I picked up a 55 Platypus in the last lottery, and recently built it up with 38 mm RH Barlow Pass tires on Velocity a23s. I can't speak to how that setup compares to others. But, I do live in Plano, and if you find yourself in the neighborhood you are welcome to take my Platypus for a spin, or if you brought your bike we could see about swapping my wheels into yours.
On Saturday, January 10, 2026 at 7:37:37 AM UTC-6 [email protected] wrote: > 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. 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