Bombadil - first ride and work in progress (some photos)

[maxcr]

The weather is turning and I finally "finished" my Bombadil build. It's not quite finished because I'm not 100% sure I'll keep the Bullmoose handlebars - they are very stiff which is great, but the angle isn't ideal for my wrists, we'll see but I think the Jones bar is more comfortable for me. I might also explore a super wide drop from Crust called the Nullabar. I'm also curious about some drivetrain changes, more on that in a future thread.

I acquired the bike in January from a fellow in California who didn't seem to be riding it much. This is how it came:

I've started feeling more comfortable wrenching on my bikes (thanks Jason for the encouragement!) and did all of the work myself - ordering some parts from Riv, BlueLug and Crust. You've seen some pics over the last couple of months, but I want to officially introduce it in its new iteration. 

Yesterday I went out on a mixed terrain ride, first some pavement before arriving to the Middlesex Fells, a reservation with lots of trails and bike friendly gravel - I started following this route from UrbanDirt (pretty cool site with hubs in a few cities) but didn't finish it because i had to get back home. They have some really cool Ride-with-GPS routes you can follow, highly recommended.

After getting to the entrance of the Fells, I started thinking that perhaps this wasn't ideal for my slick tires and fenders. Many of the trails had big rocks and require you to dismount and walk (see below) but I guess that's part of the fun so I kept going.

I walked up the slope and then started riding a winding gravel path with some smaller rocks. There were some wet / muddy patches but overall it was all very enjoyable and the bike handled great.

I think the cockpit is ideal for this type of riding, which leaves me wishing the wrist position would be an issue. I'll give it more miles before deciding what to do.

I had to lower the bar quite a bit from my initial position because I wanted to use my Rod Steward (Pec Deck v2) and if I had the bars higher up, it just wouldn't reach. I'll take it off and try with the bars higher. It's also very close to the Paul canti arms, so maybe not the best fit for this build.

When I stopped following the route and started following my GPS to get home, I ended up going through some areas that weren't very bike friendly - after the photo below. I had to carry the bike up a slope and ended up in a place with huge rocks. Once I crossed I rode a bit more and hit the main road which brought me back home.

All in all, the bike was amazing throughout the 13.5 mile ride. I feel incredibly lucky to have found this rare 2TT on my size! Can't wait to go out again.

Max near Boston.

[John Johnson]

Hello Max!

Nice Bombadil and great photos. 

For the bullmoose, I find that ergo grips (ergon or anything with a paddle under your palms) help with the position. Maybe worth a try?

Cheers,

John

[maxcr]

That's a great idea, that's what I have on the Jones bar... I'll swap 'em out and try that. Thanks John!

[Chris L]

I've found that the 71cm Jones Bar with his grips is a fantastic setup for my Hunqapillar.  LOVE the look of the Bullmoose, though!  

[J J]

Thanks for the report and photos, Max. Beautiful build on a rare beast. It looks like so much fun. Enjoy!

On Mar 27, 2023, at 12:11 PM, maxcr <max.fai...@gmail.com> wrote:

The weather is turning and I finally "finished" my Bombadil build. It's not quite finished because I'm not 100% sure I'll keep the Bullmoose handlebars - they are very stiff which is great, but the angle isn't ideal for my wrists, we'll see but I think the Jones bar is more comfortable for me. I might also explore a super wide drop from Crust called the Nullabar. I'm also curious about some drivetrain changes, more on that in a future thread.

I acquired the bike in January from a fellow in California who didn't seem to be riding it much. This is how it came:

<bomba2.jpg>

I've started feeling more comfortable wrenching on my bikes (thanks Jason for the encouragement!) and did all of the work myself - ordering some parts from Riv, BlueLug and Crust. You've seen some pics over the last couple of months, but I want to officially introduce it in its new iteration. 

Yesterday I went out on a mixed terrain ride, first some pavement before arriving to the Middlesex Fells, a reservation with lots of trails and bike friendly gravel - I started following this route from UrbanDirt (pretty cool site with hubs in a few cities) but didn't finish it because i had to get back home. They have some really cool Ride-with-GPS routes you can follow, highly recommended.

<IMG_9934.jpeg>

After getting to the entrance of the Fells, I started thinking that perhaps this wasn't ideal for my slick tires and fenders. Many of the trails had big rocks and require you to dismount and walk (see below) but I guess that's part of the fun so I kept going.

<IMG_9918.jpeg>

<IMG_9923.jpeg>

I walked up the slope and then started riding a winding gravel path with some smaller rocks. There were some wet / muddy patches but overall it was all very enjoyable and the bike handled great.

<4EEC3310-9B05-419E-9A9D-3B2F0A9E8D1D.jpeg>

<IMG_9930.jpeg>

I think the cockpit is ideal for this type of riding, which leaves me wishing the wrist position would be an issue. I'll give it more miles before deciding what to do.

I had to lower the bar quite a bit from my initial position because I wanted to use my Rod Steward (Pec Deck v2) and if I had the bars higher up, it just wouldn't reach. I'll take it off and try with the bars higher. It's also very close to the Paul canti arms, so maybe not the best fit for this build.

<IMG_9935.jpeg>

When I stopped following the route and started following my GPS to get home, I ended up going through some areas that weren't very bike friendly - after the photo below. I had to carry the bike up a slope and ended up in a place with huge rocks. Once I crossed I rode a bit more and hit the main road which brought me back home.

<IMG_9941.jpeg>

All in all, the bike was amazing throughout the 13.5 mile ride. I feel incredibly lucky to have found this rare 2TT on my size! Can't wait to go out again.

