Great to hear the repair-ability part. We hear how steel is easily repairable, but never really hear of anyone doing it!
On Sat, Aug 18, 2012 at 11:41 AM, lungimsam <john11.2...@gmail.com> wrote: > Pics, pics!! Love to see it. > > > On Saturday, August 18, 2012 12:23:08 PM UTC-4, Paul Yeoh wrote: > >> Tried to post this to rivbike.com, but they only allow 1000 characters >> and this review is about 5X that. >> Hope it helps anyone looking at the Hillborne. >> >> >> This review is overdue, I have had the bike almost 2 years now, and its >> been through a few configurations. I didn't love it at first, but I really >> do appreciate it now, I guess I've grown into the bike. >> >> It might be good to first state that I don't fit the usual Riv customer >> profile. I've been riding XC since 13 (age 32 at time of writing), and more >> recently gotten into road riding. I love my go-fast kit, enjoy racing and >> train with a heart rate monitor. That's not to say that I don't ever "Just >> Ride" - I ride in a variety of ways. >> >> I first specced my Hillborne with moustache bars, a schmidt dynohub >> (powering B&M lights front and rear) , phil rivy 7 speed rear hub, 42mm >> marathon extremes (knobby) , tektro 720 cantis, MKS Sylvan pedals and B17 >> saddle. I went to town on this build, thinking it'd be my bike to tour the >> world on. I didn't enjoy riding it so much, it felt slow on the road, and >> not nearly as much fun as my racing hardtail off road. The moustache bars >> have the cool XO look, but felt awkward to me - I could never settle into a >> position for long. >> >> I didn't start to really enjoy and appreciate the bike until after making >> several changes... which I would recommend to anyone who enjoys aggressive >> riding. >> >> - Noodle bars and technomic stem: this handlebar setup gave me enough >> positions to play with, both aggressive and relaxed. The only way to go, >> imho. Much more comfortable over a long trip, and easier to crank out power >> than on a moustache bar. >> >> - Jack Brown tires: The best 700c tire for this bike! These make it >> possible to keep up with slower roadies while being very comfortable and >> secure. For the same effort that I can keep my 23mm road racer going at 40 >> kph, I can keep these tires going at 35 kph, which is pretty darn good >> considering 50psi comfort and the Hillborne's significant heft. I feel that >> a fatter, knobby tire like the 42mm marathon extreme is overkill for this >> frame, and doesn't allow me to ride off road any faster anyway. >> >> - Crankbrothers 50/50 platform pedals : these were actually for my full >> suspension trail bike but were put on the Hillborne while the trail bike >> was out of service. Its much easier to put power down on the bike with a >> grippy platform pedal vs. a more slippery MKS Sylvan. It lets me charge >> over rough surfaces and accelerate with a great deal more conviction = more >> fun. I'd tried clipless pedals on the Hillborne too, but platforms allow >> you to embrace the Rivendell / Grant philosophy properly, and it works >> really well. >> >> I've not been a huge fan of the Silver friction shifters, and I am just >> about getting used to them now. I don't shift very often on this bike, >> whereas I am constantly shifting on my road racer to keep power output at a >> max. I prefer my dura-ace brifters, but I can appreciate that friction bar >> ends do work well for this bike's intended purpose. >> >> I ride this bike every where now. In any type of clothing, into any >> non-extreme terrain. Commuting, adventuring, training, its never a bad time >> to take the Riv out, especially when the terrain or weather is unexpected. >> Ridden at an easy pace, this bike is effortless. Ridden hard, its fast >> enough to feel fun and nimble. Not as quick as a road racer, but certainly >> quick enough. The ride is like most would rave about - supple, confident, >> secure. I agree wholeheartedly with Grant that if you had just one bike, >> you couldn't do better, though knowing what I know now, I might've sprung >> for a Roadeo instead, specced it with a full Ultegra 2x10 drivetrain, and >> reduced my stable by one bike. >> >> Complaints: I did have regular trouble with chain suck when the bike from >> new. It tends to be a problem when riding very muddy/dusty terrain. I >> generally don't ride so much dirt with the hillborne now, and also keep the >> drivetrain clean and well lubed, and the problem is not present then. Dirt >> roads are generally fine, singletrack tends to cause problems. >> >> I also managed to break the frame whilst riding some singletrack. Not a >> very big impact, riding up a river embankment, nothing that threw me off >> the bike, but I cracked the joints joining the headtube to downtube and >> lower top tube (56 cm, Waterford, double top tube model) This is not a >> strike against Riv or Waterford - these things happen, and no manufacturer >> is 100%. To Riv's credit, John handled the matter most graciously and >> offered me a chance to buy a shop model at a deeply discounted price w >> frame swap. My problem was that being based in South East Asia, shipping >> would be prohibitively expensive. Since one of the selling points of a >> steel bike is its repairability, I went with that route, and found a local >> builder to braze the joints back. Its probably stronger than new now. >> >> All said and done, I know I'll be keeping this bike forever. >> >> -- > 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/-/AoJp7JgEX5cJ. > > 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. > -- Cheers, David Redlands, CA ** “I believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America that’s the America millions of Americans believe in. That’s the America I love.” -- 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. 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