I posted the question to see if I was experiencing the placebo effect on tire comparison. I had the conti touring for 5000 or so miles I finally got a nail runing thru like a Steve martin arrow sketch. Swithed to Marathon Supremes. The difference in comfort was incredible & I still pput 5000 miles on Supremes & which when I got a piece of glass finally worked ist way to the tube. Both ridden thru a harsh urban enviroment & potholed rural roads. Went to gravel kings & found them even more comfortable than Supremes. But after less than 2000 miles the tube snuck out between the thread.(but no flats) I havn’t tried the RH el’s but have had the Grand Bois EL’s. Vey comfortable & fast. Way to many flats unitll I gave up on em at less than 1,500 miles. Those little wires kept working their way in. I am back on Marathon supremes for everyday & touring & have a wheelset shod with gravel kings for performance occasions.
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Bill Shaw Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2026 10:03 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [RBW] Marathon Supreme V. Gravel kings I agree wholeheartedly with the observation of Marathon Supremes being almost impervious to flats. I rode them on my Space Horse for years with zero flats. They are a tad heavy, but for those like me with flat-repair allergies, they are well worth it. Thanks, Bill On Wed, Feb 25, 2026 at 9:05 AM ascpgh <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: "I am a Cyclist" <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47cGzu6-q40> Amen, Corwin! Despite my love for the RH ELs on my Rambouillet and the Babyshoe Pass regular casings on my Coast rando, I have the Scwalbe Marathon extra heavys on my Disc Trucker commuter, which I ride through an urban environment subject to the withering annual decay from subzero winters relenting and the roads break up and go away just like the mounds of accumulated plowed snow. I don't like dealing with flats while commuting and highly value this bike's ability to get to work and then home without events, even if a little more effort is required. That donkey can find the barn in the dark after 14 hours without much of my input. Andy Cheatham Pittsburgh On Tuesday, February 24, 2026 at 4:45:17 PM UTC-5 Corwin Zechar wrote: Hi Bernard - I really dig the ride of the Rene Herse tires. Even in the Endurance casing. Unfortunately, Rene Herse tires do not do well in my urban environment. In the poorer areas, there is lots of glass and trash. In the wealthier areas, there is lots of construction debris. Both create lots of flats for me. I have found Schwalbe Marathon Supremes to be virtually impervious to flats. I have discovered long pins, nails, etc sticking out of my Schwalbe Marathon Supremes. I love Schwalbe. I would ride Rene Herse tires in a less harsh environment. The 38 mm Schwalbe Marathon Supremes are still a comfortable ride. Regards, Coriwn On 2/24/26 13:09, Bernard Duhon wrote: I have run them both & would like know if the brain trust can compare for me the "ride comfort" level of them ________________________________ From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> on behalf of Corwin Zechar <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2026 11:54 AM To: RBW Owners Bunch <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: My Rambouillet Build I have ridden 38 mm Schwalbe Marathon Supremes on my first generation orange Ram. This is without fenders of course. Regards, Corwin San Francisco Bay Area On Monday, February 23, 2026 at 10:06:45 PM UTC-8 Victor Meng wrote: To my fellow Ram riders, I have a question about tire clearance for my '05 blue Ram. I currently run 35mm GravelKing SK. I live in the SF Bay Area and ride the Ram around the East Bay and on some gravel on the Bay Trail, which the GravelKings are great for. When riding trails in Oakland Hills I usually take my Homer that has 47mm Terra Trails. But Ben's green Ram with Barlow Pass and Bryan's orange one with Steilacoom from this thread has piqued my interest in the two Rene Herse 38mm options. I don't have a caliper but the GravelKings measure around 35mm with a tape measure on rims with 18mm internal width. As you can see, there isn't much space left to spare; I have about 4mm of clearance to the chain stay on either side in the rear (I can just fit in a 4mm hex wrench). Do you guys think my Ram could safely fit either RH 38mm tire in the available space? To the extent it's relevant, I'm light weight at 150lbs. Any thoughts appreciated. [https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch/attach/56c017df981/IMG_0193.jpeg?part=0.1&view=1] [https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch/attach/56c017df981/IMG_0195.jpeg?part=0.2&view=1] Best, Victor On Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 8:19:47 PM UTC-7 Cal Patterson wrote: Thanks Ben and Joyce, The front bag was made by Jay Ritchey, bagsxbird. Everything I've gotten from him has been super well made and lasted a long time for me, I'm a believer. Top notch stuff. That bag is/was called the Tailgrab, and I think it's white, or offwhite ecopack fabric. I spaced it off the front brake cable/taillight wire/head tube interaction like so (attached picture below): Just 2 foam spacer blocks and a strap. It's loose enough to not squeak or affect steering. On Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 1:35:35 PM UTC-7 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> wrote: Ben - never thought