Welcome Alexander! Favorite? Easy! 65cm Clem Smith, Jr. H-Style - but this is more by default as my one and only Rivendell!
But I was once in similar shoes and guess I had gone about 5+ years after first discovering Rivendell until finally buying my first and only Rivendell in 2016 when they eventually released the XXL Clem in the 65cm size. The first model of theirs that really piqued my interest, however, was the SimpleOne but I held off on buying for various reasons at the time. First, I could not yet fathom ever owning or needing more than one bike nor ever spending as much on a new bike as I'd eventually spend on the Clem. I was also still trying to make an old and too small frame fit while updating worn out parts here and there while increasing ride frequency/duration/mileage on weekends. There's a ton of irony around the fact that I likely spent much more on parts swaps and fit experiments on various bikes over the years than I'd have spent on a new 62cm SimpleOne had I just taken the plunge back in 2010 or 11 or 12 or whenever it was when I was most tempted but all those experiences and personal lessons on parts swapping and DIY mechanics and articles I'd end up reading would far exceed in value the $$$ I spent here or there and made me even more informed when I did eventually make the somewhat unexpected and opportunistic pre-order once I discovered they were adding a 65cm size to the incoming Clem batch. I now own 4 complete, ready-to-ride bikes but just the one Rivendell. The remaining 3 are each built as different single speeds and all mostly obtained opportunistically based on their size and built somewhat with inspiration from various SimpleOne/Quickbeam/Countrybike builds. They were not all initially intended to be single speeds but this is how they evolved based on a combination of circumstance and my more recent riding trends/local terrain. I now have 3 different build concepts I could easily transfer over to a Roaduno (the forthcoming single speed) if I could manage to position myself to obtain one whenever they become available. There are many details I've admired on several other Riv models and I've leaned this way and that regarding their leaner road or country vs. burlier and more rugged models compared to my actual vs. theoretical usage but one thing I've absolutely come to appreciate with my Clem is the rare opportunity at my height to be on the small or low side of the fit or PBH range for a given size (my 97-ish PBH on the 65cm H which had something like a 95-100+ pbh range, iirc.) The Clem development also hit the nail on the head for me with it's more affordable nature (vs. fully lugged models) and it's basis/inspiration/early description of sorts as something like an answer for those looking to otherwise spruce up or Riv-ify their old, vintage MTB's... which is exactly what I was essentially doing at the time I first discovered Riv, albeit with a too small 26" wheeled MTB (which I've happily just begun to rebuild for the umpteenth time but this time as a hand me down dad bike for an in-law and nephew and with the help of my 5 year old!) Best of luck and happy riding, wherever this path leads! Brian Cole Lawrence NJ On Thursday, August 11, 2022 at 8:29:44 PM UTC-4 alexander...@gmail.com wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm a new group member but long time Riv fan. I recently came the closest > I've come to actually buying Rivendell, having only recently reached a > point where it has not felt out of reach financially. Anyway, it got me > wondering - what is the one model you would choose, current or > discontinued, if you could only have one? > > Alternately, what is your favorite Rivendell you have owned? > > Asking in part because I am wondering where to start myself - I've wanted > a Hunqapillar for a long time, and recently have become a bit obsessed with > the Quickbeam as well - but every model seems great in its own way. Mostly > just curious what you all find yourself riding the most though! > -- 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/447a30db-2fe4-4f64-8138-59e316eb00d3n%40googlegroups.com.
