Roadini heavy?

[Ezra]

Greetings RBW Owners. My first post to the forum. 

Have you been a Roadini owner? Did the bike please you? I've heard tell that Roadini's feel sluggish and heavy for road bikes. I've never owned a Riv but I'm interested in trying them out. I'd be setting up the bike with Waive bars. 

I'd also be interested to know what size you are. I've also heard that Rivs tend to feel better on the larger side. No idea if it's true. 

Thanks for indulging my questions. I always find buying bikes sight unseen difficult. 

Ezra

Michigan 

[Joe Mullins]

Hey Ezra,

I think my Roadini is around 25 lbs. But to me it doesn’t feel “sluggish”. The riding position with drops is more upright and comfortable than any other road bike I’ve ever ridden. I believe it’s meant to be more of an “all-road” bike than a zippy fast road bike…it’s definitely not meant to compete with modern carbon bikes. But I love mine! 

Joe

On Jan 27, 2022, at 11:44 AM, Ezra <raps...@gmail.com> wrote:

Greetings RBW Owners. My first post to the forum. 

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[Patrick Moore]

I've owned 5 Rivendells, and I'm a fan, so perhaps no one will take this wrong.

My first 2 road customs felt light and zippy. Road custom #3 seems to have been made from thicker-wall (and also OS) tubing, and during my ~15 years of ownership, I repeatedly "felt" as if it were more sluggish than the 1999, of which it was in design and geometry an almost-clone (#3 58 c-c versus #2 at 57 c-c). The most noticeable difference: when seated back in the saddle and pushing hard in highish gears up long but gradual inclines, or against headwinds, my quads would start aching more quickly in the  #3 than with #2. Both fixed gears, 70" for the #3, 76# for the #2.

So when I had a copy of #3 made (to accommodate things that Rivendell doesn't do), I asked the builder to make it of thinner-wall (but not .7 .4 .7 mm) normal guage (1" tt) 531 tubing. 

I built it up largely with the parts from Riv #3.

Immediately, I noticed that it was easier to "stay on top of the gear" and that I could climb easier and longer seated; I didn't have to stand as early. The bike just felt faster.

I attribute this to the tubing, whether it be thinner walls or smaller diameter, I don't know. 

Upshot: some people may find (and others have said this to me) that Rivendell tubing, which tends toward the large and thick type, may be less rewarding than narrower tubes with thinner walls.

That said, my 1999 Joe Starck-built Riv Road custom fixed gear (Riv custom #2) is, of all the dozens of bikes I've ridden in 60 years of riding, simply the fastest ("feeling"), most nimble, most comfortable, and altogether nicest bike I've ever ridden. If I had to keep only 1 bike, it would be this, even with its 26X1.1" tires, single 76" gear, and no damned braze ons except for water bottle cages. Just lovely.

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Patrick Moore

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

[Patrick Moore]

For road bikes, not for, say, Clems or Platypuses. This was the subject of others' comments.

And I forgot to add: My first gen Sam Hill, built much like the 42 mm Naches Pass Matthews for pavement-biased all-rounder use, and very nice in many ways, also felt (with Sam Brown Greens) -- not so much sluggish as "uninspired." It didn't jump with alacrity as the #2 or even the second gen Ram (1.35 Kojaks). Again, tubing?

On Thu, Jan 27, 2022 at 3:39 PM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

... some people may find (and others have said this to me) that Rivendell tubing, which tends toward the large and thick type, may be less rewarding than narrower tubes with thinner walls.

[Joe Bernard]

I owned a Roadini for a while - great bike, kinda wish I'd kept it - but I wouldn't begin to define 'light' for someone who's never ridden a Riv. You really need to hop on one (any model) and see if the vibe is right for you. In my opinion. 

