Got my Appa on Monday, built it yesterday and commuted to work on it today. First impressions are that it's exactly what I had hoped for. The ride is amazing and it feels so plush while still remaining responsive; nimble yet stable. But I think it could still be better and I want to channel the wisdom of the group.
Currently, I have the bike built with drop bars (50cm V/O Randonneur). However, I know this frame, like many of the Riv frames, is really built with swept back bars in mind. Knowing this, I went with a stem that's about half my "typical" length. Unfortunately, it still feels like quite a reach to get on the hoods, not impossible, but not "normal". So, this is where my question starts: Do I continue to try shortening the stem, say to maybe 30-40mm, or do I give in to my swept bar destiny and spring for some new bars? And if I go with sweeps, which bars do people like on the Appa? I have 65mm Tosco bars on my Gus and it's wonderful on that bike, but being that I don't want to be quite so upright (and there's not quite as much room) on the Appa. I was thinking of going with either Billie or Albatross bars. The two are so similar, however, that I'm having a hard time deciding between the two. I'm probably splitting hairs, as usual, but I'm genuinely curious to see what y'all think. Cheers, -- Ted Wood < ted.l.w...@gmail.com > -- 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/CANCvShpXY3fGzrS2nt3t6ZBeHeaFsi2dFhAiHFLykU5J9rGQCA%40mail.gmail.com.