Updates/Upgrades

[Drew Fitchette]

Hey Owners Bunch Family,

I'm wondering for those of you out there who ride multiple days a week(or more), how often do you tinker with your setup to keep things interesting?

I've recently given my Atlantis a bit of a makeover(rather than sell it as I was feeling inclined to do), in an attempt to fall in love with it again. This included new handlebars, adjusting my chainring sizes, and dropping my rear rack/some extraneous accessories to go with a slightly more naked set up. I've also got some new Soma Cazaderos coming as I've been riding more trails lately. 

What do y'all do to keep your rides feeling fun and engaging? If I'm not in love with the way my Atlantis feels, will I ever be? Looking for some spiritual guidance here, as I know many of you have had various Rivs throughout the years and have all had your reasons for swapping/upgrading setups and frames. 

Thanks in advance for those of you inclined to go down the philosophical rabbit hole with me! 

[Patrick Moore]

For me, learning what I really want, and then buying or building that instead of trying to make something that isn't that into something that I want, has taken decades and thousands of dollars. For instance, it took 17 years to accept that the lovely 2003 Curt Goodrich Riv Road custom just didn't ride the way I like bikes to ride (basically, it was sluggish) and to finally commission, after 3-5 years of fretting, a replacement from Chauncey Matthews (that entirely lived up to my hope).

Sunk costs: if you have something paid for that doesn't quite work, it might be worthwhile to invest a bit more to see if relatively minor modifications might make it work; new tires, new bar, new cockpit setup and rider position. In my case, the 2016 Matthews fat tire road bike only started handling like my Riv Roads when I finally installed 50 mm Soma Supple Vitesse tires in 2023.

But there's often a point, I've found, where you realize that nothing can change the nature of the thing that frets you, and that it's time to sell it and move on to something more likely.

If after years and thousands of miles the Atlantis doesn't work for you, sell it -- you'll easily recoup your cost -- and find something else.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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When thou didst not, savage, know thine own meaning,

But wouldst gabble like a thing most brutish,

I endowed thy purposes with words that made them known.

[Patrick Moore]

I should add that all of what I recommended presumes that you've got a basic idea of or "feel" for what you do want a bike to ride like. If you are still in the experimental stage, there's nothing like just riding lots and lots of different bikes to make the idea or feel more precise.

[Drew Fitchette]

Thanks Patrick, appreciate your insight.

I bought this frame thinking the bike would be my "swiss army knife", but I actually find the longboard feel leaves a bit to be desired in terms of "get up and go"

That being said, no matter how much I load it up with, the ride quality feels exactly the same. So credit to Riv for what it's built for!

[DavidP]

A new bike or setup is the easy way to re-engage with riding - "I've done enough of (x) I want to try (y) <too / instead> so I need a <new bike / different setup>." I have built lots of bikes because my tendency is to want to start with a new canvas and to not give up what I have. I also really enjoy the process of conceptualizing and building up a bike. Since there is no perfect bike I try to have a bike for everything I want to do, including variations which means I have bikes that end up being pretty similar in some respects but the stable on a whole covers a big range of riding.

That said I do also switch bikes up in attempt to stem the flow of new bikes into the garage while still having a build project. In the best cases changing a bike up can make a drastic difference, but usually it is improving on a bike I already like very much. 

In terms of rekindling engagement without changing equipment, I find it helps to take the focus off the bike and put it onto some experiential goal - riding new distances, exploring new routes and places (wandrer.earth is great motivation for this), and focusing on bike related activities (S24Os, coffee outside, etc.) can all help. To that end maybe Bill's 2024 goal thread would be helpful. 

And going full circle, if you want a new project then these things can help direct/justify it.

-Dave