I own a 2021 59cm Clem Smith Jr. "L". I am just beginning to fully appreciate this bicycle beyond it being very comfortable.
Awhile back, I asked Will Keating from Rivendell Bicycle Works a question about the differences between the Suzie and the Clem. He said, "The Susie is longer, has lighter tubing, and is fillet brazed (the Clems are tig welded) which makes them more expensive. The Susie also fits a slightly bigger tire - Clems max out at around 2.4; Susie fit a 2.6. Other than that - they are similar!" Kim Hetzel Yelm, WA. On Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 7:11:39 AM UTC-7 fra...@gmail.com wrote: > Hello! I picked up a Susie in the last run and have been using it as my > mountain bike. That said, I have not ridden a suspension bike in quite a > while. I did see the email that a second run was going to happen. It was > supposed to be spring this year I think but since the ones I got didn’t > show up till then I’m sure it will be next year at this point, no mention > of them for a while. > > I haven’t ridden a Clem L so I can’t say, I do have a Clem H though. I > love my Clem! The H has a little bit steeper head tube, the new Clem L > seems to be a slightly closer spec to a Gus or Susie as far as head tube > angle and fork rake. > > My Susie feels like riding on a cloud compared to the Clem and I don’t > think it is just the tire size but I’m sure it plays a good part of it. The > extra height of the BB on the Susie is very welcome in the chunky stuff as > well. The tubes on the Susie feel full of like and spring forward when I > get on it. I ride the Clem daily towing my daughter around and it is > perfect for that. Load the Clem up with whatever and it is stable as can > be. The Susie has more flex. Not sure if a Gus feels stiffer but I love the > way the Susie rides. > > My Clem has an albatross bar and I have bosco’s on the Susie. So not a > fair comparison in upright sitting. The Susie is very upright and my Clem > not so much. Funny thing, I thought I was faster on the Clem. This week I > am using the Susie and I’m actually slightly faster on it while feeling > like I’m not working as hard. According to my gps data on my usual daily > routes. Only 2 days so far so I’ll see if that holds true all week. > > You won’t match a full squish bike on a Gus or Susie but the riding is > still a blast! Just different. I had a jones LWB complete and I would > definitely recommend the Susie over that. Jones makes a great bike in > theory, but I think they (the completes at least) are wastefully overbuilt. > It was several lbs heavier than my Susie and the slowest I have ever been > while riding a bike. My Susie has a more plush ride than the Jones did and > is a better ride in all ways. > > Not sue I’ve said anything useful in my rambling but I highly recommend > the Susie! I’m sure the Gus is equally awesome though! I think if you have > your Clem set up for commuting and the Gus/Susie set up for trails there > isn’t too much of an overlap to justify one. > > On Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 6:39:49 AM UTC-7 rmro...@gmail.com > wrote: > >> Greetings all. First, does anyone recall reading in one of the updates >> about additional Susie / Gus bikes becoming available? >> Second, who is using their Susie / Gus as their primary mountain bike? >> Third, is anyone able to comments on a direct comparison between a Susie >> and a Clem L? >> My Clem never ceases to amaze me. It is, without doubt the most >> comfortable bike I have ever owned. I am so ingrained to my position on the >> bike that I am now uncomfortable on my dedicated singletrack bike - a full >> suspension bike with relatively strait handlebars. The Clem is really good >> off road and on mild singletrack, but its weight and flexibility have kept >> me from giving it a go on some of the rowdy, rock and root strewn tracks I >> like to ride on the full squish bike. >> Now, I have no illusions about any rigid bike being as plush and capable >> on these trails as the suspended bike. But I do have some experience riding >> a rigid bike with big tires (Jones 29") and I liked it. The notion of a >> bike that puts me in the exact same position as my Clem but dedicated to >> singletrack has me more than a little intrigued. >> Appreciate any comments / thoughts. >> >> -- 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/d3327ab9-b417-4603-81ff-d2d52b8d90e4n%40googlegroups.com.
