I owned a single tt Sam, 56 cm, for a few months before I decided I didn't like the way it handled (mostly with a load: I hated the way it wandered all over the road when twiddling seated up a steep hill with a rear load). But my taste in handling apart, it is a wonderfully versatile bike good for commuting, errands, touring (tho' the tubing is not as stout as that of a full-on touring bike) and firm dirt roads. I also own two custom riv road bikes (and sold an earlier one some years ago). and I must say that, in comparison, the Sam is not a go fast bike. Of course, much depends on your wheels and tires, but IMO (5'10", 175, 57) the tubing is just too stout for that light steel tubing feel, and the top tube too long, at least for someone of my height, to get the bars low enough for the kind of fast riding I like. I imagine that, with a second tt, the frame might feel even less "supple".
But if I had room and money and miles for another bike, I'd have kept the Sam for a recreational, unloaded/light load pavement-cum-dirt rambler. Patrick "just enjoyed the gofast feel of my '99 Joe Starck custom 650C fixie" Moore On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 5:13 PM, SeanMac <seanm...@gmail.com> wrote: > I'm considering pulling the trigger on one of the new blue Sam Hillborne's. > They look like really wonderful bikes. Strong, versatile, attractive are > words that come to mind when I think about this bike. These are qualities > that I find attractive. However, I also like to go fastish. Can I do this > with a Sam as well? > > I'm pushing 45 years old. A few years ago I had a custom made go-fast bike > built for me. That bike goes fast, but is limited in what it can do. I > also have a Trek 520 Touring bike. This bike, obviously, is built for > touring. Its not very fast, nor very lively. In short, my Trek isn't much > fun to ride. I'm looking for a bike to fit in between these two bikes -- > one that will be able to carry a few bags and ride on stone dust bike paths > (such as the Erie Canal path), but one that will not feel sluggish to ride > (like my Trek). > > Most of the time, when I see photos of Sams, the bikes seem to be set up to > be workhorses -- carrying a collection of bags and racks. I want to be able > to do this with a bike (thus the attraction to the bike in the first > place). However, I would like to use noodle bars and go on fast-ish club > and recreational rides as well. In fact, the vast majority of rides will > be 20 - 30 mile "out for fun and exercise" rides. Is the Sam well suited > to this as well, or will it likely feel more like my Trek 520? Most likely > I would set up a Sam with Noodle bars and tires such as Roly-Poly or Jack > Browns. > > I'm also considering having a custom built randonneur bike -- one that will > be able to carry some load but also feel quick and lively to ride. However, > if the Sam will meet my needs, it certainly would be a less expensive > alternative. I don't think that my body has any proportions that would make > me difficult to fit (5ft, 11 inches tall, PBH 87.5, arm length 35 inches) so > I don't think that I need to go custom (though it sure is fun to do so!). > > Any thoughts on whether a Sam would be a good choice would be appreciated. > > Sean > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/qkcBbAgkYc0J. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@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. -- Patrick Moore Albuquerque, NM For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW http://resumespecialties.com/index.html -- 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-bunch@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.
