Roadeo disconcertingly nice!

[Patrick Moore]

Second ride today, short errand + detour ride to PO, LBS, and Sprout’s; stopped to lower the new-to-bike Ritchey 9 cm (20*? 30*?) stem by 5 mm; bar is now about 2” below saddle, as for customs — but it feels more relaxed for some reason. It’s quite possible my measurements are inept.

At any rate, reducing bar height by 5 mm immediately made me feel more balanced; saddles in all cases are the same models, same setback, same height, and same distance from tips of brake hoods. 

But I somehow feel more relaxed on the Roadeo. Perhaps the long STI hoods, supremely comfortable, compared to the already very comfortable old Dura Ace pre-STI levers on the other road bikes, make the difference?

Also, at least compared to the struggle with the gofast ride the other day —  tire, pushed a slightly too high gear too hard against moderate sidewind — the Roadeo seems easier to pedal in the same gear (76”/75”).

I hope I don’t start questioning decades-old convictions! But I daresay, had I the opportunity to buy Roadeos before I bought my customs, I’d have bought Roadeos — have the dropouts on a couple changed to long horizontals.

Or perhaps it’s all still new bike smell.

The 32 mm Stampede Pass ELs are superbe, and 50/55 f/r is probably about 5 lb too high. But wheels 2.5” bigger than the 26ers certainly do smooth out small, sharp bumps.

Carried 13.5” X 11” X 6” box to PO, and 50 fl oz of Fosters plus other groceries and small bike stuff home in big Timbuk2; fine outbound, hassle on return — bag keeps migrating to right. Must find small saddlebag for Roadeo. All: ISO Carradice Barley in Black or Burgundy, new or VG. Have green one VG to trade, as well as other things and cash. (Green doesn’t go with white + red accent Roadeo.)

--

Patrick Moore

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

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When thou didst not, savage, know thine own meaning,

But wouldst gabble like a thing most brutish,

I endowed thy purposes with words that made them known.

[Patrick Moore]

BTW: do other riders of both the Ram and the Roadeo notice a distinctly greater “nimbleness” with the Roadeo? As I’ve said before, one — merely ancillary — reason I sold my blue Ram was that, compared to my 26” wheel road customs, it felt a bit too slow in the transition from straight line to corner. The Roadeo very definitely feels much more like my customs.

[Patrick Moore]

More millimeter changes making kilometer differences in fit and feel.

So comfortable was the Roadeo today, esp after lowering the bar 5 mm to (discovered only post facto) match the drop on the gofast, that I went back and re-measured saddle setback and bar height on the Matthews fixed IGH Riv road clone. I thought I’d precisely mimicked the distances on the 1999 gofast when I readjusted things some months ago — and the fit did improve; but was still subtilely “off,” and I found a bit too much setback and a bit too much bar height. So I gently tapped the saddle about 1/2” forward on the rails to the canonical 3” behind bb, and lowered the bar also by about 1/2”, giving me the conventional 2” between saddle and bar and ~27” between saddle nose and hood tips; it all feels much better, meaning that the torso is more naturally “suspended between saddle and bar and the arms feel more relaxed, with a more natural bend when on the hooks; and also, the hooks feel more natural; all due to the core muscles holding up the torso better, I’d guess.

On Fri, Oct 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Patrick Moore]

and the arms feel more relaxed, with a more natural bend when on the hoods ...

On Fri, Oct 24, 2025 at 6:06 PM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

… s; it all feels much better, meaning that the torso is more naturally “suspended between saddle and bar and the arms feel more relaxed, with a more natural bend when on the hooks ...

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Do like me, get a couple more of the same heavenly bike, make different iterations, ride off into sunset. Bonus if you clap rainbow-y colored flashy parts on there.

[Patrick Moore]

Yes, a stable of at least 4, no make that 5, heck, let’s say 6 sparkling Roadeos each with different builds and colors (19 lb gofast, 17 lb fixed gear gofast, errand/commuting multispeed IGH fixed with racks, fenders, lights, ditto IGH freewheel (AM hub) errand, dirt road model modified with new fork to take 48s, oh, the possibilities are endless!

