"Fastish club ride" around here pretty much means fit riders on racing frames with skinny tires and no more luggage than a spare tube and a CO2 cartridge, going hell-bent-for leather. I wouldn't use a Sam for that kind of riding, that's why Riv sells Roadeos, and why I keep a dedicated go-fast in the stable. It sounds to me like the Roadeo would fit your needs the best from the Riv line, and should be a fine combination randonneuse, sporty club bike and (on widish tires like the JB's) unpaved path runner. I wouldn't load it with more than a medium sized saddlebag and a smallish handlebar bag, though. I would treat most custom rando bikes similarly, the choice there is whether you want a French-style low-trail geometry for carrying more of a front load, or Riv's more traditional English-style geometry that would favor using a saddlebag for any significant load. Keep the Trek for carrying real touring / shopping loads.
If cost is a factor there are other options, but this is the Riv list so I won't plug them here. Bill On Sunday, March 25, 2012 4:13:21 PM UTC-7, SeanMac 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/-/AlnSLiywTgIJ. 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.