Joe Bernard

[Karl Wilcox]

I ride a Roadini: I like the frame, but the tubing is not very 'lively' or 'compliant'.  It is a stable frame (I have hit over 50 miles per hour on Sierra descents without a wobble), but I would be happier with the frame if it was less stiff.  I ride the largest Roadini, and I have wondered if the smaller frames are even more stolid.  I like to ride both slow and fast, and when I am riding fast with my local club, my Roadini just lacks the compliance that I like.  But, having said that, it does not hold me back or make me slow; it just feels more like a frame intended for riding with about a 15-20 pound load as opposed to a pure club frame.  It rides alot like my old Schwinn Superior fillet brazed frame-- solid, dependable, utilitarian but not spirited.  But if you routinely carry a load or if you like to do some light touring, it would be the ticket, I think.

Cheers,

Karl  

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[Eric Daume]

A couple of summers ago, I sold my Cross Check to buy a Roadini. I liked the high stack of the Roadini (61cm), but the CC had better brakes, more clearance, more flexibility, and rode better.

The Roadini felt like an old school touring bike to me.

Eric

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[Mike Godwin]

Regarding the Reynolds tubed bikes, my 1997 Lemond Zurich planed for me (Reynolds 853 61cm frame, me usually around 180 elbows). Max tire size is 700x30. And it was a real hoot riding as a 650b conversion. The 650b conversion seemed to amplify the plani-ness of the frame. Its too bad those bikes don't fit 35 mm tires, in 622 size.  All City bikes are 853 too, but not all of them. I believe they accept tires wider than 30 mm.  Perhaps an All City may work for you. I have not had the opportunity to ride an All City bike.

Mike SLO CA 

[Jingy]

I bought the Roadini from Eric Daume after he was done with it. I like it, but I don't love it(other than the orange color). I've ridden it with a variety of 28-38mm wide tires. It handles fine,  and the fit is comfortable, it's just not a lively ride. I think it's overbuilt. If you are looking for a burly roadish bike, it may work for you, but if you are looking for a zippy road bike with fender and tire clearance, this isn't it. 

I was hoping for a budget Roadeo. I would like to try a Roadeo, but now I fear it is overbuilt as well. My wacked-out conspiracy theory is that all Rivs are overbuilt now because they can't afford to have any warranty claims.

I have been meaning to sell the Roadini for months now, because I have other bikes I like(love) better, but I have been dragging my feet because orange! Plus I'm lazy about selling things.

Jim in Mpls

[Eric Daume]

It is a great orange :)

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[Brady Smith]

This is a helpful thread. I was ready to jump on the next Roadini shipment, but this would be replacing a Jamis Aurora I no longer need, and that's already an old school touring bike with heavy-ish tubing and stable, boring ride quality. I have a bike's worth of parts parts that need a rim-brake home--thinking about getting another BMC monster cross instead. 

Brady in SLC

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[Johnny Alien]

There are other factors that can make a bike seem sluggish other than the frame.  Honestly I think a good lightweight wheelset makes a huge difference. And the tires themselves.  Maybe the Gallop is different because of geometry but I find mine super zippy and my build is lightish.  Probably around 21-22 pounds. But I do have the smallest frame (50cm)

[Bill Lindsay]

Ezra asked:

Have you been a Roadini owner? 

Yes, I have

Did the bike please you? 

Yes, it did.  I did my fastest ever 200k brevet on my Roadini.  

I've heard tell that Roadini's feel sluggish and heavy for road bikes. 

I've heard the same, but have not experienced that feeling myself, and have not heard any individual articulate any objective physical characteristic that says anything about the bike.  They can only describe what they feel when they ride a particular build.  Are my builds better than everybody else's builds?  Maybe, I don't know.  Am I more easy to please, when cycling?  Probably.  I LOVE cycling.  The most 'boring' day on the bike is better than most days off the bike.  Do I spend more time searching for things to like, while others spend more time searching for things not to like?  Maybe.  Do I spend more time "riding" and less time "zipping about", "throwing the bike around", and such?  Perhaps.  I'm certain some riders want their road bike to feel like a crit bike (or a track bike) and that's very very cool.  Rivendells are objectively not like crit bikes or track bikes.  

