Hillborne vs. Romulus?

[Dan Sullivan]

Wondering what people who have experience with both the early Hillbornes with cantis and the Romulus think about the two in terms of overall impression -- is one "speedier" than the other, or is one stiffer, etc, those kinds of things.  I get that the Hillborne is a tad longer wheelbase and more tire clearance, but just wondering if one or the other is noticeably stiffer than the other?

Thanks, I have gotten the itch to change things up in my fleet (of two, really not a fleet at all) and since test rides are out of the question looking to the group for advice/opinion.

thanks, Dan in the deep freeze of winter in Mount Horeb, WI

ps. I have a canti-Rom, looking at a first-gen green Sam

[Dave C]

Dan, I have been meaning to write a post about some long term riding comparisons I have been making between a Toyo Homer and a Toyo Romulus. I have more to say, but I will keep it simple for the moment - yes, there is a difference. I have a 59 cm Romulus that rides differently, more flexy in a good sense, than the 61 cm Homer.  I will add more later, but I believe the Romulus is at my weight -175 pounds - a better ride for light loads and fast rides, and the the Homer is a little more stiff, perhaps an advantage with greater weight loads. I would wager the Sam will be more like the Homer than the Romulus. If you have a 59 cm Romulus, I will buy it from you. I have. side pull Romulus and would like a canti one as well.

[Dave C]

I was in a rush yesterday evening when I wrote my last post; here is a bit more information that might be useful. I have a Romulus, a Hilsen, a Soma Double Cross, and I used to have an Atlantis that I owned for ten years (1st ten Toyo). They are all great bikes, but I think that one's weight, their load, and the terrain and tires make a big difference in how the bike feels and the perceptions of stiffness. My Atlantis was an excellent bike, and I sold it due to size (I wanted to run larger tires on it and it was too large once I put bigger tires on it). For lightly loaded riding, I prefer the Romulus and Soma, which feel very pleasant with vigorous efforts on hills, an important quality to me. I believe off road and/or with greater loads, the bikes may feel differently, but I am still testing out the Hilsen further. I do have the Hilsen for sale, because I need a bike more like the Romulus but with tire clearances similar to the old Atlantis. That is a hard niche to fill, because it seems most bikes that clear a 45-50 tend to be built up more stiffly relative to the Romulus. I really believe that our personal attributes are just as important as the bike's construction; people often state "this bike is flexy/stiff" but I think it's probably more accurate to say "for my weight and riding choices, this bike is flexy/stiff". Dave in Carlsbad

[Brian Forsee]

Dave, if you are alright with 650b wheels the canti-brake Crust Lightning bolt may fit your description. I believe 650x48 unfendered is about max but check their site to be sure.

Brian

[Dan Sullivan]

Dave, thanks for all this. My original post took over a week to clear the moderators (apparently) and in the meantime a very nice 91 Bstone RB-T came available and I jumped on it. I had one a few years back and have been keeping one eye open (off and on) for another one since it was my fave of all time.

Anyways, my Rom is a 63 and I haven’t yet decided what I’m going to do with it.I like it a lot, the color is great, it rides and fits nice and fits a 38 gravel king w/o fenders. The T fits a 38 WITH fenders though and since my storage is limited I will part with one of them at some point, most likely. My BMC monster cross isn’t going anywhere, nor is the screamer tandem.

Dan

Mount Horeb, WI

On Friday, February 10, 2023 at 9:25:11 AM UTC-6 Dave C wrote:

[Dan Sullivan]

Brian, I’ve been looking at the Crust LB with a lot of interest. Another Bob in the Madison area has one too. If the the RB-T hadn’t come along I may have pulled the trigger on one of those at some point.

Dan

[Dave C]

When I briefly discussed my comparisons between the Homer and the Romulus, I did not consider the differences between the wheelset of the bikes. I have basically the same tires on each bike, and each has a Sugino triple, but the Romulus has the stock Araya road rims and 105 hubs, whereas the Homer has Velocity Dyads and XT hubs. I can't speak to the spoke difference right now, but it occurs to me that people have discussed ride quality differences between wheelsets. I have to admit I have very little understanding of how different rims may affect ride quality, and not just in terms of weight differences. I would appreciate any observations people have had on how a bike like the Homer might ride differently based on the wheelset, assuming the same tires. thanks, Dave

On Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 7:36:44 AM UTC-8 Dan Sullivan wrote:

[Dave C]

I would be interested in riding the LB. Since I plan on riding my bike frequently off road, I wasn't sure how much I would like a low trail bike on occasionally chunky and bumpy fire roads in CA. It's a lot to invest in a bike like that without trying it out. I am sure the generous tire clearance of the LB would help, but not sure about the handling. I hear different perspectives about rough road riding in regards to low trail design. I have also been interested in the Bombora, which I thought would be superior for my choices then the Fargo I had once and sold. Dave