about horizontal spacing, only vertical. If I get it out a little further with a washer that should solve the problem. Thanks so much! On Tue, Oct 21, 2025 at 3:02 PM Ben Miller <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Bryan, thanks for the kind words and sharing a photo of your Ram. That's a finely curated build right there. Agree that the Steilacoom's look great! Yeah, that style light mount can be tricky with certain headsets. I think the Tange caged BB headset that came with the frame has just enough clearance to play nice with the mount. But I know other headsets that are a bit bulkier that I had issues. I think I used a spacer washer on one to get the mount to clear the headset. On Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 1:04:55 PM UTC-7 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> wrote: Those Steilacooms look good, Bryan! On Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 1:22:53 PM UTC-7 Bryan Dalik wrote: Ben what a perfect build that is - i'll attach a photo of mine as well as it's been very very fun to make this frame into a true "country bike". Quick question for you - I have the same light mount on the fork crown and it's a matter of millimeters to get the light mount into that position without rubbing the tire or the bottom of the headset. Do you have the same extremely tight clearance? Trying to see if I can get that to be a little more easy of a fit. Seeing your deeper setback seatpost was a lightbulb for me too as I feel I'm a bit tight in terms of reach on mine. Hoping 30mm setback will do the trick. Bryan On Friday, October 17, 2025 at 4:03:46 PM UTC-4 Ben Miller wrote: Cal, Thank you for sharing such a gorgeous Ram build! Ritchey Logic cranks, centerpull brakes, front and rear dynamo lights, plump Ultradynamico tyres, and a big handlebar bag! Build after my own heart. Do you have some support to keep the bag off the front brake cable? I hacked together something from a Gilles Berthoud decaleur, but it's not perfect and still my bag interfers with the front light a bit. Below is how my Ram looks currently. The drivetrain changed almost completely. I rode it yesterday after seeing your post. It is such a great ride. And I believe I saw a fellow Rabouiletter out on the new SF Sunset Dune's park. Almost as cool as that Rivendell St sign ;) [https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch/attach/263b34d262f25/PXL_20240713_012533835~2.jpg?part=0.1&view=1] On Thursday, October 16, 2025 at 1:35:32 PM UTC-7 Cal Patterson wrote: I see that this is an old thread but I wanted to contribute my Ram which is also a 64 and also green. I've got 650b wheels on it and 48 tires that barely fit (crimped the chainstay a smidge). 2x8 shifting, 44/28 in the front and an 8 speed XT in the back, 12-28 maybe? On Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 8:57:25 PM UTC-8 Ben Miller wrote: A couple folks commented on my workbench, thanks! I got it partially restored from a friend, but now it's mostly used as a table. Attached is a photo of it in front of the workbench I built and use as such. A modern take on the french Roubo workbench. Makes for a more cluttered photo, but oh well. As far as the bike, I wrapped the handlebars in leather sewn wraps I got from Walnut Studiolo. I also put on some MKS/Simworks Bubbly Bronze pedals. Both the wrap and the pedals look super nice to me, really completes the look. The pedals are amazing, so smooth and love the wide platform. The wraps seem good so far, though I normally like a thicker one. I also shortened the brake cables, per Mark's suggestion. And I was having some shifter issues if the Silver DT's (as noted on another recent thread). I removed them and packed them with teflon grease which seems to be a big improvement. Overall I am really loving this build! This bike just disappears under you in the best possible way. Also including a photo at sunset on Twin Peaks in SF tonight, you can't really see the Ram all that much, but that is okay cause it is a beautiful photo. On Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 6:11:13 PM UTC-8 Jay LePree wrote: Thanks very much for the information. I started researching painters in my area, and was surprised to find how many autobody shops will paint bicycles on the side. Best to you, Jay LePree Demarest, NJ On Monday, February 15, 2021 at 7:23:17 PM UTC-5 Fullylugged wrote: Jay: I had mine painted in Pelham AL by Nathan Barnes (https://www.instagram.com/nate_barnes81/). He paints cars and motorcycles during the week, bicycles (and sometimes plane parts) on the weekend. I think he does great work and he is very reasonable in cost. I have a PDF of the decals and had them made by a decal shop in MS. It was pretty reasonable and there are two clear coats over them on my bike. My color is actually a past Ford Mustang color called Autumn Gold. I didn't like it on the cars but I think it's very nice on the bicycle. The cream is standard RBW same as came on the bike. Msg me if you want more info on decals. I've helped someone else here on the list as well, but am getting old and forgetful so I couldn't say who. the Old Slow Guy On Monday, February 15, 2021 at 8:17:23 AM UTC-6 Jay LePree wrote: Ben: That is beautiful. I have one of the last orange white 54 cm that we sold. (I purchased it in 2003). I have been looking for a painter. Where did you have your bike painted? How did you get the new decals? Jay Demarest, NJ On Friday, February 12, 2021 at 5:31:58 PM UTC-5 Ben Miller wrote: Hello Fellow