I've actually had both - a Sam 51 and a Roadini 50. I can share my very personal experiences. Both were great in different capacities. On my Sam, I rode with both 48mm and 43mm tires. The 43mm tires I thought were the sweet spot for that bike (for me). Not to say I didn't like the handling with 48mm, but that it was a much different, more tank-y feel. It was great! On the Roadini, I had 700x33mm tires, and that bike felt much nimbler and road-ish than the Sam with 48s. However, the Sam with 43s felt much closer to the 700x33 set up on the Roadini, although there was still a difference with the 700s feeling consistently more sprightly. I can't speak to 700x44 vs 650bx48, although if I were to hazard a guess the 650bx48 would feel better. Also to keep in mind:
- Roadini was built with lighter more road-ish components and wheels. I don't believe the impact of those can be ignored in my comparison - On the other hand, the Sam was built with more "typical" Rivendell stuff (i.e., Sugino triple, Velocity/Deore wheels, both Albas and wide Nitto Noodles). Weight was not a consideration in this build which again, has an impact on feel (thought not in any negative way - just something to keep in mind). Sam was more versatile especially when it came to rackability/hauling, but honestly I think the Roadini is also versatile - just maybe more towards the road/light trail side of the spectrum, where the Sam can get beaten up a little more if you're on the chunk. I think both options could work depending on your preference. So in short, *buy a Sam and also keep your Roadini!* Damien p.s. For what it's worth, I've sold both and now have a Hunq for trails/hauling/child-carrying and a Roadeo. Less overlap than what I had with the Roadini/Sam set up as both bikes are a bit more specific in nature....but both are still versatile and awesome, and you will almost always have that with Rivs. On Monday, 9 December 2024 at 09:53:28 UTC-5 [email protected] wrote: > This topic is interesting to me. I have had my side pull brake Sam for a > good decade or so, I have it setup with 38’s, fenders and this past couple > years I am back on Albatross bars. I also have a Heron Road with drops and > 32’s. I know that a lot is subjective but the Heron feels much lighter, > faster. The Sam feels sluggish as compared to the Heron. The drawback to > the Heron is that 32’s are just about the largest tire you can fit, I feel > like for where I ride, if I could fit 38 or even 42, the Heron would be > perfect… Long story short, it has led me to look at the Roadini, but I keep > coming back to the thought that it doesn’t seem too much different than my > Sam and is there enough difference to make a difference. I would consider > the Roadini as my all road bike and set the Sam up sans fenders with larger > more off road tires. The Heron would be my go fast with the roadies bike. > > > On Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 7:48:07 PM UTC-5 Ted Durant wrote: > >> 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/efde08f5-bc5c-4d55-b9a8-b473c84d6afbn%40googlegroups.com.