I’m very grateful to have the one. I do wish the components weren’t anodized black that scuffs and scratches so easily, but I can change that in the future. Meanwhile I have been very pleasantly surprised at  how much I like it as-is. I just fear that it might become my fave, and then what will I say to the 1999? Even worse, riding with multiple derailleur gears may become my new normal instead of riding fixed gear. 

Immediate changes: try a nice pair of original Dura Ace single pivots, the model with the very nice barrel-shaped qr, with salmon pads of course, in place of the lackluster Tektros with OEM pads; switch braking to right lever/front brake; replace the 11-32 with a 14-32 to get rid of annoying mid-range 2-tooth gaps.

Will keep reporting … and reporting, and reporting, and reporting, and repor...

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[Joe Bernard]

I've only ridden a Roadeo once around RBW HQ, it had the requisite black 105 clicky stuff. Magical. So different from the Romulus and Rambouillet I owned as to not even be in the same category of bicycle. Be like Leah, get 4! 🙌

[Pat McCullar]

I've never ridden a Roadeo or a Rambouillet, but I do have a custom that Rivendell refers to as a "semi-relaxed road bike". After a visit to Rivendell earlier this year, and a discussion with Grant, I came away with the following understanding of the difference of these bikes: the Roadeo is more nimble than my custom; my custom is more nimble than a Rambouillet. Grant referred to head-tube shallowness (I think), not nimbleness, but I think the one affects the other. I think that would be consistent with your experience with your new  Roadeo and memories of your Rambouillet. 

I did ride a Roadini while I as there, but not enough to appreciate any difference from my custom. 

Pat

 

On Saturday, October 25, 2025 at 9:15:21 AM UTC-7 Patrick Moore wrote:

[Patrick Moore]

That’s very interesting; thanks. At least, it reassures me that my “no science used here” seat-of-pants estimation of ride differences isn’t pure fantasy. At any rate, the Roadeo seems to have hit the perfect mix of stability and agility to suite my very particular taste.

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[John Dewey]

I hopped on the RAM @ 2004, still aboard. 

Joe Bell applied his magic a few years ago to clean up a small spot of corrosion in a.weird place under one of the seat-stays. I'm crazy about that kind of stuff, just can't have it. RAM replaced a Waterford RSE22 (road sport extended) which, for some reason, didn't work for me—and then WF retired RSE shortly thereafter.

I suspect ROADEO is a bit lighter but RAM works well for me...certainly as entertaining as my custom, skinny-tube EBISU which is quite spritely for want of a better word. The issue I have with ROADEO is no DT lever bosses. The complexity of brifters annoys me so I'm married to DA downtube levers...and I enjoy the shifting. Right hand for both derailers—the way Eddy used to do it 🙃

YMMV, of course, but some of our eccentricities remind me of arguing about those angels on the head of a pin.

Jock (who's writing rather than pedaling on account of too wet out there just now)

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[Bill Lindsay]

"The issue I have with ROADEO is no DT lever bosses."

This is an incorrect statement.  The Roadeo is/was built to order, and when one ordered a Roadeo, they specified a small number of things, including whether or not they wanted down tube shifter bosses.  My Roadeo has down tube shifter bosses, because I ordered it that way.  Some Roadeo frames out there in second-hand-land don't have down tube shifter bosses because the human being who originally ordered it didn't choose down tube shifter bosses.  When there has been a floor model Roadeo at Riv HQ, it has usually been spec'd by Mark Abele, who tends to like brifters and the minimalist setup of an inline barrel adjuster and slotted stops on the down tube.  

