| Having ridden a Gallop around the Riv lot on Grant’s beckoning, my five-minute ride report is thus:
If you like riding a Clem or a Susie, for that comfy, stretched-out, body-planted-in-the-middle-of-the-bike type of vibe, but you always wanted a really light, road-only, skinny tire, center-mounted brake version, this would be that.
It’s not go-fast. Or at least it didn’t feel that way at all to me. It felt like a Cadillac. Long, low, smooth. I bet it cruises really nicely on the open road once it’s up to speed.
But it’s not a club ride road bike type of bike.
Or I didn’t feel like it was.
Or the one I rode wasn’t set up to achieve that sort of feeling.
You know, the feeling of standing up and mashing the cranks and tucking in, and taking the good lines, and going really fast. On May 9, 2024, at 5:37 PM, Leah Peterson <jonasandle...@gmail.com> wrote:
Valerie, Interesting! What would make the Roadini more suited to go-fast road rides than the Gallop? What makes the Roadini more different in a fun way than the Gallop? I may be misunderstanding what the Gallop is; I had thought it was the new clubby bike Riv was advocating.
I am so appreciative of your and everyone’s input. I have lots to learn and it is FUN. L On May 9, 2024, at 8:24 PM, Valerie Yates <vya...@gmail.com> wrote:
If I wanted a drop bar bike to fit in with my club/fast friends, I would pick Roadini. The Gallop is a fun alternative in the line-up but I don't see it as a primary go-fast road bike. I think a Roadini will be more different in a fun way from the bikes you've had. And your friends' bikes likely have skinny tires and too-low bars that would make them a bad comparison. A gravel bike with drop bars might be a good option to try just for more comfortable geometry and tires. Long shot, but if you could find a used Soma San Marcos (designed by Riv and made by Soma), that bike feels super similar to my Roadeo. On Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 5:52:54 PM UTC-6 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:
I know it, Jason. I should just ask a woman in my bike group but it feels like wearing someone else’s underwear. And actually, it’s not that far off. (Side story: Last year I picked up a woman whose flat we could not fix. I hoisted her bike onto my rack and immediately wanted to vomit. I had grabbed her saddle, some kind of foam thing, and it was SOAKED THROUGH, like a sponge.) Also, I don’t have clipless shoes, and every woman on my rides has those pedals.
But ok, I thought about what you said and I REMEMBERED something. There’s a place in town I may be able to rent a drop bar bike in my size. I’ll report back tomorrow!
I hadn’t thought about it being an Oct Roadini vs Nov Gallop. Are you surmising that if I go with drops I should go Roadini and Gallop for swept-back bars? Leah
On Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 6:41:29 PM UTC-4 Jason Fuller wrote:
I totally get not wanting to purchase a non-Rivendell, but it might be well worthwhile to borrow or rent a drop bar bike to try out - of course, it'll be disorienting, but should hopefully give you a sense of "I think I'd get used to this" versus "this is definitely not for me". The reason I say this is because it could be all the difference between choosing October's lugged Roadini versus November's Charlie H Gallop. I know that both bikes can run either, in theory, but in practice they are much more suited to one vs the other.
I just built a lovely Homer that fills that riding gap, but I do plan to watch other people build theirs.... LEAH!
On Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 10:20:33 AM UTC-7 Valerie Yates wrote:
Sarah - thanks! Are you thinking of getting one?Thank you for this Valerie, your post made my morning!
Sarah
On Monday, May 6, 2024 at 1:30:11 PM UTC-7 Valerie Yates wrote:
Thanks for the kind words! I've been enjoying yours and Bill's and many others' posts for years but I only rarely chime-in.
I have loved riding bikes since childhood, got my first drop-bars when I was 8 (the Schwinn Bicentennial 10 speed), and yet my club riding phase was also late (40-45) and very brief. I had just moved to Boulder, CO and the club rides were a great way to get to know popular, local routes. But I am introverted and group activities just aren't my scene. I have a few folks with whom I like to ride and, whenever I can, I sign up for a trip with HeartCycle.org. On the HC rides, everyone goes at their own pace. I enjoy the random camaraderie that occurs during the ride without any expectation of continuing to ride together. The club is based in Denver, started by doctors, has long-standing members from across the US, and offers trips across the US and Europe. Experienced riders, great routes, fully supported, non-profit, and not fancy. They welcome new members if that ever interests you or anyone else reading this.
My understanding of the Roadini is based on the website: Roadini - Functionally like a Roadeo, priced like a Clem.
To me, the Roadeo feels absolutely plush, smooth, and elegant compared to the too small, too stiff, carbon-framed, low-barred, skinny-tired road bike I was persuaded to get when I moved to Boulder to fit in on rides with various clubs. That bike is long gone. The shorter wheel-base, stiffer tubing, and skinner tires of the Roadeo makes it much more taut and spare feeling than the Gallop. For me, the Roadeo is the ultimate, classic road bike for challenging myself on paved rides -- whether going fast or climbing on my own or riding with faster friends.
