First Ride of the Platypus

[DavidP]

This morning I squeezed a quick ride in before work - a dangerous thing with most any bike but, as I learned, especially so with the Platypus. A short ride can feel like an appetizer and there is always the temptation to eke out a few more miles.

I covered 12 miles of roads, bike paths, and multi-use trails that I've been riding regularly in various loops for the past several years. I have several bikes that are well suited to these types of mixed surface rides and they all bring something different to the table. My Platypus is built with these types of rides in mind with Cliffhanger rims, Gravel King 50mm (rear) and Fleecer Ridge endurance 55mm (front) tires, and 650mm wide Tosco bars.

The Platypus is my first Rivendell and the first one I've ever ridden. I've gotten a few short rides in before this one but those were mostly about setup rather than riding. My goodness, what a bike it is. I guess the best way to describe the ride could be "cruisy zoomy", it's a very easy going yet zippy ride.

It is supremely comfortable and can be a very upright cruiser, though even when ridden this way feels responsive. My setup with a 120mm stem puts me at a ~75 degree back angle with my hands fully rearward on the grips of the Tosco bar, perfect for taking in the scenery and appearing approachable when encountering dog walkers on multi-use trails.

I spend most of my time with the heels of my palms on the front of the grips, palms over the brake lever clamps, fingers either loosely draped over or wrapped around the taped bends of the Tosco bar, giving about a 60 degree back angle. This is a good home base position for forward progress, still balanced enough to not put noticeable pressure on the hands.

Moving my hands a bit forward, resting the heels of my palms on the brake lever clamps, and bending the elbows more gets me to a ~45 degree back angle to stretch out a bit or get lower in the face of wind. The forward flats of the bar are also usable when wanting to get to the same angle with less elbow bend and is nice option on open road sections, though I doubt I'll bother taping there.

During standing efforts I can hold the bars back at the grips or up at the bends - both positions work fine and I found myself doing both in different places.

In all positions the fit is roomy and the handling is responsive but not twitchy.

I still haven't installed a front derailleur but a 46x34 low gear is enough to grunt up most of the short climbs on this route. I did opt to walk one short and steep pitch on a trail rather than manually changing to the 30t ring.

I also haven't settled the front carrying method yet but am leaning towards a 137 basket and bag. For this ride temps were in the upper 30Fs  and wanting a place for a layer and extra pair of gloves, I borrowed the Swift Catalyst from my wife's bike to hold those things and my pump. I do plan on putting a bottle cage on the bike but the stem bag is a really convenient spot for the primary water bottle.

A fantastic first ride (including a deer sighting!) for a fantastic bike.

I took a few photos to commemorate the occasion:

(Our local open space stewards decorate trees throughout town lands this time of year; it's kind of a scavenger hunt.)

(Excuse the poor photo - this guy was a ways off after he and two does dashed across the path in front of me.)

-Dave (5'11"' on a 60cm Platy in Massachusetts)

[Michael Williams]

Hey Dave,  the Platy looks perfect!   Where do you live in Mass?    The riding looks great.   -Mike

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 30, 2022, at 10:27 AM, DavidP <dphi...@gmail.com> wrote:

This morning I squeezed a quick ride in before work - a dangerous thing with most any bike but, as I learned, especially so with the Platypus. A short ride can feel like an appetizer and there is always the temptation to eke out a few more miles.

I covered 12 miles of roads, bike paths, and multi-use trails that I've been riding regularly in various loops for the past several years. I have several bikes that are well suited to these types of mixed surface rides and they all bring something different to the table. My Platypus is built with these types of rides in mind with Cliffhanger rims, Gravel King 50mm (rear) and Fleecer Ridge endurance 55mm (front) tires, and 650mm wide Tosco bars.

The Platypus is my first Rivendell and the first one I've ever ridden. I've gotten a few short rides in before this one but those were mostly about setup rather than riding. My goodness, what a bike it is. I guess the best way to describe the ride could be "cruisy zoomy", it's a very easy going yet zippy ride.

It is supremely comfortable and can be a very upright cruiser, though even when ridden this way feels responsive. My setup with a 120mm stem puts me at a ~75 degree back angle with my hands fully rearward on the grips of the Tosco bar, perfect for taking in the scenery and appearing approachable when encountering dog walkers on multi-use trails.

I spend most of my time with the heels of my palms on the front of the grips, palms over the brake lever clamps, fingers either loosely draped over or wrapped around the taped bends of the Tosco bar, giving about a 60 degree back angle. This is a good home base position for forward progress, still balanced enough to not put noticeable pressure on the hands.

Moving my hands a bit forward, resting the heels of my palms on the brake lever clamps, and bending the elbows more gets me to a ~45 degree back angle to stretch out a bit or get lower in the face of wind. The forward flats of the bar are also usable when wanting to get to the same angle with less elbow bend and is nice option on open road sections, though I doubt I'll bother taping there.

