Hi Chuck, I've never owned a Rivendell, so I believe it's important I chime in... because of this:
>> I tried a Roadini (which I recently listed here and sold), but I think it was too big for me. It probably wasn't too "big", it was probably too long in the top tube. In the current Riv idea space, the Albatross is the handlebar of choice. The one Grant says he'll ride when he's old. I'd argue you can't build a bike that accomodates swept back AND drop handlebars for the same rider in the same size. The difference is only a few cm, but they matter. I tend to pick one bike every year and build it from the frame up, to ride it and see how I like it, and what I can learn from it. And since I always use a Brooks B17 and a Nitto Noodle, that provides a handy size reference. The distance from the saddle tip to the handlebar cross tube is always the same when I'm done fitting it.. and it matches the ancient rule that if you put your elbow against the tip of the saddle, the finger tips should just reach the handlebar. Stem lengths go from 70 to 100 mm, on frames ranging from from a 52 cm Bruce Gordon BLT to a a 25 inch (63.5 cm) Cannondale ST600 to and a few in between. Top tube length (effective) ranges from 56 to 59 cm. So figure out what YOUR saddle/bar distance or top tube length should be, and find your size accordingly. Were I to buy a Roadini, and the thought has crossed my mind, I'd have to go for a fairly small frame. For my 6 ft height and 89 cm PBH, I'm between the 57 and 61 cm size for the Roadini, and the 57 cm has a 59 cm top tube, so that would be my size, and the stem would have to be short, which doesn't look good to my eyes. For what it's worth, our pavement here in freeze/thaw country (mid-Michigan) is famously nasty, and for road riding, I like 32 mm GP5000s... add some dirt roads, and I'm currently riding 35 mm Paselas, which seem to roll pretty fast and do OK on loose surfaces. I see no reason to go wide on asphalt. To buy any bicycle: - decide on the tire you want to ride, which means pick the target roads and routes. - decide if you'll mount fenders. - now look at the frames that will accomodate the first criteria, and see if you can find your size. It may be that a detour through an older (~1980) Trek or Raleigh is the way to find your setup... most of the parts will move right over, plus it's fun. cheers -mathias To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/43ff7469-c029-4b2a-83bf-3ce31d020790n%40googlegroups.com <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/43ff7469-c029-4b2a-83bf-3ce31d020790n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> . -- 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/596a30a5-68dd-4464-8245-3f0ed20c44ean%40googlegroups.com.