Max near Boston.

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<IMG_9930.jpeg><IMG_9923.jpeg><IMG_9918.jpeg><IMG_9935.jpeg><4EEC3310-9B05-419E-9A9D-3B2F0A9E8D1D.jpeg><bomba2.jpg><IMG_9934.jpeg><IMG_9941.jpeg>

[Matthew P]

Hey there Max!

I love your blue Bombadil. It'd be a dream to score one at a reasonable price. I love that paint!
What is the frame size and wheel size?
I like fenders but I like even more maxing out my tire width. How wide can you go? You think about trying that?
Any idea on the year of the bike and where it was made?
Let me know if you want to sell the bullmoose bars  ;-)

Thanks for sharing and happy Bombadil'in!

-Matthew P in San Diego

[maxcr]

Thanks Matthew; the paint is really something! 

It’s a 60 - take a look at the initial confusion I had before getting it - here’s the thread: https://groups.google.com/g/rbw-owners-bunch/c/jK5Le9uiJ3E/m/mkygvvKuAAAJ

It’s a 700 wheel size and I think 2.1” would be comfortable and 2.3” or more would be ambitious, particularly with knobs.

Following the Radavist’s bomba build, I had originally ordered MARS 2.3” from ultradynamico but I got the wrong size (650) before getting the bike… I returned them but still wonder how that would handle/look like, so I might reorder at some point - what tires you would you use?

I’m lucky that I have a 58 Hunqapillar with 2.1” thunderburts and no fenders as my hillibike, so I’m not in a hurry to make the change on the Bombadil right now.

The seller said he got it from Riv in 2016, based on the serial, I think it was made in ‘09 which seems in line with the timeline of when they were being sold.

I’ll keep you in mind if I decide to swap the bullmoose bars although it seems silly to have these huge heavy bars shipped from Riv to the east coast to have them shipped back to CA.

Cheers!

Max

[Matthew P]

Hey Max!

I love that you consider the sanity of shipping bars back and forth across the country. Thank you for that.
I have similar concerns with buying direct from Blue Lug.

Oh I remember the confusion about the wheel size! And thats quite a hefty thread there.

I was in a similar boat as you before: multiple Rivs that were kind of similar. I used the wrong solution: I sold one that I really regret.
Ideally the bike with the most standover clearance (/lowest/slopest top tube) also fits the widest tires and is maybe the heavier of the two bikes, becomes the trail bike. It gets the widest tires, no fenders. Thats just my thinking. And the other bigger-but-lighter bike gets the skinnier tires - I like min 42 mm, max 2.1" (units ... sorry) 
Consider the Maxxis Ikons 2.2" (or 2.35"?) for your wider tire. But people really like the Thuderburts you already have.
Maybe make the Bombadil and Atlantis as different as possible in how you set them up.

And enjoy!!
-Matthew, San Diego - Kumeyaay Land 

[maxcr]

The Hunqa is a 58, so more standover clearance for sure than the 60 Bomba (see below). I think they both max out at around 2.1 - 2.3" for tire width depending on your comfort of tightness.

As for weight, I moved the Nitto 32 rack from the Hunqa to the Bomba, thinking that lighter might be more fun in rougher terrain, but they are both similar frames and not super heavy - at least not for me. The Bomba currently weighs around 43 pounds with racks, bags and double kickstand.

Max

[maxcr]

A couple of pics from last week - Bombadil with new wheels (thanks Rich!) and rubber (thanks Ron!) around the Fresh Pond in Cambridge, MA

I'm still debating whether to keep the UD Mars on it or to move them to another bike.

Max

[brizbarn]

Looking pretty darn tough with those new Mars tires on it.  Looks great either way tho.

[Thomas Wasko]

What are the specs on those tires (width, 650 or 700?)? How is clearance?

[Max Faingezicht]

These are Ultradynamico Mars Race in 29x2.2” mounted on Quill rims

https://ultradynamico.com/products/mars-race?variant=39763276660821

I’ll try to take pics this weekend.

Max

Sent from my iPad

On Oct 19, 2023, at 5:20 PM, Thomas Wasko <thomas...@gmail.com> wrote:

What are the specs on those tires (width, 650 or 700?)? How is clearance?

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[Jason Fuller]

I had missed the MARS update and good lord that looks great!  The blue and grey are stunning together

[Josh C]

Max: loving that Bombadil. Pics came out great as well. I do like the look of it with the MARS tires. 

Chris: What stem do you use on your hunq with he Jones bars? 

[maxcr]

Thanks Jason, Josh!

Thomas, I went and looked at the clearances - there are about 5-7mm with the tightest spot at the chainstays, so all around pretty tight but I don't do much mud so it works for me.

Here are some photos, apologies for the poor lightning but these are from my basement since I haven't been able to go out much. Hope they help.

Max

[maxcr]

I was hoping to go the swift campout this weekend but probably won't be able to. I did do some prep work ahead of it and thought to share anyway.

The Bombadil is back to pavement/camping mode. Swapped out the Mars tires back to the Schwalbe ones, got the fenders back on, with a front Nitto 32f rack, huge Wald basket and installed the double kickstand. Oh also swapped out the Bullmoose for Ron's Ortho bars with Ergon grips.

Coming it over 40 pounds as pictured - empty bags except for spare tube, tire levers and a Topeak Ratchet Rocket Lite DX Tool (highly recommended).

Max

Max

[maxcr]

Here is a cockpit shot in case you're curious about the Ortho bar. I'm also sporting the RandiJo / Simworks bartender plus bag ;)