RBW Owners, Wanted to do a little update on my Rambouillet build in progress, now that it is actually taking form. First, a little bit of background. I've been lucky enough to have built up four (4!) Riv bikes already, but this is really shaping up to be a truly unique one for me. This Ram’s story started (for me) way back in late 2017 with me purchasing it off fellow list member Keith as a F/F/HS. Unfortunately a number of not so great life events happened shortly after that, including fracturing my leg, taking me off the bike for nearly 6 months. The frame moved with me down a new path in life, but mostly collected dust in my garage. Not forgotten or abandoned, but definitely a bit lonely while I worked on 2 more bikes that were more recently acquired. During this time I quietly acquired used parts and ideas that eventually coalesced into a build for the Rambouillet. The Ram frame itself is 64 cm painted with a beautiful sage green with a bit of pearl iridescent to it. It has a couple of small paint chips on the non-drive side seatstay, but otherwise in pristine condition. It was included with a Tange headset. Previous Rivendell builds had mostly involved me purchasing brand new components (not having a large parts bin to work off of), I think these builds were still fun and interesting, but really been driven by new or recent bike component technology. My vision for the Ram build is really to focus on used/vintage/NOS stock parts as much as possible, but also fun and practical to me. I know, not a revolutionary design principle, but this is my first time executing it. The heart of this began around the idea of setting it up as a DT friction shifting using a vintage Huret Duopar Eco I got off eBay. The Duopar was originally introduced in 1975 with the Eco being released in 1981. These 40 year old derailleurs were originally intended for 6 speed freewheel, but through the magic of friction shifting and a little finessing, seem to work just fine with a 9 speed cassette. The big thing about the Duopar is it was one of first (perhaps the first?) derailluer to handle up to a 36t cog and 40 teeth of chainwrap. My understanding is that these RD’s are slightly controversial in terms of either loving or hating them (lots is said about their maintenance issues), but part of this was trying to find out for myself. As I am just starting to learn about these derailleurs, it’d be nice to hear from others about their experience! Over the last couple of days I’ve been able to get the Duopar dialed in and shift through a Shimano HG 11-36 cassette using Silver DT shifters and paired with a Sugino triple that I converted to 44/30. Today I finished mounting a pair of Paul Racer centerpulls that I got off a list member and got strung together to the NOS Mafac levers I got off eBay. These are mounted on the Crust Shaka bars (my new favorite bars), which is so far the only brand new part on this build besides the Velo Orange seatpost (I did have a vintage seatpost I had been planning on using, but the mounting plates have a lot of corrosion that is preventing them from providing a tight hold). With brakes on and functional, I was able to take it out and test the shifting in real conditions. And I have to say, it feels really nice, couldn’t be happier at this point. The eventual plan is to swap the 700c wheels for 650b (but the 650b wheels that I had planned to go on here ended up on my girlfriends Rambouillet!) and put on 42mm BSP’s. I know this is a long write-up, but it’s been a long road to this build. But it is finally nearing culmination. I have to say, what a time to be alive and into bikes, with so many different options and ways to approach a bike build. I feel pretty lucky and excited for how this is gonna turn out! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/wlTJZxk8-Oc/unsubscribe. To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/7ad6944c-9145-4df1-a64e-5875ec712c6cn%40googlegroups.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/7ad6944c-9145-4df1-a64e-5875ec712c6cn%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]<mailto:[email protected]>. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/de08cd07-2572-4f68-9f55-1a7781f20a3an%40googlegroups.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/de08cd07-2572-4f68-9f55-1a7781f20a3an%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/wlTJZxk8-Oc/unsubscribe. To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/PH0PR17MB7693C22732AC018C2DB58A7FCD74A%40PH0PR17MB7693.namprd17.prod.outlook.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/PH0PR17MB7693C22732AC018C2DB58A7FCD74A%40PH0PR17MB7693.namprd17.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. -- Corwin "I am a Cyclist" <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47cGzu6-q40> Zechar -- 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]<mailto:[email protected]>. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/0115ae2a-e071-4376-a81e-a2ee66b5d512n%40googlegroups.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/0115ae2a-e071-4376-a81e-a2ee66b5d512n%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]<mailto:[email protected]>. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAPc3OfwYj%3DmJiM9MJbWKwTQovgVRZ3uo--%2BPVuoXfoY%2Br2RqYw%40mail.gmail.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAPc3OfwYj%3DmJiM9MJbWKwTQovgVRZ3uo--%2BPVuoXfoY%2Br2RqYw%40mail.gmail.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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