Do I need this Hunq'a?

[Ginz]

Hunq'a owners -- I could use some advice:

I have a Hunqapillar frame new in the box. It has been there for
months. also have a box full of nice parts, some new from Rivendell,
some NOS/Vintage. I had planned to make it a bullmouse'd mtb with
thumbshifters, touring triple and the fat Schwalbe Big Apples 2.15".

Two years ago, I reduced my fleet to a hardtail (for the singletrack
and the tough eastern PA trails) and my custom Capricorn "go-to" bike
which I use for everything else and which sees 90% of my riding on
roads, fire roads, gravel and the occasional, light singletrack. The
Capricorn has 1.75" Schwalbe Marathons and the frame was modeled after
my old XO-2.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theginz/sets/72157625185718404/

All of that said, do I really need this Hunqapillar build? Sure, it
would be nice to bomb a few trails without having to ride my hardtail
with squishy fork, clipless pedals, knobby tires "racey" geometry
across town in misery. But, the Capricorn could do that if I removed
the fenders. I do not tour, but hope to someday. The Hunq'a would be
better suited for that. Also, I am quite small, 5'4", so finding
frames that fit is extremely difficult. The Hunq'a is a bargain in
that respect.

Should I part with the Hunq'a frame while it is new and invest in
some other stuff like a dyno hub, more racks and luggage, a second
wheelset for the Capricorn?

Thanks for any advice and therapy,
Ginz

[Allan in Portland]

You're joking right?

This is probably as good time as any to come clean. I'd been skeptical of the Riv "ride" for a while. Not that it wasn't great, I fully believed it was, but I didn't think that it was a level above other good comparable bikes one could get new and used for half or less the money. I kept having a sneaking suspicion the folks that loved Riv's were big guys who overwhelmed more standard bikes.

Anyway, before _fully_ coming to that conclusion I even bought a used AHH frame and fork last fall. After getting it and seeing the over-sized tubes I almost immediately had buyers regret. Then not too long after, a few weeks, another great commuter/classic tourer came along with all the fixin's and ready to ride for the same out of pocket so I bought it as well. (Um... what can I say, I'd just started working again after an extended sabbatical and had money burning a hole in my pocket.) I figured I'd ride the built up one through the winter, then when summer came swap over the parts to give the Hilsen a quick spin. I figured I'd be gentle with it and sell it for what I paid once I had given it a try. Well one thing led to another and I didn't quite get it built up. That is until two Sundays ago. Since then, all I can say is wow. It really does feel great. It has a spring and liveliness like no other bike I've owned. Now, I haven't owned a lot of bikes, but I've owned more than a few and this one is definitely the sweetest.

So, long story short, I think build it up. You won't regret it and it will more likely very pleasantly surprise you. It did me.

-Allan

[Minh]

This is a really personal question, i assume there are no real world
problems that are prompting you to ask this question (you need to
money for life things).

If you've never owned a Rivendell, always wanted to own a Rivendell,
and now have a Rivendell, then you should ride a Rivendell. There is
something about having a bike that fits and 'works' for you and as
cheesy as it sounds for some people (myself) included it works. Now
you might find that later this is not true, and you might lose some
money in the process, but Rivendells hold their value quite well
(especially the frames).

I think your prospective build looks quite nice, and i'd be excited to
ride it myself, there might be some overlap with the Capricorn, but
you could end up selling that one too.

You don't know what your missing if you never try it out. The other
stuff you list (dyno-hub, bags, racks etc) are things you can collect
incrementally, i've had my SH for a year and i'm still picking up
stuff (just got a big front rack second-hand). You can buy those
things as you need them

[Joe Bernard]

That's a tough call, especially coming from someone who could probably fit your frame, and might be talked into buying it. So, with that caveat:

 

There's something that has prevented you from unpacking that box, and now has you here. Most likely it's a money-to-need ratio that isn't settling well. I had this issue a while back. I'd always wanted a Gary Fisher Klunker, an homage to the original Repack bikes. It was built in small quantities in the mid-'90s, and half of them remain on bike-shop walls. Last year I found a very nice one, and paid $1200 for it. Technically I could afford it, but it was still big money in my world. I rode it a while, looked at it a lot, then..it started to nag at me. I had no emotional investment in the early mountain bike scene, and didn't seem to be getting all that much out of riding it. It just wasn't the "big deal" I thought it was going to be, so the investment started bugging me. So I sold it, losing a little money in the bargain, but it was the right thing to do for me.

 

Recently I spent most of that money on a '94 Bridgestone XO-3, a sentimental purchase to replace a '94 I bought new that year, which was later stolen. I'm happy with the purchase every time I glance at it. So...do you really think the Hunqapillar is the cat's pajamas, or an expenditure that's not really "doing it" for you, and you'd rather have the money in your pocket, and the bike under another owner who's more "into it"? Btw, my buyer was thrilled to get his Klunker. That made me happy.