During standing efforts I can hold the bars back at the grips or up at the bends - both positions work fine and I found myself doing both in different places.

In all positions the fit is roomy and the handling is responsive but not twitchy.

I still haven't installed a front derailleur but a 46x34 low gear is enough to grunt up most of the short climbs on this route. I did opt to walk one short and steep pitch on a trail rather than manually changing to the 30t ring.

I also haven't settled the front carrying method yet but am leaning towards a 137 basket and bag. For this ride temps were in the upper 30Fs  and wanting a place for a layer and extra pair of gloves, I borrowed the Swift Catalyst from my wife's bike to hold those things and my pump. I do plan on putting a bottle cage on the bike but the stem bag is a really convenient spot for the primary water bottle.

A fantastic first ride (including a deer sighting!) for a fantastic bike.

I took a few photos to commemorate the occasion:

<Bog-tree.jpg>

(Our local open space stewards decorate trees throughout town lands this time of year; it's kind of a scavenger hunt.)

<otter-slide.jpg>

<Bog-deer.png>

(Excuse the poor photo - this guy was a ways off after he and two does dashed across the path in front of me.)

<pine-point.jpg>

-Dave (5'11"' on a 60cm Platy in Massachusetts)

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<Bog-tree.jpg>

<otter-slide.jpg>

<pine-point.jpg>

<Bog-deer.png>

[Ryan Frahm]

Beautiful bike!! And a great looking area to ride. Still waiting on parts to finish building up my wife’s Platy but I love seeing all the great builds and different riding areas. Enjoy!

[DavidP]

Thanks, Mike - I'm in Chelmsford (just south of Lowell). It's a pretty standard NE suburban area but one thing this part of MA does well is having lots of public "open space" land dotted throughout various towns. None of them are very large but you can string them together and make some really great loops.

Thanks, Ryan - looking forward to seeing your wife's bike as it takes shape (it looks great already) and hearing how she likes it!

[Doug H.]

Nice build and ride report. I feel similarly about my Clem L in ride feeling and characteristics. It is long, upright and comfy. I call it my Clem Cruiser because I always feel like I'm cruising around on it. When someone asks what kind of bike I have I say an all-around cruiser. Not sure how to categorize it.

Doug

[Mike Packard]

Congrats on the bike and thanks for the ride report. I'm jealous you have access to such lovely riding close to home. I love "cruisy zoomy" and think it should be used more often. To help, I propose some more conjugations.

- "cruisy zooms" : I got a case of the cruisy zooms this morning before work and had to go for a ride.

- "cruisily zoomeried" : Last night on the way home I cruisily zoomeried down some side streets.

- "crusiferous zoomerino" : ???

mike

[DavidP]

Doug, the Clem L has had my eye for a while and got me looking at Riv step-throughs. It looks like such a luxe-smooth ride! These days I call most any bike that's not specifically a road or mountain bike an "all-rounder" and I have a growing collection of them.

Thanks, Mike - I definitely foresee chronic bouts of the cruisy zooms in my future!

[Eric Marth]

Looks like a nice build, David! Do you have a build list to share? How are those (what appear to be) Crank Bros Stamp pedals?

Is the frame mermaid? It must be, couldn't be anything else. I've found when taking pictures of my mermaid Appaloosa my camera doesn't render the color correctly. A lovely but difficult color to capture. For me, at least. 

[DavidP]

Thanks, Eric -

The pedals are similar to the Stamp pedals but instead of grub screw pins (which I have on pedals on a couple of mountain bikes but are quite sharp and can tear into casual shoes a bit much) they have more blunted, star/torx shaped pins. The large platform is comfortable and the grip is just fine for the intended riding. Amazon has a few (identical?) models: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092V1XT5Y

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JPNYCJL

The frame color is mermaid (it's from the November batch) and it is a difficult color to capture, especially for my phone which took the photos posted above. Over on the "How are you building up your Platypus?" thread I posted some photos from a camera that are a bit more nuanced in the color reproduction. There are also comments on some of the components in that thread.

At first I thought that, given the choice, lime olive would be my preferred color for a Platypus but that I would be fine with the mermaid. As it turns out I'm actually glad this round of frames didn't have a choice of color because after receiving the frame the mermaid is it for me - such a fantastic color.

