I think of my 650B Sam as a Volvo station wagon. I don't really know for going fast, but as my commute bike I always thought the Sam was relatively fast. I could squeeze out my 25 mile commute in just a smudge under an hour and fifteen minutes, fully loaded with laptop, tools, clothes, whatever. That's if I was motivated to get home in time for dinner.
Then I rode a real go fast bike for the first time--a mid 80s custom Bruce Gordon race bike. That thing felt like a Porsche 911 to my Sam Volvo 240. Now, my favorite car ever was a 240, but I never thought of it as fastish. On Mar 27, 11:48 am, PATRICK MOORE <bertin...@gmail.com> wrote: > 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, ACRWhttp://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.
