I say go for it - the lighter wheel set and 38 - 40 slicks - but please share your results. As a Platypus rider I'd love to hear your assessment of the difference. (if you don't mind running plastic rims and 32-35mm tires, that would also be interesting to hear about).
I'll share that the 42mm RH slicks I initially built my Platypus with were possibly maybe a bit faster than the current RH 48mm Switchback Hills. Both were on Velocity 650b Quills with White Industry hubs (a sweet wheel set). The bike is fully fendered with a random rack and bag up front. Steve in AVL On Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 7:24:16 PM UTC-5 Kim H. wrote: > @Stephen, > > Interesting to see you over here from your Reddit post on > r/Rivendell_Bicycles. I hope you find what you are looking for. > > Kim Hetzel. > > On Thu, Jan 8, 2026, 3:20 PM Stephen Martinez <[email protected]> wrote: > >> TL;DR: Looking to make my Rivendell Platypus faster and more efficient >> for long century rides on rough chip seal without losing comfort. >> Considering narrower/faster tires (38–40mm) and possibly a lighter >> wheelset. Curious what’s worked for others. >> >> >> Spring rides are coming up, and I’m thinking about taking my Rivendell >> Platypus out for a few local century charity rides this year. >> >> >> In past years, I’ve done these rides on my faster steel road bikes with >> ~28mm tires, but several of the routes have long stretches of chattery chip >> seal, potholes, and general road roughness. Comfort can become a limiter >> later in the ride. I’d like to try the Platypus instead—ideally still >> riding in sandals on flat pedals—but with a setup that’s a bit quicker and >> more efficient over distance. >> >> >> Right now the bike is very much in winter/comfort mode: >> >> **Rear*: René Herse Antelope Hill 29 × 2.2 (700 × 55) >> >> **Front*: IRC Marbella 29 × 2.25 >> >> **Wheels*: Velocity Cliffhangers (30mm) with a Peter White Cycles dynamo >> hub up front and a Rivendell Silver hub in the rear. >> >> It’s extremely comfortable and stable, but once I hit a certain pace, it >> feels like I’m pushing against a speed ceiling—especially on longer climbs. >> >> >> I’ve been considering swapping to something narrower and faster, like: >> >> **René Herse Barlow Pass (38mm)* >> >> *or *Pirelli P Zero Race ~40mm* >> >> I’m also curious what something in the *32–35mm range* would feel like >> on a Platypus—whether it would still play nicely with the geometry while >> offering a meaningful bump in speed and climbing efficiency. >> >> I’ve also briefly thought about a lighter wheelset, but I haven’t gone >> very far down that path yet. I’ve even wondered about putting together a >> second, more performance-oriented wheelset—something like a carbon >> deep-section setup—and what that would look and feel like on a Platypus. >> >> >> Has anyone here experimented with setting up a Platypus (or similar Riv >> geometry) with lighter, faster road-oriented tires or wheels? I’m not >> chasing aero road-bike speed, but I am hoping to improve cruising speed and >> climbing comfort over long endurance rides while still keeping the Platypus >> character intact. >> >> >> Would love to hear what’s worked (or hasn’t) for others. >> >> -- >> 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/1a81404d-7958-4747-83f4-23a1e27f0908n%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1a81404d-7958-4747-83f4-23a1e27f0908n%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 [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/52bcf862-009e-4ebf-80bb-0794ff015d83n%40googlegroups.com.