 

Joe "no definitive answers" Bernard

Fairfield, CA.

[dougP]

Ginz:

Do you really "need" the Hunqa? That question opens the whole "needs"
vs "wants" debate, so let's set that aside.

Heck, you've got what sounds like most of a bike sitting there in
boxes!!! How can you resist? Build it up & ride it to answer your
own question. One of the beauties of any Rivendell is the
versatility. You can build the Hunqa as a MTB or a tourer or
whatever. Whatever build you decide upon can be updated / changed /
repurposed later if you want to. It's late summer; time's a'wasting;
get cracking!

dougP

[davidg]

I don't usually contribute to this group. Most often just cruising the
pages to pick up little bits of knowledge r/t parts, rides, s24o etc.
Great place for it. Obviously a lot of experienced riders, not to
mention a noticeable feeling of community in these pages. Do you need
this hunqapillar build? I bought mine during the pre-order. Ordering
from Rivendell was unlike any buying experience I've ever had, the
bike fit beautifully and looked like a million bucks. But... The
amount of money I had put into the frame and the build had me freaked
out to ride it much; for the better part of a year. A couple months
ago I had a bad wreck on my usual commuter. Not sure i could get off
the ground bad. To get to the point, with a broken commuter but still
needing to get to work (no car) and finding my fixed gear un-rideable
as it caused excruciating pain in my hands, arms and back I rode the
Hunqapillar. Even injured, the hunqapillar rode so nice, it almost
drives itself. All healed up I haven't ridden anything else since.
Ridden it everywhere. On my commute, groceries, fire trails, rugged
off road. The hunqapillar rides everywhere, with load and without; in
comfort. And that "Rivendell ride"? Not a fantasy, reality. This is my
first riv. I stuck mostly to a "typical" Rivendell build. Noodles,
tektro canti's, big apples, dyno hub, saddle bag and my old brooks. I
have to agree with previous posts, build it up and ride it. It really
is an exceptional bicycle.

[rcnute]

Everyone needs at least one Rivendell.

Ryan

On Aug 17, 9:17 am, Ginz <theg...@gmail.com> wrote:

[islaysteve]

Yeah, I'm in the "build it and ride it" camp.  You'll never know how you like it on your roads and trails until you do.  And you have very little to loose.  Bet you keep it!

Steve

[Ginz]

Thanks, everyone for the input. The delay in building it up was
mostly related to a long house move, cold winter, general laziness and
a twinge of buyer's remorse. Also, the Capricorn is the first bike
that is actually comfortable for me so that need to try yet another
bike had subsided a bit.

I'll give it some more thought and let you know what happens!

[Joe Bernard]

Aah, there's your trouble. I'd never heard of Capricorn, so finally got around to Googling them. Him, actually. Judging from the NAHBS pics, and your description of how well yours fits, I can see why the Hunqapillar seems a tad superfluous. Do you need a one? Probably not. Want? That's entirely up to you, mate.

[Allan in Portland]

Yeah, a couple times I was thinking what's this Capricorn he keeps talking about -- so now I looked. Haha. I feel totally sand bagged.

[Mike]

On Aug 17, 11:19 am, rcnute <rcn...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Everyone needs at least one Rivendell.
>
> Ryan
>

Exactly! I say build it and ride it. Go bike camping on it, seems like
a great bike for that.

--mike

[Earl Grey]

Taking off fenders to switch to knobbies is not something most people
will actually do more than a few times. After 20 years of 1 or 2 bikes
I am now up to 3 for that reason: commuter/baby hauler, passhunter,
and rigid mtn bike. I just rode the Hunq at Rivendell and it is a
sweet bike. Your squishy MTB will start gathering dust, I wager.

Gernot

[stevep33]

There is a satisfying simplicity in having fewer bikes....

but 2 is really pushing it. Inevitably 1 bike will always be out of
order, and then you would not have more than 1 to choose from. 3 is
just better.

[Seth Vidal]

On Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 4:24 PM, stevep33 <stev...@gmail.com> wrote:
> There is a satisfying simplicity in having fewer bikes....
>
> but 2 is really pushing it.  Inevitably 1 bike will always be out of
> order, and then you would not have more than 1 to choose from.  3 is
> just better.
>

I believe Grant definitively gave the required number of bikes in RR 42:

How many bikes:

seven is good. a beater, a
bomber, a single-speed, a tour-
ing bike, a lightish road bike, a
do-all racked and bagged bike,
a mixte, a loaner, and a work in
progress. seven? Make it nine.

so there you go - you have a deficit of 6 bikes to fill in there :)

better get crackin'

-sv

[Joe Bernard]

Recumbent, folder, dutch bike..