Hi all — thanks very much for the thoughtful replies. This has been really helpful, and I appreciate the range of perspectives.
Kim — yes, thank you! I did end up joining the RBW group as suggested, so it’s good to be here. To give a little more context: I do have a Waterford 1200 road bike with 28mm GP5000s that comes in around 9 kg, and that bike is very comfortable and capable for faster rides and 100 km–style endurance days. I know what this lighter, more performance-oriented setup feels like, and I’m not trying to turn the Platypus into that bike. That said, I’m also quite comfortable on the Platypus for 4+ hour rides and can cover ~100 km on mostly flat routes at a social group ride pace. I’m running what I believe are Nitto Tosco bars, and on solo rides I’ll sometimes bring my hands in close to the stem and tuck down for a sort of faux TT position. I’m sure it looks a little goofy, but it does help with wind and feels fine for me over distance. The main takeaway for me right now is that I probably want to start with tires. I initially went as big as I reasonably could—55mm René Herse (which I managed to destroy one of…) and now a grippy IRD up front—but over the past year I’ve realistically done almost no gravel or mixed surface riding. Since I’m sticking to pavement, it makes sense to tone down the size and gravel bias and move toward something more road-oriented. So I’m leaning toward a simple tire swap first: either P Zero Race in 35 or 40 mm, or an all-road René Herse option in the 35 / 38 / 44 mm range. I don’t currently have a spare wheelset with an ideal rim width for those tires, nor a rear wheel that works with the 135 mm spacing, so I’ll likely keep my eyes open for a suitable second wheelset while starting with tires on the existing rims. Longer term, I agree with those who mentioned that wheels and tires are where the biggest gains are likely to be. Dropping a few pounds of rotating mass would be very noticeable. I’ve already stripped the bike down and can always add my racks, dynamo light, bags, and fenders back as needed. I could save more weight by swapping the Brooks saddle or removing the kickstand—but those are staying. This isn’t a weight-weenie project, just a reasonably lightened Platypus meant for enjoying a well-paced century: scenery, spring air, and not slogging up hills or overheating unnecessarily. For reference, I rode the Trek Pedal Around Dallas event last year on the Platypus and completed the full route (ended up around 87 miles). The posted 16–17 mph B-group pace seemed reasonable for me on this setup—especially if I could sit in and draft—but I don’t think I fully accounted for the amount of surging required to maintain that average, along with the frequent stop-and-go accelerations from traffic lights and the repeated regrouping when lights and small hills split the group. I would get dropped at some point after each regroup/rest stop, but I did finish the complete route—at least 20–30 minutes behind the B group. There were a few others who also got dropped that I could link up with between stops, and quite a few riders who didn’t end up finishing the whole route. The hot dogs at the end were worth it, and every Trek rest stop was very nice. I’m confident I could have stayed with the B group on a road bike, and that really highlighted the “wall” I hit on the Platypus—where beyond a certain speed, repeated interval, or gradient, the required effort ramps up quickly compared to a lighter bike with a more forward position. Anyway, lots to think about. I appreciate everyone sharing real-world experience, and I’ll be happy to report back once I’ve made a few changes and logged some miles. I also have a few bike photos here, for anyone curious: https://www.instagram.com/stephenfromchico/ saginawsteve On Friday, January 9, 2026 at 9:32:37 PM UTC-6 [email protected] wrote: > Hi Michael, > > Thanks so much for these interesting observations! > > Without getting too much off track - I'd be very interested to hear any > reflections you might have about how the Sam handles compared with your > Mod.Zero! > > I ask because I have a Mod.Zero (like you, in a reasonably upright > position) and am contemplating getting a Sam as an addition. I'm after > something really smooth and compliant, and wondering if the Sam would add > anything there, or if you find it similar to the Mod.Zero. > > Thanks in advance for anything you're happy to share, and apologies one > and all for going slightly off track! > > Tom > > > On Sat, 10 Jan 2026, 6:43 am Michael Cinibulk, <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I've been thinking about this on and off for several years. I don't have >> a good suggestions but here is some anecdotal info for you to consider. >> I ride three of my bike on the road regularly. >> Bike 1 is a Waterford 1250 sport tourer with ~1700 g wheelset, not >> including the 700x28 mm Conti 5000 tires. Total bare bones weight ~22 lbs. >> Bike 2 is a Rivendell Sam Hillborne with ~2300 g wheelset, not including >> the 700x38 mm Gravel King slicks. Total bare bones weight ~27 lbs. >> Bike 3 is a BMC Mod-Zero with ~1700 g disc wheelset, not including the >> 650x52 mm UD Cavas in JFF casing. Total bare bones weight ~27 lbs. >> >> After riding the first two for over 15 y over the same routes at similar >> effort in SW Ohio, I consistently avg 1.5 mph faster on the Waterford. >> After riding all three the past year on the same routes at similar effort >> in SW Ohio, I seem to avg maybe 0.5 mph slower on the Mod-Zero than on the >> Hillborne. >> >> Routes vary from hilly to fairly flat and the difference in avg speed is >> about the same regardless of route. I suspect that the main difference has >> more to do with rider position than anything else, since the bars on the >> Waterford are 1 cm lower than saddle, on the Hillborne are about level, and >> on the Mod-Zero are about 2 cm higher. >> >> -Mike >> Bellbrook OH >> >> On Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 6:20:53 PM UTC-5 [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/f348877d-ea72-4b2e-9424-9dae32e8aa35n%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f348877d-ea72-4b2e-9424-9dae32e8aa35n%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]. 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