I've never owned a Riv but I'm interested in trying them out. I'd be setting up the bike with Waive bars. 

Interesting.  I ran my Roadini with drops and then with Albastache bars.  I bet it would be fun with Wavie bars.  

I have a huge stable of bikes, and I tend to appreciate each build for exactly what it is, rather than handwring over the things it is not.  That's how I'm wired.  Other folks are wired differently.  Bike reviews all read to me like personality tests.  People who diss a particular bike and laud some other bike are telling me more about themselves than the bicycles.  Since that's all you really have to go on, I think the best thing is to figure out which "reviewer" has tastes and temperaments most like you, and then bet on the likelihood that you'll like what they like.  Purely subjective reviews from strangers are not nothing, but they are also not everything.  In my humble opinion.   

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

On Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 11:44:32 AM UTC-8 Ezra wrote:

[Jonathan D.]

I agree with Bill's take but I often do.  I have the Roadini, Rambouillet and Roadeo.  All ride great.  The Roadeo is setup as a light road bike and built up differently so hard to compare.  The Roadini definitely reminds me of the Romulus in feel, but also built in a similar way.  On my Ram I can run 35 mm tires with fenders but haven't tried not he Roadini.  I would probably choose my Ram over the Roadini but love the classic lugs and orange.  I tried selling the Roadini but didn't put much effort into it, but only because all three is excessive. 

I also love my BMC Monstercross and run got the disc with 42 mm tires in pink. I wouldn't compare the bikes and I use them for different purposes but can't go wrong with any BMC or Rivendell.  The Model 0 BMC looks awesome.

[Eric White]

I'm intrigued by the idea of wider tires on the new Roadini but I currently ride a Soma San Marcos that I'm pretty happy with. I can squeeze 38s in it and the ride is pretty great for brevets and long leisurely rides. I do like the 44s I'm running on a touring bike but I just don't know that I need to move up to 42s on a new brevet bike. 

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[peter stock]

FWIW my Sam Hillborne also strikes me as heavy, more plowhorse than thoroughbred.
I've never used the term "spritely" to describe its ride (as I often do with other bikes I own)
I just weighed it, complete. 12.74kgs / 28lbs
Not insanely heavy but up there.

Peter Stock
toronto.

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[Karl Wilcox]

It might be helpful when considering a Roadini to observe that frame stiffness or compliance are not the only things that matter.  I find my Roadini stiffer than I prefer, but the

Roadini offers other features that I just can't find in other production frames.  For instance, the roadini fits me perfectly and I can get my bars up higher without making the bicycle appear silly or handle funny (my bars are exactly 1 inch below my saddle height).  Also, I can ride 33c tires (I have the 2018 roadini), and the long wheelbase is wonderful.  The Roadini is also versatile: I ride it on trails and on pavement.  I can ride with fast club rides and I can do light touring, too.  I have a 1977 custom Mercian that is wonderfully compliant, but on fast descents it can be scary and it cannot carry any kind of load.  My point is that the Roadini has many virtues, but no individual frame can be any other frame. 

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[Patrick Moore]

Well said, Karl. Add to that the probably (I've not ridden one) signature Rivendell handling of the Roadini* and the pros may well outweigh the cons. And of course, weighing the balance between pros and cons is largely a matter of individual taste.

Patrick Moore, ruthlessly botton-trimming his replies, in ABQ, NM.

* I certainly loved this in the customs, and found it in the Ram and even in the Sam, tho' the same had too much wheel flop for my taste.

