e-8bbe-42e1-9157-641b56f7d16en%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9cc20b2e-8bbe-42e1-9157-641b56f7d16en%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 the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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