The threads on Platypus versus [name] and using versus "saving" your Rivendell raises an interesting if (fortunately!) academic question: if you could have only 1 Rivendell as your only bicycle, and that Rivendell had to serve all purposes -- fast pavement, commuting, errand loads, at least light dirt and gravel: what model would you choose and how would you build and equip it?
I'm fortunate to have a bike for each of my purposes, except a theft-be-damned but fun to ride grocery beater, which I hope to add to the collection*, but if I had to choose just 1 and that a Riv, it would be my gofast with a second set of wheels shod with 42 mm Naches Passes (which fit with room to spare under the front normal reach single pivot) but not bolt anything else to the Riv. Lights: I have an excellent B&M Ixon IQ Premium which puts out at least as much brightness and has a nicer beam pattern than my Edeluxe I, and Cateye clamps are cheap and easy to find. There are all sorts of bright, strap-on blinkies for the rear. I'd rig up a QR for my Saddlesack Medium and attach it with the Nitto standoff only as needed, and augment it with a courier bag in 1 of 3 sizes. I'd get some clip-on, easy on/off fenders, shorties if need be -- hell, this is New Mexico. Wheels: Actually, I might do as I did decades ago when I tried to make a mountain bike do triple duty with 3 wheelsets: gofast with 23 mm tires and 12-19 (7-sp) cassette, commuting with 35 mm tires with 13-21, and off road with knobbies and 14-28. The Phil fixed/fixed with Elk Pass would keep the 17/19 Dingle and the 28 mm Elk Passes, but I'd have another Elk Pass rear for the TC fixed hub with 17 t cog for 76" direct and 66" underdrive; and then I'd have a third wheeset for Naches Passes with the fixed TF hub with a 19 t cog and the Naches Passes for 70" and 52"; good pavement-to-moderate dirt ratios. Of course, I'd have to overcome the scruple of keeping this bike pristine .... Funny, I usually take a brief detour for a mile or mile-and-a-half along a very busy 6-lane when I ride North from my house because the direct route is dusty, sandy crusher fine. Would have to strenuously overcome that vice. * Actually, one reason for this 5th beater bike would be just the fun of building up a bike that rides nice and meets my gearing and handling preferences at the lowest possible price. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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/CALuTfgsF62bzDAy2_QP23hQuQ-t_QDFPY4CJzU9vFowrK2Rxtg%40mail.gmail.com.
