+1 on Bill L's thoughts on Ford Blue. I would suggest planning as the frame is large (25"??) and if a normal wall tubing was used, the large frame might plane without being too flexible. Do you know what wall thickness was used??? Maybe it's better not to know, following Bill's line of thought.
PS, the darker blue bars contrast nicely. Would Ford use a white?? John Hawrylak Woodstown NJ On Thursday, December 28, 2023 at 5:35:08 PM UTC-5 Patrick Moore wrote: > This is hardly a new question for me or for others, but it is a question > that strikes me anew when I ride the 1999 Joe Starck and find, once again > as always in getting on for 25 years of ownership that *it's just easier > to maintain speed and cadence in given conditions in given gears,* this > both on the flats and on hills. I remember being struck by this, again at > the start of each ride on it, in the first years of ownership. > > Tires make a difference, tho' it felt this way with 571 X 23 mm Conti > Grands Prix and Michelin Pro Races and with 559 X 23 mm Specialized Turbos; > with the slightly wider (27.19 mm rear at 60 psi and 27.49 mm front at 55 > psi on my 19 mm OW rims) and even lighter and more supple Elk Passes it > feels even faster and *smoother.* > > BTW, I wholly discountenance the opinion that harshness or vibration makes > riders think they're going fast. At least, perhaps some people do that, but > I've always associated harshness with slowness and smoothness with speed. > But again, the '99 has always felt *smooth* and *fast.* > > What provoked this perennial question was my very pleasant mid-afternoon > ride today. My route included about 1 mile of steep hill starting at > Broadway and, feeling tired and sluggish and being old I considered > swapping the Phil 17/19Dingle wheel (76" and 68") with the SA TF wheel (76" > and 57" underdrive), but didn't want the bother and decided I'd just walk > if necessary. > > I did plan to move the chain to the 19 t/68" gear once I got downtown, but > didn't do this, either. Winds variable up to about 7-8 mph. > > I took it easy but found myself following some youngster on a thin-tire > 700C derailleur hybrid for about 8 miles; I finally caught up to him at the > first light on Coal and followed him up the climb. I think he was a UNM > student and at least 45 years younger than I, and he put a few yards on me > up the hill spinning in a low gear but I was surprised once again (this is > the point, don't mind my meandering) at *how well and easily* the bike > climbs. > > ??? > > Planing? The frame is not as over-beefy as the 2003 Goodrich custom but > it's not as light and certainly has fatter tubes than the wonderful > thinwall 531 normal gauge 2020 Matthews replacement of the 2003. > > Weight? With the Phil it's right at 18 lb without bottle or bag versus ~28 > for the Matthews road with F+R racks, fenders, lights, and SA 3 speed hub, > and versus the 30-31 lb of the Matthews road-bike-for-dirt with 2X10 > derailleur drivetrain, 50 mm tires, 2X gauge fenders, dynamo lighting, and > rear rack. But it feels fast on the flats at steady-state cruising. I > daresay that the weight makes a difference on hills, but I *don't* think > that weight is the only reason. > > I know that some bikes just fit and feel "perfect," and this is one of > them (tho' the 2 Matthewses fit just about the same since I built them up > to do so). That old Herse was a tank that 2 earlier owners sold for cheap > but for me it rode "fast" if not as fast as the 1999 Joe Starck. > > To end this meandering: since so much of my riding is either errands > requiring bags or dirt requiring fat tires the 1999 gets ridden less than > it otherwise would, but if I had to get ride of all bikes but one, I'd > happily keep this and build 1 or 2 alternative wheelsets (geared/skinny, > geared/fattish) and buy a bit selection of strap-on saddlebags from repair > kit only to Sackville Medium. > > I've owned 5 Rivendells including 3 customs and this one is the last (tho' > the 2020 Matthews is a copy of the 2003). > > Sorry, can't resist posting again: > > [image: image.png] > -- > > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing > services > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > *When thou didst not, savage, k**now thine own meaning,* > > *But wouldst gabble like a** thing most brutish,* > > *I endowed thy purposes w**ith words that made them known.* > -- 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/369e08d7-0f88-47e3-a097-5b6670a2f99cn%40googlegroups.com.