Here's the build list (*not yet installed/pictured):

Frameset: Fall 2022 Rivendell Platypus, 60cm (10lbs frame/fork/headset), mermaid
Headset: FSA Duron 1"
Bottom Bracket: Shimano BBUN300 68x118
Crank: Velo Orange 50.4 BCD 46/30
R. Derailleur: Shimano Altus RD-M310, silver
F. Derailleur: Shimano Claris FD-2400, silver/gray*
Shifters: Dia-Compe ENE levers on Velo Orange Thumb mounts
Cassette: Jim 7sp 13-34t
Chain: KMC X8 (116+12 links)
Brakes: Dia-Compe MX2 VC733
Brake Levers: Tektro CL330
Rims: Velocity Cliffhanger 700c, 36h
Hubs: (F) SON Delux Wide Body 36h* / (R) Shimano FH-T3000
Tires: (F) Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge 700x55 Endurance / (R) Panaracer Gravel King SK 700x50
Handlebar: Rivendell Tosco 65cm, 31.8
Stem: Nitto UI-12, 120mm
Grips: AME Tri, gray
Saddle: Selle Anatomica X2, black

Pedals: Ansjs-005, gray
Seatpost: Kalloy 26.8
Kickstand: Greenfield
Lights: (F) SON Edelux II* / (R) Blue Lug Koma
Rack: Nitto Mark's (M1)
Bell: Blue Lug retro, gold

-Dave

[Roberta]

Congratulations on the new Platy.  I'll be reading the rest of your report tonight, but the pictures are amazing.

Thanks for the bigger pedal at reasonable price suggestions.  I had too many screw pins dig into my shins and ruin sneakers, so I switched to Clem pedals (nylon, I think), which I like almost perfectly except would like wider platform.  Does your pedal really not wreck the soles of shoes or draw blood? 

Roberta

[DavidP]

Thanks, Roberta - I hesitate to say too much about these pedals/pins as I only have a few rides on them. I put different pedals with the same type of pins on my wife's bike: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096432HXG

Even pedals with no pins can scrape and draw blood if they contact the shin with enough force. However, if you run your finger over the smaller screws in many nylon pedals you will feel they are sharp and these can scratch deeply with less force and even incidental contact. I have scars from these types of pedals.

By contrast these "newer" (I've only recently been seeing them in use on pedals) style star/torx pins have eased edges but there are more edges due to the shape. Due to the additional surface area I'm expecting they will not dig in to shoes and flesh as easily/much. Here's a closeup I found in an eBay listing for just the pins (they are the same M4 thread as the grub screws used in many metal bodied pedals and can replace them):



I'm seeing these types of pins on a few pedals but not "serious" MTB pedals (so far). They seem geared more for the casual user, which is what I was looking for. Those who appreciate the grip of the thinner, sharper pins will say that dull pins can be more dangerous if they are more prone to slipping, which I can't disagree with. Thus far I haven't found the star pins to be prone to slipping.

All that said, if you can use a pedal with no pins without slipping then I think that is the best bet. On one bike I have a pair of pedals with no pins but ridges similar to RMX sneaker pedals. These work surprisingly well with sneakers that have some tread as many running shoes do. However they don't have a very large platform (neither do the RMX pedals).

One thing to keep in mind when looking at pedals online is that platform sizes can vary quite a bit - best to compare the specified platform dimensions with those of a pedal you know.

Hope this helps,
-Dave

[Shoji Takahashi]

Beautiful platypus! Hope to see you riding around MA-- I'm in Arlington and often ride the Minuteman and Battle Road on my Homer. Less frequently ride the Fells on my Jones.

I'm thinking of getting a frameset... I have all the parts for 650b build. (Missed out on the first run, from which I had collected parts.)

Roberta,

For pedals, I've been really impressed with the MKS Bear Traps. I think I purchased them from Riv, but I don't see them on the website anymore. They are available at Analog:

https://analogcycles.com/products/mks-xc-bear-trap-iii?variant=40096168018097

They are big/supportive and comfortable for my size 10 foot. I've found them to be grippy-enough without damaging soles. (I've logged many miles on Thin Gripsters, VP Vice, MKS Sneaker pedals, and the nylon/Clem pedals.)

Good luck!

shoji

[John Hawrylak]

David P

Excellent description of your different hand positions & back angles on the Rosco bar.  By far, the best write-up, I have ever saw.

John Hawrylak

Woodstown NJ

[DavidP]

Thanks, Shoji - Cool to know there's another Riv (and Jones) rider in the area. I've got a 2013 diamond 29er frame myself. Something about Jones and Rivs going together I guess - hillibikes before the newer Rivs came along. I haven't ridden down to Battle Road yet, need to do that (Old North Bridge via the Reformatory Branch is part of a regular loop for me though).

Thanks, John - I'm glad to know you liked it and I hope others find it useful. For me the benefit of drop bars isn't just in the hand positions, it's equally in the changes in back angle that go along with those positions. A Jones bar helped me realize that back angle changes don't necessarily require drop bars. Interestingly enough there are also some bars that provide multiple hand positions with little to no change in back angle due to the combinations of reach, width, and drop at those positions  (e.g. moustache bars).

[Evan E.]

Roberta asked: "Does your pedal really not wreck the soles of shoes or draw blood?" 

I have these "ANSJS" pedals on my commuter, and I like them:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JPNYCJL

The pins on the ANSJS pedals, being slightly rounded or blunt, do not grip as well as do the pins / spikes / grub screws on Thin Gripster pedals or on VP Vice pedals, but I think they grip well enough for commuting, and they gouge the soles of my shoes less -- and they are less apt to draw blood.

Evan