On Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 8:32:09 PM UTC-6 [email protected] wrote:
The 48cm Sam is 650b and I'm wondering if I'll be giving up any of the more road-ish feel of the bike with the same build but in 650b form on the Sam? Seems the Sam would be a little more versatile and have better braking options, but a degree slacker STA and the HTA down to 71 from 72 on he 650b Homer. Wheelbase is about 10mm longer on the Homer. Anybody have any experience here? I don't have a Roadini, but I have a Heron Road and Rivendell Road, which are pretty similar, and I have 3 Sam Hillbornes. I bought one Sam, not sure what I would think of it, and ended up buying 2 more, with 2 of them living at my daughters' homes. I've posted a few times about this, so for those who've heard it before, feel free to skip this one! The Sam is the heaviest bike I have at this point, and I _love_ riding it, and I don't think it slows me down in any significant way. I ride ~48mm tires on all three of them, maximizing the all-road utility, which I have used to great advantage on dirt mountain roads around LA, gravel roads in Maine, and lots of bumpy tarmac in Wisconsin and Ireland. The handling is certainly different from my road bikes, but I have never thought "gee, I wish I was on one of my other bikes" while riding a Sam. I haven't tried, say, 38mm tires on a Sam, but I expect they would significantly sharpen the handling (along with lowering the COG by 10mm). Don't underestimate the impact of the 71.5 degree seat tube angle, which compares to 73 on my Heron and Riv (and 73.5 on my Waterford ST). It puts the saddle 18mm farther back than a 73, at my saddle height of 715, without making any offsetting changes to the saddle position in the seat post. You have to take that into account when calculating what length stem to use. I've noticed some hand issues, especially on my Waterford, and I'm realizing now that the steep seat tube angle is probably a contributing factor. Whether a slacker STA is good for you, only you can decide. I would note that, in general, the faster you ride the steeper a STA you'll tolerate, because you're putting more weight on the pedal, which unloads your hands. My hand issues on my Waterford are particularly noticeable if I'm loafing along. I can loaf more comfortably on the Sam, without any apparent loss of ability to put my (limited) power to the pedals. Interestingly, I was recently measured by a bike builder and his design for me uses a 71.5 STA. Ted Durant Milwaukee WI USA -- 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 [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/76df7a5f-b6e8-470a-8b81-6987c9a7df7an%40googlegroups.com.