[Karl Wilcox]

The Roadini is a very nice looking bike, too.  I hope this does not sound superficial, but I enjoy the head badge, the decals, and the painted cutouts on the seat lug more than if it were just 2 pounds lighter!  Also, I rode a 'Redwood' (tall Romulus) frame back in the 2000's and really liked it, but the Roadini is a more advance frame design in general (long head tube, sloping top tube, wheel clearance, and more.).  I have an old Calfee carbon frame I got used.  It is very light.  But I hardly ride it.  Why?  Hard to say, but I suspect that it has a lot to do with how the Roadini feels 'planted' or secure (words fail me here), but on the human level, I just prefer the look of the Roadini-- it has character and a timeless beauty that makes the sum of all its parts more than just a 'fast bike', a 'super light frame', or even a practical 'get the job done' machine.  And, of course, it is always comfortable!  This is key: the Roadini does not cause neck pain, back pain, hand tingling or stress from the worry of going down if I hit a pot hole.   I won't be selling mine.        

[Jason Fuller]

The tubing spec needs to be matched well with the geometry to provide what Jan calls planing - the flex in the frame needs to match your power output and rhythm to give you a small but important "springboard" effect with each pedal stroke, in order to feel fast.  It really has little to nothing to do with the weight of the frame, but about how it is tuned to the rider. 

However, Jan tends to think that this basically requires superlight tubing, but I don't think that's quite true - I think the "rhythm" can be found in multiples, like harmonics, but if the stiffness of your bike lands between these harmonics, then it'll feel like you're trying to bounce on a trampoline where it's out of sync with your jumps. My wild theory is that the Rivendells that ride like magic despite being objectively quite overbuilt for a "fast" bike manage to land in the next stiffer "harmonic" for the average rider. I think my Sam does this for me and I think the Roadini could very well end up in this zone too.  

[nlerner]

I owned a Roadini for a relatively short time before selling it to someone on this list, I believe. I liked the aesthetics a lot, but did find it on the sluggish side and have other bikes that fit the “country bike” theme that I found myself riding instead. Previous to that, I owned a Romulus, which saw many miles and lots of brevet riding, but also was always a bit on the sluggish side, particularly when climbing. Still, it was a really comfortable rig, and well suited to distance riding as long as the hills weren’t too brutal. I sold that once I got a Black Mountain Road, which checks all of the boxes for me: great fit, room for 35mm tires, great climber, planes like the dickens, super comfortable and versatile. So no I’m Riv-less (even sold my ‘94 RB-T!), but I enjoy reading this list.

Neal Lerner

Brookline MA USA

[Joe Mullins]

Neal,

I’m the one you sold the Roadini to and I’m happy to report that I’m loving it! I swapped the 80mm stem for a 60mm and it put me in a slightly more upright position which causes no pain whatsoever. Every other drop bar bike I’ve owned just didn’t feel right after a few hours of riding. Thank you again!

Joe
Los Angeles, CA

On Jan 29, 2022, at 3:43 PM, nlerner <lern...@gmail.com> wrote:

I owned a Roadini for a relatively short time before selling it to someone on this list, I believe. I liked the aesthetics a lot, but did find it on the sluggish side and have other bikes that fit the “country bike” theme that I found myself riding instead. Previous to that, I owned a Romulus, which saw many miles and lots of brevet riding, but also was always a bit on the sluggish side, particularly when climbing. Still, it was a really comfortable rig, and well suited to distance riding as long as the hills weren’t too brutal. I sold that once I got a Black Mountain Road, which checks all of the boxes for me: great fit, room for 35mm tires, great climber, planes like the dickens, super comfortable and versatile. So no I’m Riv-less (even sold my ‘94 RB-T!), but I enjoy reading this list.

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[Patrick Moore]

I haven't analyzed "planing" as far as Jason has, but I will add this: some of the fastest (read: "feel fastest" measured by ease -- "feel" -- of turning over a given gear at given cadences in given conditions) bikes I've owned have been far from the lightest, and one of them, besides being heavy (IIRC, 28 to 30 lb: full fenders, custom racks, a dyno system) was built of pretty stout (but normal gauge) tubing, so stout that 2 previous owners passed it on -- so I got a very good deal!

