2024 Appaloosa's - Show Us Your Builds!

[Armand Kizirian]

Haven't spotted a build thread for this latest batch, so show us what you got! Ana Purple or Sergio Green Appaloosa's only.

(p.s. May be willing to trade a 55cm Ana Purple Platy for a 54cm Purple Appaloosa :)

[Andrew Joseph]

I guess I will start.

Fresh outta the oven…54 Sergio.

Shipped from Analog Cycles yesterday.  

Merry Christmas everyone!

[Drew Fitchette]

Whoa! Looks sick Drew!

Excited to see some photos from your first ride or two.

I ordered the same frame from Blue Lug and gonna build it up over the holiday break. Will post photos when it’s done!

[Andrew Joseph]

Thanks!  

I remember seeing a post about issues with the Silver 2 shifters (losing tension frequently).  I experienced similar issues with a brand new set, and new Silver double.  

So I went a bit more modern on this Joe and will run SRAM 1X for now.  I’ve never had an issue with index personally. Almost went full Microshift Sword.  It’s not the most beautiful.  I just want it run well and smoothly.  And that’s not been my experience with all XTR RD setups (my favorite aesthetic).

I was fortunate to have located the 54 frameset in the US!   As Leah would put it, it was a “rarer than hens teeth,” scenario.  Had to call all known dealers.

I look forward to seeing your Joe!  May I ask about your experience with Blue Lug on the frameset?  Specifically customs fees?  Feel free to reply to me directly if you feel more comfortable.

R,

Drew

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 13, 2024, at 8:10 AM, Drew Fitchette <drewfi...@gmail.com> wrote:

Whoa! Looks sick Drew!

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[Andrew Joseph]

Drivetrain

[Bones]

Here is my latest Appaloosa. I haven’t added lights yet because I haven’t decided if I want racks.

Bones

[J J]

Drew and Bones, I'm really digging your Apps. The builds look fantastic!

[Eric Marth]

Drew: Looks like a great ride! Certainly worthy of the pedestal placement in the Analog showroom, great example of the types of builds they excel with

Bones: Whew! The Sergio green, dark gum sidewalls, brown saddle and brick backdrop are putting me into a wonderful tonal headspace

[Dan]

These Appaloosas with riser bars are making me curious!

I love the sweep backs on mine, but can’t help but feel it would ride great with some wide alt bars too. 

[Shane Dignum]

That Sergio green is a really nice color. I'm excited to see this 2025 Atlantis run in Sergio green. I wonder if they're going to alter the decal coloring. 

Bones: I remember seeing that you had a 60cm Appaloosa, or still have it. Your new App looks like a 57cm? Sizing down to run those bull moose bars? Looks Sweet.

[Andrew Joseph]

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

Well done Bones on your beautiful build!

Welcome Steven, always loved the Mermaid frames.  I trust you’ve seen Eric’s App videos.  

I am really excited to see the Sergio Atlantis frames too.

R,

Drew

[vincent georgeson]

Kiziria,  I’m curious about your thoughts on trading your Platy for an Appaloosa.  I’m on the fence between which one to buy. 

On Friday, October 25, 2024 at 11:36:49 AM UTC-5 kiziria...@gmail.com wrote:

[Andrew Joseph]

Just a couple of quick test rides today.  So far, I am really pleased with the Getaround bars.  Another solid recommendation from Roman…

[Armand Kizirian]

Beautiful Appa's all!

George, go with what fits you better, should the step-thru vs double diamond frame not concern you. I want to have my one Riv (Yes, just one is plenty for me) for decades, which means the necessary prerequisite is to love it. I do love the way the Platypus fits and rides for me, but have come to prefer the double-diamond frame and some of its additional utility and aesthetic, as I have no mobility issues throwing a leg over the saddle. Otherwise, inspect the latest geometry chart, and see what size fits you better, as they do cover slightly different ranges between the two models. I have actually decided to wait for the next Atlantis batch, as the 55cm will fit me better than the 54cm Appa.

