I'm in the process of setting up a Riv-mixte for my wife as well. She liked the black and gold, so she's getting an Yves Gomez.
1. I think she will find that with the Albatross bars the reach on the 58 will still be quite manageable. I'd urge you to get the 58. Speak with the folks at Riv, but that's my opinion. 2. A 1x8 or 1x9 can give you a magnificent range. Like a single 40 tooth ring on an 11-32 could have you covered for just about anything. Or, maybe you should set up the 24/40/chainguard setup that Keven put on the 'dream Bombadil'. She'll live in the 40, and move to the 24 ring only in extreme circumstances. Spring for Thumbies and indexing barcons. Nothing shifts easier, and that's still way cheaper and way lighter than an internal hub. On Jul 20, 9:52 am, MobileBill <bud...@mindspring.com> wrote: > In a fit of spousal munificence, I am postponing plans to buy a > Bombadil so that I can get my wife a Betty Foy. She's unlikely to turn > into a long-distance rider, but hope I'll have her along for a few > miles of store hopping and socializing (over flat ground). Your > comments on these matters are much appreciated: > 1) My wife has the long-legged, short-body proportions of many > females, with PBH that's probably going to land in the low to mid-80s > (a 58 cm frame) but an upper body that may be better suited to shorter > virtual top tube (the 52 cm frame, which to my eye, has the more > elegant tube angles). Any observations on the slack in the Betty Foy's > two frame sizes (is frame size relatively less important with these > bikes than with, say, the AHH/Saluki)? > 2) She has a low tolerance for complicated shifters, and it's > unlikely she will need a wide gear range _ but I'm not keen on 8-speed > internal hubs. Any thoughts on whether an 8-speed cassette with > single chainring in front can be set up to suit the needs of an > occasional, inexperienced rider? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.