This bike, shod with mediocre tires (32 mm wire bead Paselas? 30 mm IRC Tandems? Forget.) was one of those rare blessings that make you automatically choose a cog 1 tooth smaller in back. (I sold it because I didn't care for the handling; it was low trail, which I find feels vague.)

Another bike, all 30 1/2 lb of it, that just feels fast is my 2015 Chauncey Matthews Road Bike for Dirt, aka Matthews 1:1. This is shod with 622 X 61 mm Big Ones -- these tires roll as well as the best extralight RH tires I've used. This too calls for 1 tooth smaller in back. This bike, however, is built of thinwall OS tubing, whatever effect that may have.

And as I said, the standard gauge .8 .6 .8 (or is it .8 .4 .8?) 531 tubes on the 2020 Matthews Road Bike for Road ( Matt. 2:1) make it seem easier to pedal than the OS and I daresay thickwall tubing used in my 2003 Riv custom (frame + fork + Ultegra headset = 7 lb, heavy in my book). Until I rode this Matthews I was a planing skeptic but after riding this I began to think that somehow, sometimes, it does apply. Still, the 2 bikes above "seemed to plane" but without standard gauge + thinwall tubing.

So, who knows?

170-175, masher in highish gears.

[CapNMike]

Hi Ezra, 

I have a 61 cm Roadini and I would say that this bike feels more stiff and responsive to steering than my AHH. I have 33 mm tires on the Roadini and 38 mm on the AHH so that probably contributes. I ride the Roadini on pavement, gravel and trails without hesitation. I live in Michigan so if you are near Lansing and the roads clear you are welcome to take it for a spin.

Mike

Also in Michigan

[nlerner]

On Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 9:19:13 PM UTC-5 jmlmu...@gmail.com wrote:

Neal,

I’m the one you sold the Roadini to and I’m happy to report that I’m loving it! I swapped the 80mm stem for a 60mm and it put me in a slightly more upright position which causes no pain whatsoever. Every other drop bar bike I’ve owned just didn’t feel right after a few hours of riding. Thank you again!

Joe
Los Angeles, CA

Joe, that's great to hear. And a great example of how individual/ideosyncratic the fit and ride qualities of any bike might be. Ride in good health!

[Jeff B]

I own a Roadini that I bought from the other Joe who replied in the thread.

I wouldn't consider my Roadini heavy, for what it is. I've certainly built lighter bikes for customers including an S-Works Utralight Tarmac, which tipped the scale just under 13lbs. I ride a 54 Roadini at 5'11" but always thought it would be fun to ty a 57.

The general weight of most club ride bikes (specialized tarmac, Roubaix, venge, cervelo s & r series, etc) I've weighed come in at 16.75lbs WITHOUT saddle bags or bottles.

Some of those riders use a saddlebag but many put their flat kit, phone, arm warmers, etc in their jersey pocket. I think of it though that I'm riding the horse so why should the lumber be on my back so, I use a Swift Industries handlebar bag which can carry ample supplies.

My Roadini comes in at 25lbs with 2 tubes, a multi-tool, tire lever & mini pump. I routinely carry my wallet & phone in there too along with house/car keys, sunglasses, snacks and anything else that might be helpful on a ride.

Like Johnny said, you can make a bike feel pretty light with a good wheel set and ironically the club riders who add aero wheels to their bike end up adding an extra few pounds because there is simply more material there. I just use excellent aluminum wheels (HED Belgium with DT Swiss 240 hubs) to keep the weight down and keep the bike feeling spry. I am also geared down compared to most road bikes. 

My 11 speed setup is a 14-30 cassette with 44/28 chainrings. This gives me a low gear inch of 25.5 and a high of 86.1 on 35mm tires. This came to be from watching people's cassettes who's gearing was the standard 11-28, 50/34. They were always in the 50 tooth chainring but cross chained up in the19 or 21 tooth in the rear so they could spin the cadence fast enough. I find that my gearing allows me to spin pretty fast on the Roadini, which makes the bike feel lively to me. I've never needed the 100+ gear inches that usually comes with the standard 11 speed road bike set up but a do really appreciate having a .933:1 (sub1:1) gear ratio for climbing so again I can spin seated up a hill while most are grinding away out of the saddle at 10 rpm.