One time when I walked in, several years back, Will told me that the staff was split 50/50 on whether to do down tube shifter bosses on the new forthcoming Leo Roadini model, and Will asked me to cast the tie-breaking vote.  I voted for down tube shifter bosses, and the Roadini still has them.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Pat McCullar]

I have a vague (and possibly incorrect) recollection that the Rodeo was originally only available without the downtube bosses, at least partially because it allowed thinner walls for the downtube. 

Pat

[Pat McCullar]

Just found this, with regard to DT bosses:

https://groups.google.com/g/rbw-owners-bunch/c/jGVJ1Xk__e0/m/dEk9Mg2jXb4J

[Mojo]

From my quiver and perspective, my Legolas (arguably a gravel Roadeo) is more nimble than my 2001 custom, which is more nimble than my Quickbeam.

Joe in GJT

[Garth]

About that link in reference to the DT shift bosses on the Roadeo, I got a good laugh with former written identity about "who would ride DT shifters on a Bombadil ?".

That'd be ME ! Ahahahahahaha !    And the trusty 1980something Suntour Sprint ones at that, utterly marvelous mechanisms. I have 3 and one half sets, one set still new, ready for my next bike :-) The 31.8mm DT sets them apart by just a tiny but noticeable amount. 

Never say never, but I doubt I'll be using brifters, let alone indexed DT shifters anytime soon. DT shifters offer such good feel for the derailleur. Very precise.  I still have some wonky jumps w/9-speed in the cold when head is covered though, as modern cog design makes for such easy movement, intentional or not ! Sachs 7sp FW is like 7 single speed cogs, once in place on a given cog it isn't moving easily. That my story and sticking to it :) ..... like a candle in the wind that is !

[Tan Jian xun]

Hello is the roadeo = roaduno?

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[Ben Miller]

I have a 61 cm Roadeo and a 64 cm Rambouillet. I've had the Roadeo since '14 and the Ram since '21. I'm glad Patrick likes his Roadeo (it's a great bike!), but I am gonna throw some cold water on this here thread.  

For all intents and purposes the Ram and Roadeo are the same bike. There are some minor differences in geometry between them: Ram has an extra 1 cm of chainstay length, it also may have ever so slightly less rake and therefore less trail, and, most surprisely, a bit more BB drop than the Roadeo. But we are talking really small differences here. And yes, the Ram also has slightly thicker tubing, but again in a surprising way, the butts are thicker on the Ram, but the belly of the tubing appears to the be the same on both (8-5-8 vs 7-5-4). Not sure if the butts are also somehow correspondingly shorter, leading to Grant's comment about the tubing be a reason why no DT bosses. 

But I can tell you they handle exactly the same. I have both mine setup pretty similar: same handlebars (but 2 cm wider on the Ram), same extra ligre RH 700x38's, same pedals, both centerpull brakes. The biggest difference is probably the STI Ultegra shifter's on the Roadeo vs the Ram's friction DT's. I do wish the Roadeo also had DT bosses, but then again I have the Ram for that. 

Both bikes are an absolute dream to ride. I've put alot of km's on the Roadeo and that's the bike I've done my most epic rides on. But (and I think Leah will appreciate what I'm gonna say next) I just feel like the Ram has a bit more personality to it. Maybe it's the headbadge. Maybe it's the DT friction shifters. Maybe it's the color? And I've also had some epic rides on the Ram too and find myself pulling it off the hook alot more than the Roadeo lately. But I did ride the Roadeo recently and now thinking about it, I think I'll vow to fix the nagging issues I have with it (I absolutely hate the cable housing I used on the last overhaul: it feels crunchy when engaged). So, in a way, I think doing a little bit of what Leah suggests: I got a couple of the same heavenly bike, made different iterations, and I should probably just ride off into sunset.

And to answer Waffle's question: no, the Roaduni is essentially a single speed Roadini. And my understanding is that Roadini does have a pretty significant differences between it and the Roadeo. 

[Ben Miller]

Oh, and I also just got one of the new RBW water bottles today. I features a winged sheep wearing a golden crown atop it's head like a halo. A subtle nod to the Ram being the best Riv frame??? ;)

[John Dewey]

Well, that proves it 💥 & that’s just how I feel about it. 

