Romulus Redux

[Gordon Stam]

My Romulus has sat unridden for the better part of 10 years. Last year the bike flame rekindled and I got a Clem. I rode it a bunch and occasionally threw the leg over the Rom. In comparison the.couch that is the Clem the Romulus felt more like sitting on a stool. So with a spare stem I decided to raise the bars (and retape them) and replace the hoods. I also shoehorned on a pair of 40c GravelKings to replace the 33c Jack Browns. They're riding on 36 spoke Mavic Open Pro rims on Dura Ace hubs.

The result is a lot of fun. It's got a comfortable reach to the bars and the tires are cushy. There's a bit of toe overlap and the reach down to the shifters is a bit excessive (considering barends) the riding position is quite comfortable. I have been considering swapping it out for an A. Homer Hilsen frame, which I think would work out really well, but for now I'm going to give this Romulus a go. The Homer, though, is a future possibility. It would make a nice stable.

The color, if anyone is wondering, was a stock Rivendell color from back then: Pea Sage Green. The frame I bought was a warrantee hold back frame so it was unpainted. They said I could get it painted any color I wanted. After an exhaustive search I landed on Pea Sage. Some times the answer is right in front of you.

I'm a little shy of 6'2" and have 91cm pbh.

[Gordon Stam]

Minor update:

The drivetrain had a bit of a hitch to it and though I can do the work myself I elected to take it to the one lone Rivendell dealer (as far as I know) down in Salt Lake City, Saturday Cycles. I bought my Clem frame from them and they're a good bunch. So down the Rom went on Wednesday. They were pretty psyched to see it and I look it as a win/win: I don't have to get greasy and spend the time on the dirty work and they get to work on a nice bike and make some money. Support your local LBS! It's going to get a general tuneup, a new chain, and a slightly bigger cassette. The mechanic (whose name I've spaced. Apologies) observed that with any lower gears I might not be able to keep the bike upright going up something steep. I agreed but replied I wanted to spin if possible. It's also going to get cleaned and get new brakes - Paul Racers! I mean, I was considering springing for a new frame, a Hilsen, so spending a grundle on brakes is in the wheelhouse.

I gotta tell you, with the fat tires and the handlebars up where they arethis thing rides great. Man, it's fun. And fast! And I'm remembering just how good drop bars feel. I'm so balanced I can get my butt off the saddle and hands off the bars at the same time and the bike is unflustered, and so am I!

Here's a picture from 10 years ago, when I hung it up for other pursuits:

   

And here's another shot of the recent iteration from a few days ago:

On Sunday, February 23, 2025 at 9

[Spencer Robinson]

wow! That is a good one! 

I had a blue Romulus , 57 cm, and I really enjoyed it. I also stuffed 40c tires in and actually rode it on a dirt road metric century, it did great except when the road turned to sticky mud…there was just not enough space between rubber and steel…front tire turned into a ski at one point.

They really are great frames. 

[Gordon Stam]

Hey, glad you like it.

I've been told the last two pictures I posted couldn't be seen so I'm going to try again, this time with my Google Drive account as the source. As I mentioned the first one is from 10 years ago with the handlebars pretty much level with the saddle. The latest one is current and the bars have come up a couple inches. When I got the bike some 20+ years ago the bars were below the saddle. So it goes.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1quJM8mIokKi-ELMWpW12gKNe3CsXR3Y6/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rE_goVYx2Ufvub8ktbrxR_ddl7WwoOAR/view?usp=sharing

Hope those are visible. Let me know. And if they aren't I need a crash course (again) on picture attachement!

---

From: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com on behalf of Spencer Robinson
Sent: Saturday, March 1, 2025 7:06 AM
To: RBW Owners Bunch
Subject: [RBW] Re: Romulus Redux

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