[Bones]

Thanks all! Shane, yes I have a 60cm Appaloosa that I am trying to move along. The new one is a 57cm. I had a 62cm before both of these as well. Riv has tweaked the Appaloosa geometry numerous times. I liked the reach of the 62cm but it was a bit too tall. I enjoyed greater standover of the 60cm but the reach was a bit too far. Everything about the newest 57cm geo seemed perfect: good reach for me, not super long wheelbase, slacker HT angle, and it accommodates 2.3" tires. As this will be used primarily as a trail bike, it seemed a no-brainer. And yes: the bullmoose bars are a great match for this build.

Bones

[Isaak Oliansky]

I will oblige!  Howdy from Ashland, Oregon. This is my first Riv and I just adore it. It's a 57 Joe that fits my short legged long torso-ed 6'0" self quite well with a 135mm stem and rons ortho bars. Before putting a rack, 50mm gravel kings, and fenders on it, we spent some time hitting single track shod in 2.2 race kings and having a blast. The 20/34 gear spins through anything, and I find that the long wheelbase kept this planted on some gnarly climbs. I kept taking it on leisurely gravel cruises up the mountain and had an impossible time resisting taking the single track home...even made it down a black diamond trail once! 

Build highlights are the TA zephyr 20/36 cranks (110/56 bcd! my dream! These were an Atlantis spec a decade or two ago I was told), tall and solid campy chorus headset, polished steel xtr chromoly seatpost, my first b17 in a decade (hidden under the randijo saddle cover- copper rails, brown honey leather), and fillet brazed faceplater stem. Of course there's a medium cage rapid rise xtr hanging on the back! And the cutouts on the dura ace front derailleur match the cutouts on the chainguard. Wow, I love bikes! The Nitto campee mini rack did not place nicely with the moto lites...anyone have a compatible nitto front they wanna trade? :) I'm trying to get my front bag out of my headtube. 

[Isaak Oliansky]

Seen here in trail mode before I swapped the brooks on. Did a mighty job in the snow both up and down. Something about screaming down swoopy singletrack on these bars...delicious! 

[Dan]

Stunning build(s) Isaak! Leisurely gravel cruises up mountains with singletrack on the way down - that's almost a perfect use case for this bike. Maybe throw in collecting a load of groceries afterwards. There's something about the bike with Ortho bars too. I think they were almost made for the bike, so long as one can find a long enough stem.

The way you've set it up in its current form (50mm tyres + fenders + rear rack) looks as close to a do-anything touring bike as I can imagine. If I ever did a long-ish tour (Italy, Japan...! One day) that's the setup I'd use I think. Right now I'm sticking to my 2.2s because, as you say, it's so fun.

Hope you have many more smiles on the bike going forwards!

[Jared Wilson]

Bones and Drew,

Beautiful jobs on your Appa's!

Isaak,

Looking good! 

I'm following a similar path right now with my Susie (2.5" Ehlines>55mm RH knobbies + fenders) and it' wears well on your bike.

jared in SC, CA

[Drew Fitchette]

Here's my Sergio Green Appa initial build:
- 13cm Tallux with Billie Bars
- Silver Shifters, Dura Ace FD, XTR RD

- Paul Levers, Neo Retros and Moon Units

- Velocity Atlas wheels from Rich with Shimano Hub/Dynamo and Edelux Light

- RH Manastash Ridge Tires

- 36/26 Clipper Crank with Blue Lug Guard and MKS monarchs in Champagne and silver

I've since swapped the bars over to a Bullmoose that I procured from fellow list member Ryan. Really love how different the new bar makes the bike feel. Similar to Bones, not sure if I'll throw a rack on or not. 

[Dan]

Ooo, a rare svelte Appaloosa! Looks great actually. What is it about Rivendells and having a bar-swapping bug?

I think the bike suits swept-back bars (like your Billies) so well, I’m a little scared to change to something a bit more mountain-ish like the bullmoose. 