Delightful improbability and you’re one of the lucky ones. 

Because they’re all nimble. Sort of blows my mind. 

Jock

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[John Dewey]

Well written, Ben Miller—and so much fun to read. 

Thank YOU for laying it out for us all, especially the frame detail. 

Impressive. 

Another part of the discussion we haven’t considered is fit, but I think at this point we’re ready to go out and ride. 

Jock

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[Zachary Cannon]

I haven't ridden a Roadeo. I am just coming to appreciate the Romulus I bought from Bill L a couple months. It's a great bike. I took it on an 80 mile ride with over 7000' of climbing this week. I feel like I am beginning to appreciate how it differs from my Seven ti bike that I usually ride on this route and my current 81 Trek 710 which is quite similar in geometry and had most of the Romulus's parts before becoming a fixie in its current incarnation. I think it's a winner for me and I'd be happy to come upon a Roadeo someday.

I'd be a bit hard pressed to compare the Romulus to bikes from years ago when I was a different cyclist in a different moment with a different body composition. Even bikes I'd put thousands of miles on. I also try to limit early judgment on all bikes that are under the cloud of new bike day. New bikes are often initially faster because they are new/better and generate a certain excitement. For me, I feel much faster whenever I put a new chain or newly waxed chain on deep cleaned drive chain. I should say I can quickly tell if the fit is off or the geometry doesn't align with my preferences (the trend towards super short chainstays on large/xl modern mountain bikes), but I feel it's hard to feel subtle distinctions and filter out the excitement factor. 

One positive for me is that this has saved me shipping costs because I don't mind renting bikes on vacation if the fit is right. I don't think I'd ever buy a carbon bike and prefer the simplicity of friction bar end shifters on road, but a properly fitting modern carbon bike hasn't distract me from enjoying some memorable rides in far flung locations. And the new bike excitement likely covered up aspects of the bikes I wouldn't otherwise enjoy. 

I don't intend to pull this conversation off topic. I'm thrilled that you/Patrick are loving your new Roadeo, but I do feel that some of the judgments may be premature and that the custom nature of Roadeos will made generalizations about the Roadeo vs. other Roadeos/Rambouillets/Romuluses/LongLows/Customs a bit difficult. 

Best, Zach in ABQ

[Leah Peterson]

But Ben, did ya slap any colorful parts on those bikest? You didn’t? You have your assignment. 🤣

Also, who else thinks that water bottle features a Cheviot and not a Ram? 

❤️Leah

On Oct 25, 2025, at 10:20 PM, Ben Miller <ben.l....@gmail.com> wrote:

I have a 61 cm Roadeo and a 64 cm Rambouillet. I've had the Roadeo since '14 and the Ram since '21. I'm glad Patrick likes his Roadeo (it's a great bike!), but I am gonna throw some cold water on this here thread.  

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[James Poulson]

I had a blue Ram for a period and loved it. Then came the Legolas which I  thought was a bit more sprightly than the Ram. The two were close enough in feel that I decided to replace the Ram with a new Hillborne for a slightly better tourer, and keep the Legolas. 

If I was pressed to have only one bike now it would be the Legolas, which I believe has geometry is very close to the Roadeo. I am not at all sure about the tubing since that info seems to be beyond my capabilities to discover. 

JP

On the cusp of the MO Ozarks.........

[Jim M.]

On Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 8:22:59 AM UTC-7 James Poulson wrote:

I am not at all sure about the tubing since that info seems to be beyond my capabilities to discover. 

Mark let me see the build sheets when the Roadeo came out and I had a Legolas. The Legolas and Roadeo have the same tubing for top and seat tubes, fork blades and chain stays. The Legolas downtube is slightly heavier at    .7/.5/.7    vs   .65/.45/65 for the Roadeo.

jim m

walnut creek ca

 

[Patrick Moore]

Well, that’s not my impression, and I emphasize impression. As I said, the Ram was more staid than my customs (26” wheels) and the Roadeo feels very like them. And that wasn’t due to build or setup or wheels or tires; both bikes are much the same wrt contact points and body position, and the Ram actually had lighter wheels with Open Pros, and with Paris Roubaix 30 mm tires similar to the Stampede Passes. 