Like Karl said, I've also hit close to 50mph on a decent to Estes Park CO and the bike felt so stable it's miraculous. Some of the other guys, especially the one riding a Venge with aero wheels, were getting blown all over the road because the tall profile carbon frame & wheels were like a sail catching the wind. Maybe because the Roadini had more weight it was more planted and glued to the road so I was able to concentrate on the ride & not fighting the bike to stay straight. I found the steering to be really easy on that ride too.

To me it really is about having a bike that offers so much more from the normal club racer. The geometry, sloping top tube, ability for wide tires, quill stem to adjust handlebar height throughout the day without silly steer tube extenders, braze ons for simple racks, ability to run multiple gear configurations (sti or downtube shifters), larger tire ability (Largest I've used is 38mm) and a bike that will last forever means I probably won't get rid of this frame for a long time. However, I'm nt sure I'd get the latest batch with the longer reach calipers. A few people I know with those longer calipers say they lack the power needed & I think there have been a few instances in BQ where Jan found them substandard. I have no experience with them though so I cannot confirm.

If I did want to expand on my Roadini though and get something lighter, I would look at David Kirk. He built himself, what he calls, a Montana Road Bike which is probably closer to a Roadeo in terms of geo and non threaded steer but his craftsmanship is beautiful & I'm sure it weighs loads less being made from stainless tubes fillet brazed. He has an instagram post from Dec 3, 2021 about that bike which really sums up what I think a road bike should be.

And lastly, If you are looking for Roadini inspiration with alternate bars, just google image search for "bluelug roadini". There will be a few photos of them with albatross, mustache and even chocomoose bars. 

Jeff, Woodland

[Karl Wilcox]

Jeff,

How did the 38mm tires work out on the Roadini?  I have the first generation/shipment Roadini (gray/silver color), and I did not think that the frame would allow 38c tires.  

Cheers,

Karl

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[Joe Mullins]

Karl,

I'll share my odd experience with 38mm tires. The bike came from Neal with 35mm tires that are if I remember correctly, Soma's version of Pasela's. They rode great and I was happy with them. I had a chance to try Rene Hearse extra light Barlow Pass 38mm tires and they felt...not right. I didn't ride with them very long as my initial impression was that the 54cm Roadini likes being on 35mm. The steering felt different with the 38's...not as organic if that makes sense. And the difference in ride quality wasn't enough for me to warrant keeping them. I'd likely notice a bigger difference going from 32-38 but 35-38 wasn't much. It actually felt more sluggish with the extra light 38mm tires...contrary to RH's philosophy of supple tires = faster. Maybe I just didn't spend enough time with them dialing the sweet spot with tire pressure. I went back to 35mm.

Joe

[Jeff B]

Karl,

I also have a 1st generation Roadini, orange, but does not appear to be one of the examples which had the high brake bridge. Although my rear brake pads are definitely at the bottom of the slot. 

The 38s that I ran were GravelKings, which set up super easy tubeless and rode pretty well. I'd say the smooth GravelKings are slightly over built RH tires. They are actually the tires I went 50mphish on. I did not have any ill effects on handling and they worked really well on gravel & levee roads around Sacramento & Grass Valley. There was also good clearance left on the frame. They eventually met their demise with an enormous piece of glass practically skinning the 'tread' off the rest of the tire.

I now use 35mm Rene Here Extralights which ride really well and feel nice but probably wouldn't recommend again, unless I just got some lemons. I used them tubed for about a year before getting a flat and decided it was tubeless time. I'm not sure if the tube being in the tire for about a year had anything to do with it but, they leaked sealant profusely from holes at EVERY mold line, so much so that I probably used enough sealant for a few MTB sized tires before the holes sealed. They were also so loose I had to build up the bead seat on my Belgium rims so much I probably negated any weight savings with all the extra tape. Jan said somewhere that he builds up the bead seat enough on his bikes that tubeless tires can be mounted by a pump, not a huge blast of compressed air, which is what I believe is good practice too but I used so much I couldn't believe it.

