My suggestion for a future reissue of the QB/SO: Horizontal drops, angled like the track ends on the QB. Track ends are certainly traditional for fixed gear bikes (and I suppose for single-speeds), but they make it more difficult to get the rear wheel in and out, especially with fenders. On my QB, I have to put the rear wheel in the frame with the tire deflated--there's barely enough clearance to squeeze it in, and moving the fender far enough back for adequate clearance would result in an ugly and unacceptable chain line.
Extra-long horizontal drops, cut out of the same material as those on the original QB, would make the bike more nearly perfect. Eric N www.CampyOnly.com CampyOnlyGuy.blogspot.com Twitter: @CampyOnlyGuy > On Nov 24, 2013, at 9:53 PM, grant <grant...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Nothing's ever for sure gone for good, but here's the thing with the > SimpleBeams (forgive the gross generalizations used to make the point without > accounting for exceptions. I will use "everybody" not in the literal sense): > > Everybody moans the loss of a bike they didn't buy when it was availabe. The > SB was always the slowest seller of all time, which in itself isn't the end > of the world, but what it means for us is---it was a cash flow killer. We pay > fully for 100 of them about two months before they arrive. Then it takes a > year and a half or two years to sell them. > One thing that seems to happen is--when something's readily available, it's > meh...and when it's gone, the heart grows fonder genuinely--and maybe people > who would have been buyers when the bike was around have just learned about > it and think hey I'd like that. But there is a small tendency to overenthuse > about what can't be had. I do it myself with other things in my life. Dang, > they quit making that ______ I've hemmed and hawed about and admired for > years, but never wanted enough to buy, but now that I can't buy it, shoot! > I don't mean that's rampant here, and I DO like that the bikes are so > well-liked. Me too. I sold my QB when I needed money, figured I could always > get a SO, and now they're gone and I want one more than ever. So---I'm not > just an observer of this phenomenon, but a participant! > If we could pre-sell 30 of them. Paid two-months before they arrive (that's > when our payment is due), I'd stick my neck out and order 100. This time > they'd be slightly different, and the danger of this hypothetical scenario is > that it would open a debate about what's the difference between the new and > old, which is preferable, then a vote, and it all gets weird and half the > people who expressed willingness to get a new one now feel dis-listened to > and bummed because it didn't go that way. > So...i'd be innnnnnerested only if I had free secret rein to tweak it this > way and that, still resulting in a killer one-speed, but not a clone of the > SO, which was a clone of the QB. It might be any color, any name, any kind of > break, any anything. I totally get that ordering semi-blind isn't easy to do. > The unblind part of the semi is: Track or horizontal dropouts angled to allow > pad contact over a wide range of chainlengths, like QB/SO. Two bottle mounts, > rackable. good clearance. Basically Sam-like with diff dropouts. Probably > sidepulls but could be cantis. A perfectly good color, a good name, a nice > badge, a really great singler. > > Serious agreers will PM cyclofiend (Jim! So sorry,,,,please forgive me...but > these months I have so many kaleidiscopes in my head that I can't have > another one), and if the list reaches 30 (meaning you'll have $1200 by Dec > 2014 for the frame/fork/headset, and the money won't evaporate in a divorce > or unforseeable crisis), then we'll get some good frames. > > I have a full plate and I know it seems so bad to say I can't answer > questions about this, but for the next few months I probably can't. You can > try, and I'll try, but I'm at my physicalemotional limit, and ... can't > promise. If you send a postcard, I'll respond with a postcard. > > Is this all too much? Probably. Sorry again. > > If nothing happens now, I think the bike will happen again later, but it may > be an extra year or two. > > I know there are lots of options out there. I'm not trying to make this a > difficult mystery bike. My crazy proposal......is the only way that makes > sense for us right now. > > Thanks.. > > Grant > >> On Friday, November 22, 2013 7:09:49 PM UTC-8, Christopher Murray wrote: >> I was wondering if anyone knew why these bikes are no longer made. They seem >> very popular and the people who have one seem very pleased. I have heard >> several state it is their favorite bike. I assume that the QB went away due >> to The Lord of the Rings name and became the SO- but why no more SO? >> I assume it was too much of a niche product and too expensive. In other >> words, not enough people willing to pay the better part of $2,000 for a bike >> with one (or four) gears. I imagine it must cost as much to make a Sam as a >> SO but people aren't willing to pay as much for the SO. It seemed to me like >> even the description of the SO on Riv.com was a little apologetic about the >> price. >> >> Anyone know the story here? Willing to speculate? Are they gone for good? >> >> Cheers! >> Chris >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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