Again, no science went into making this conclusion. But since others have said or suggested the same thing, I guess it’s not all merely in my head.

Be that as it may — it’s a very minor point compared to just riding the bikes — I rode the Rodeo to church today and it continues to delight. But dammit, I have to get rid of the 18-20 gap and the even worse 18-16 gap; both are very annoying, the latter more than the former, when I am riding into slight headwinds or up slight inclines. (And never in a thousand lifetimes will  I use a 50X11 or 50 X 12, and even 50 X 13 is higher than I need; a 50X14 or 98” — 27 1/3” wheel — is plenty high.)

More rambling: I really don’t need STI; I just don’t shift that much — I like pedaling at different torque levels and cadences — but man, it works wonderfully, tho’ I’m still a bit confused on-the-spot about which lever moves the chain up or down. The last indexing I used was 7 speed DA on the Ram, but that was with a bodged together cassette — it didn’t shift very precisely so I switched to friction; and 7 speed XT, entirely stock circa 1992, didn’t shift very precisely either. The only indexed shifting comparable, besides a rented 9-sp mountain bike on one trip, was 7 speed dt shifter Uniglide on a 1989 Falcon, which also was unerringly precise - just snick, snick, snick. One more ramble and I’ll unramble: big 27”+ wheels with supple and plush 32 mm tires at 50/55 f/r are smooth!

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[Ben Miller]

Leah asked: "But Ben, did ya slap any colorful parts on those bikes?" Well, I do have a blue anodized Paul Funky Monkey on the Orange Roadeo to add some interesting contrast. The Green Ram has a green ano Son Edelux plus a few other bits here and there. But no, nothing quite like your builds! 

And there are TWO sheep on the RBW water bottles, one on each side. So I think the mystery is solved! One is a Cheviot and the other a Rambouillet! Haha

[Patrick Moore]

You may be right; I speak only of my own Roadeo, bought second or third hand (but very little used); I don’t know if it was customized in some way. But OTOH, I’ve ridden scores if not hundreds of bikes over 65 years and I’ve got a pretty well calibrated seat-on-saddle for this sort of difference. 

On Sun, Oct 26, 2025 at 7:45 AM Zachary Cannon <zsca...@gmail.com> wrote:

… t I do feel that some of the judgments may be premature and that the custom nature of Roadeos will made generalizations about the Roadeo vs. other Roadeos/Rambouillets/Romuluses/LongLows/Customs a bit difficult. 

[Patrick Moore]

Sorry, that should read, “by 1 cm” — I took a 1 cm spacer from under the stem and put it on top of the stem; so bar is about 1/2” lower that before. Today’s ride amply confirmed improvement in “balance” of rider on bike. Lovely.

The 5 mm spacer still sits under the 1 remaining sub-stem 1 cm spacer, just on top of the top headset cup.

On Fri, Oct 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

… At any rate, reducing bar height by 5 mm immediately made me feel more balanced; saddles in all cases are the same models, same setback, same height, and same distance from tips of brake hoods. 

[Chris Fly]

I'd be curious to ride a Roadeo at some point.. been mildly interested in a Roadini, but I guess not enough to hit the buy button.. had an orange Ram (was a bit of grail bike for me) a couple years ago and never got used to it, even though it should have been my size it still felt a bit long (and maybe low, but more long).. 

also, I just can't imagine a go-fast drop bar bike without STI shifters.. the only bike I have that doesn't have them is my Hilsen and I've thought several times of putting them on (have indexed bar ends now).. ridden a couple bikes with DT shifters (and RB2 for one) and have zero use for them.. but I didn't grow up on them, so YMWV..