Once the RH tires are done I'll probably go back to GravelKings, maybe with latex tubes, maybe tubeless again but unsure if it'll be 35 or 38. Kinda like Joe said, not sure there was enough difference but I did not feel any noticeable steering difference . Also as mentioned, you really need to dial in the pressure.

-JB

[ascpgh]

Joe, 

While not a Roadini and not an answer to weight concerns, I  had similar outcomes with tires on my Rambouillet. 

My Ram came with 700 x 33.3 tires and most of the next decade I rode it on 28s. I had a few experiments with other tire sizes and during some fenderless summers, up to 38s which is when I realized that all of the tire sizes that physically fit the in frame, fork and brake calipers do not interchange without consequence. The 38's pneumatic trail took my bike out of its sweet handling envelope. The potential extra comfort they offered was voided by the effect on handling and the return to the nice handling behavior of 32s more than made up for their lesser air volume. Stampede Pass ELs seem made for this bike. The impression of any tIre size on a bike has to include the handling because the outcome is not an improvement if you now have to spend twice the mental bandwidth to point the bike than when on smaller tires.

My need for greater volume tires necessitated another bike, one designed around adequately sized wheels and tires. Rivendell had no need to expand the tire capacity of the Rambouillet with the Atlantis on the next page of the catalog. That included way too many bugaboos with handling consequences and likely motivating for their early campaign for conversions to 650B wheels and tires for more air volume without elevating a bike out of its intended handling.

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[Mike Packard]

I love my Roadini (size 57, I'm 87 PBH) with wavie bars; it is one of my favorite bikes. I had tried to write a list of reasons but really it's just this one:

 

- it is a blast to ride

I'm sorry I can't answer the "sluggish and heavy" question, it feels pretty fun to me. My experience is surely different from a lighter and racier rider though. IMHO this comment from Bill Lindsay is very wise: https://groups.google.com/g/rbw-owners-bunch/c/_I9Rs_7FmfE/m/eu1birv2BQAJ (Hope it's OK to re-link Bill)

Sounds like you just need to find someone nearby with road-ish (Homer, Sam, Road*, etc) Riv and try it out. Only way to know for sure. It's a frustrating place to be (remembering back before I had a chance to ride any Riv) but fixable probably before the next Roadini shipment. They do still have Homers in stock. Definitely call and talk to Riv and see what they say too.

mike in atx

[Catherina Gioino]

I love the Roadini's size and it doesn't at all feel sluggish to ride. For context, I've only ever ridden steel-frame cheap Craigslist road bike finds like Panasonic and more, or my Surly Crosscheck, so if anything, the Roadini feels like a breeze. 

I can absolutely vouch for that need for speed though-- my boyfriend is constantly whirring past on his Clem but when we took a ride recently, he was struggling to catch up. And for the tire clearance question-- I switched my Vittoria 28mm Corsa tires to 38mm Rene Herse and they ride like a charm

Cat in Queens

[Dorothy C]

Cat, which wheel size Roadini do you have?  I am running 650b 32mm Grand Bois Cypres with Velo Orange fenders. I just changed the rear brake to a Paul Racer, from Tektro R559, and I will be replacing the front brake with a Paul Racer also, when some spare parts arrive. I would like to be able to use 38’s even if I have to take the fenders off, as 650b / 32s are such a hard size to find. I got the current tires from Blue Lug in Japan. 

Dorothy in Los Angeles 

[Catherina Gioino]

I think they'd be pretty comparable. I have 700C wheel set on a 52cm frame with the Tektro R559s as well, and there's plenty of head room between the tire and the fork and just enough between the brake pads. Good luck with the fenders!