[Andrew Joseph]

So good Drew, very well done!  I’m glad you can finally enjoy it, and I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the bullmoose eventually.

I still admire this build, and I might give this a shot one day.  I love the towelrack personally.

Or I may just move the KT bars to the Joe from my MB-1 to give me a bit more sweep than my current Getaround.  But I really like them and see why Roman recommended them to me.

Best,

Drew

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 30, 2025, at 12:03 PM, Drew Fitchette <drewfi...@gmail.com> wrote:

Here's my Sergio Green Appa initial build:

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[larson....@gmail.com]

I think most of the Rivendells, and maybe especially the Appaloosa, lend themselves to various handlebars and setups. My older Appaloosa is really good with Billies as a country bike to cover miles of paved and gravel roads. A change to bullmoose bars makes the bike feel like an old school MTB, an ATB, in a riding position that makes rough gravel and trails fun, the front end stiffer and more precise and the bike feels more capable. I have not been able to make the switch back to Billies because the bullmoose bars are so much fun. Initially I did find the bars stiff and caused some wrist and shoulder pain, but some tweaking of height and Ergon grips took care of this issue. I would not hesitate to ride this setup for a multi day mixed terrain tour. (I have to admit I have also thought about a dirt drop setup, but so far resisted).

Randy in WI

[Drew Fitchette]

Thanks Dan! Ideally I'd have slightly fatter tires on my Appa, but as I transferred nearly the whole build over from my 2TT Sam I'm keeping the the Manastash until they need replacing or a trip necessitates fatter tires. I've also put a marks rack on the front just to get my Dynamo light up a little higher and further forward. 

Drew, having spent a lot of time riding Billies(13cm tallux), and Toscos(13.5cm faceplater) before that, and Albatross(11cm tallux) before that... I'd say where the stem on each placed my resting hand position has the Bullmoose only slightly further forward. My swept back bars have always placed my hands just behind the Stack, where the subtle bend of the Bullmoose puts them just in front of it. 

Echoing Randy's statement that the bike definitely feels "more capable" and more ATB like. The Bullmoose really unlocked the riding experience I was looking for which is somewhere between Country Cruiser and ATB, in that my riding position is still upright enough to be super comfortable but planted and stable enough to feel comfortable on single track and bumpy trails. 

[Paul M]

The very first production run of the Joe Appaloosa back in 2016 had complete bikes and framesets offered. The complete bikes came with a new handlebar, the Chocomoose. It was a hybrid of the Bullmoose and an inverted Albatross handlebar. I have the Chocomoose on my Appaloosa and have to say it works great for any type of riding. 

[Andrew Joseph]

Thank you all for the responses!

And thank you Paul for the stunning photo.

Seems like I need to be on the lookout for a Chocomoose…

[Isaak Oliansky]

Howdy everyone! Just got a Nitto AS-2 rear cable hanger on my Joe to run cantis. It pivots up and down when I brake and I'm wondering if this is properly functioning. Should it be motionless? I tried a few different cable lengths and I'm not sure if it's that. It also looks quite difficult to fit any washers or spacers in the gap here to hold the hanger steady and I didn't have much luck with that. The brake feels snappy, FWIW! Tried to upload a video but google groups did not like that idea. 

Thanks for the help <3 

IO in Ashland, Oregon

[Huston]

Isaak,

In my experience, the flex/motion that you describe has a negative effect on braking power.  My situation didn't involve a Riv, but I did shorten/flatten the arc of the housing a bit so that the hanger and cable would be more in line with the brakes.  That helped a bit, but I eventually switched to mini-motos.

--Huston

Lexington, KY

[Isaak Oliansky]

Oops- believe I 'replied to author'. Thank you Huston, that did the trick! For those of you in the future of cyberspace googling around about the Nitto AS-2 (or other) seat bolt binder cable hangers, the secret is to get the cable length just right. Took me about 10 separate snips to nail it. If too short, the hanger will sway dramatically one way. If too long, it will flex. Updated Appaloosa pics to come in a few weeks :)