The long-length, fat-swoop tubing, and fatter-tire capability of the Gallop seems more like a lightweight, road-oriented Susie, to me. Less concern about potholes and road texture than on the Roadeo and more playful, all-day comfort. Since I haven't actually tried it on the rides I do with the Roadeo, I can't say for sure how it compares. Its performance could surprise me. In any event, I think the Gallop will be really fun and a great intro to drop bars coming from the the upright models you've been riding. I am eager to read your ride reports.
On Monday, May 6, 2024 at 12:51:38 PM UTC-6 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:
Valerie, well you’re an undiscovered treasure. I haven’t had the privilege to know you but just reading this reveals that you are a RivSister with a wealth of bike information and we NEED you here. Wow! It was oddly like reading a Bill Lindsey post with all the talk of incorporating a new bike into your collection and using it for certain subsets of rides. If you two don’t know each other I think you should get acquainted!
Thanks for taking the time and offering your opinion about this bike. I really think it could be a good first road bike for me, and a good one to experiment with drops. I’m so late getting into serious riding (I found Riv at 31 and was raising little kids but now am 3 years from empty-nesting) and I feel so behind. Everyone else seems like they had their drop bar phase and club riding phase in their 20s and maybe 30s. I never rode a group ride until I was 41. It’s a lot, so I’m very appreciative when other people (especially women) will share what they know. It really, truly helps.
One question: Why do you think the Roadini is more like your Roadeo than your Gallop? What makes the Roadini and the Gallop different, do you think?
Thanks again for this thread! Leah
On Monday, May 6, 2024 at 2:13:15 PM UTC-4 Valerie Yates wrote:
Following up on Leah's questions in a new thread (and in a new order).
On Sunday, May 5, 2024 at 5:33:07 PM UTC-6 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:
Valerie, I would love to hear every single thing you say about this bike. Do you have sweepy bars? Drop bars? Have you ridden it on a club ride? Do you find it to be quick and lively? What was the reason you bought your Charlie?
What was the reason you bought your Charlie? In general, I like to buy used/demo bikes to try them out and see how they perform in the applicable subset of the variety of rides I like to do - whether paved or dirt/gravel, steep hills or rolling flats, and whether short rides, all day, or multi-day, loaded or supported, alone or with people. Although many have overlapping capabilities, I tend to set them up for specific types of rides, rather than being all-rounders. With a new bike, I like to figure out if it fills an empty niche or if it excels relative to an existing bike in a category, which would then likely be sold or repurposed. It is a fun game.
When the Gallop demo was for sale, I had just discovered what an unbelievable blast the Gus is on bumpy dirt rides (so fun! so liberating!) and was curious about the effect of the swoopy top tube and longer wheel-base on a road-oriented bike. Also, it is purple.
Do you have sweepy bars? Drop bars?
The bike came with albastache bars which I always try to like, but I never do. Hard to explain, but the bars felt too skinny to my hands for such a rounded, plush bike. I think drop bars would work well with the right stem height and reach. I have 4 drop-bar bikes so I didn't want to move it in that direction. I had on-hand a bosco-moose bar so I swapped over to that one. I love it. I have such a great view while riding and supreme comfort climbing and descending.
Do you find it to be quick and lively?
It is lively! I don't know about quick. I haven't ridden it with garmin/strava going so I can't compare my speeds to other bikes. It is very fun to ride. It is the kind of bike that inspires me to pedal a bit faster because I feel the energy go right into your motion. It puts a big smile on my face. I have it set up with a triple so I have a huge range of gears, which helps in my very hilly neighborhood. It likes to climb. I don't know if I am going fast (likely not) but it is not hard. It is far more responsive and nimble than my Clem H, which I sold. That was a tank. This is like a rowing scull, easy to bring up to speed and to plane in rhythm with the bike. It sails down hills. It feels like it disappears under me. It is weird because it is not the lightest bike I have.
I think having wide tires helps because they mitigate all the road texture. I switched from the Soma Shikoro tires that came with it to Schwalbe G-One Speed TLE in size 50. The Soma's were fine but the Schwalbe's feel more plush. Like I'm riding a Rolls Royce. Well, what I imagine a Rolls would be like.
Have you ridden it on a club ride?
I no longer do club rides. I don't know if this is the bike I would choose for riding with my go-fast friends and family. I am more of an all-day pace rider so when I am riding with faster people and trying not to hold them up, I tend to choose my Roadeo. It fits in better with the roadie riders in my area. The Roadeo is also the bike I choose when challenging myself on steep, paved climbing, like Vail pass, because it is lighter. I think it would be really fun to take the Gallop up Vail pass if I were going by myself but I don't know that I'd be keeping up with anyone. I have to ride the Gallop more to assess my speed on it. I get the impression that the Roadini is more comparable to the Roadeo than my Gallop would be. It also sounds like the production Gallop may have slightly different ride characteristics from the version I have. And while I love my Roadeo for what it enables me to do, I think I smile more on the Gallop.
Hope that helps! Happy to answer any other questions.
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