I have spent the last few days reading a lot about Sam Hillborne! It seems clear that people really do love this bike. Sam seems like a bike that can do many things, though perhaps it is best suited to being somewhat of a workhorse bike - taking people and their gear to work, around town, or out into the country for a leisurely ride. However, it does not seem made to be a fast bike; rather, a comfortable bike that can be set up to go "fast-ish," if one really wanted to do so.
As I try to really analyze what I need a bike to do I've tried to really think about the riding that I do and the bikes that I have. The majority of my riding is relatively fastish recreational / fitness riding. I do ride with some groups on occasion, but a typical ride is 1 to 3 hours. I hope to do more rides of the 50 mile plus variety, but typically I do this only a few times a year. For this purpose, my custom go fast bike (with maximum 25 mm tires) works pretty well. I also have a 1993 Trek 520 touring bike. Set up with Honjo fenders, this bike currently cannot fit tires more than 28 mm. I had the bike out the other day and was somewhat surprised by the quality of ride. Once it go up to speed (which took some work) it felt pretty good, almost quick, in fact. This bike is designed to carry bags and gear for extended rides on the road. I use it for that purpose every few years, but typically it is a bike I ride on wet roads or early in the spring or fall when I want to keep my custom-built go fast bike clean. So, I continue trying to figure out what bike would best fit between these two. I'm somewhat torn between a go fastish Rambo bike (which seems best suited for road riding), or a not so fast bike (Sam Hillborne) that has the advantage of being able to carry more weight than a rambo bike and also be able to handle a bit more rugged terrain, such as the stone dust found on my local bike trails (like the Erie Canal Pathway). The Sam also seems to be better suited for a riding around town and/or commute to work bike, both of which also are points in Sam's favor. As you can probably tell, I really do seem to be leaning toward a Sam. I do like the new blue color (though I am not sold on the double top tube). I also like the the new Sam's use sidepull brakes, as I am not a huge fan of canti's. Does my reasoning make sense? Now, if I can only decide which handlebar to try. I've never ridding on anything but traditional bars (noodles and the like), but the Sam does seem to call for something else. I'm really intrigued by moustache bars, but don't really know if I'm willing to go so far outside of my comfort zone (though a double top tube is already outside of that zone - perhaps its better to leap into new territory with this bike!) What is the consensus on the ideal handlebar for the Sam? Thanks, Sean On Sunday, March 25, 2012 7:13:21 PM UTC-4, 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 > On Sunday, March 25, 2012 7:13:21 PM UTC-4, 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/-/i2BoSsTsPDYJ. 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.
