On Friday, December 5, 2025 at 8:58:47 PM UTC-6 Jay wrote: I like my Roadini a lot. I would like a bike for winter / wet weather / touring that is as close to the Roadini from a fit perspective, with drop bars, but with a bit more clearance so I can run fenders nearly full time, with perhaps a 38-45 studded tire in winter, and something in that range the rest of the year. The new Hillborne looks good. Not sure what works best with fenders in terms of mini-v (for drop bars), canti's or maybe something else. Goals with the brakes would be: short pull for use with levers like Tektro RRL Ergo, clearance for fenders and as big of a tire as I can fit, and ease of adjustment. I wouldn't be removing the wheels often, mainly when switching tires for winter vs. rest of the year, and seldomly rest of the year.
I have been able to get a dialed-in fit that I like on my 3 Sams, much like my Rivendell Road and Heron Road bikes and my new Chapman light touring bike. I don't find that the Sams significantly slow me down compared to my "faster" bikes. I have been able to fit Herse 48mm tires, just barely, into my Sams, but the knobby version of those tires is a no-go. My guess is that 42mm tires with fenders would be about it, and not sure if you could put knobby 42s under fenders. I have a strong preference for cantilever brakes, especially the Shimano CX-50 brakes with upgraded salmon brake pads. Here in SE Wisconsin I commuted for decades on a variety of bikes and found that skinnier tires work way better than fatter tires in snow-or-slush-on-pavement. Studded snow tires 32-35mm wide were fabulous. As for the effects of salt, yeah, my Heron Road prototype (which was my commuter for many years) got itself a repaint a couple of years ago, and the area under the front derailer clamp was a mess. But it came out fine, and if you use an oversized derailer clamp on a plastic shim, you significantly limit that problem area. The biggest winter wear items, in my experience, are chains/cogs/chainrings and rims. As noted elsewhere, disc brakes solve the rim wear problem, if it's much of a problem (it never has been a big deal for me). I also commuted on a Quickbeam for many years, and I agree with others that a fixed gear is a pretty nice thing for snow riding on reasonably flat terrain. I ran 35mm studded snow tires on that bike under fenders. I have a Breadwinner G-Road that I recently set up for winter road riding. It currently has 48mm knobby tires under fenders, with plenty of clearance. All the bosses have been greased and filled with bolts, regardless of whether they have anything attached. Disc brakes are nice stoppers, but hella loud when it's damp, which it pretty much always is in the winter. I'd rather have good rim brakes, honestly. 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/1cf47370-ef49-4f06-b2f3-319cc225ae2dn%40googlegroups.com.
