Gus & Susie/Wolbis "Ride Feel" contribution thread

[ant ritchey]

Hey folks. I was lucky enough to be part of the Rivelo-Grant-Hillibike meet up yesterday.

I have been lightly discussing the XL Susie in an email thread with other list members but thought I'd bring it here since I had the good fortune of being part of the event. My review won't be a super well-written one. It may also not be the most linear recollection of facts/feelings but I thought to get a thread going based on actual rider experience with the new batch of Rivs, being that they're now available for pre-order. Here's my quick recap to get things started:

I rode the XL Susie. The bike had 29x2.8" knobbies which felt super plush, PSI unknown. I really expected the big long bike to "start up" a little slower but that was not the case! I spun a few blocks around Rivelo; jumped some curbs and whatnot. The bike felt quick. I did not take note of chainring size/ cassette spread but I did have the bike in highest gear rather quickly. I also thought the front end would feel way more stretched out but it did not. The bike had Billie bars and what seemed like a 90/100mm quill stem. I'd have preferred something of the flatter/more MTB-ey variety and maybe a 110mm stem. I'd have REALLY preferred to be able to ride some trails, some steep ups & downs but hey- I was happy to have the opportunity to ride one and rap with Grant a bit about the bike.

For the those "maximum rubber" types out there like myself - with the 2.8" Teravail knobby tire, still plenty of room to go bigger. I'd guess a 3" would fit without issue, maybe larger. I could fit my index finger almost up to the first knuckle on either side at the chainstays where clearances were tightest. Seatstay & fork crown: clearance for days. Not trying to undermine any one or thing jhere; just sayin' that if I get one of these bikes I'll definitely be trying to go for 3".

All in all the bike felt excellent. I haven't ridden a Jones or Big Dummy. I have owned several RIv's and vintage MTB's with longer chainstays but this was my first experience with a 50cm+ chainstay and it felt really, really good. No one can argue with you if you simply don't love the look of the long-chainstay-ed bicycle. If you think Grant's being ridiculous (and I'm guessing most of the haters haven't ridden the long chainstay iterations of the newer Riv models), you should really try one with your pretenses aside. These really are fantastic riding bikes.

[Mark Schneider]

Thanks for your impressions. Tire selection is the one area I'm totally unsure about.I'm fine with a 2.5-2.8 size but I wonder if anyone makes a "supple" tire in that range. Many of the tires come in around 1000 grams which seems a bit much.(I ordered a large Susie Slug)So I'll be on 29inch wheels.

Mark

Pescadero

[Deacon Patrick]

Mark, I've riden 2.8" Nobby Nics for roughly 9 months and found them to be far more supple than I thought they would be. See: https://deaconpatrick.org/i-get-a-grip-while-the-aspen-bloom (and my initial impressions remain true after 9 months of riding, including 500+ miles of loaded bikepacking and near daily trail riding.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Clayton.sf]

Bontrager Chupacabra is quite supple too. 

Clayton Scott

SF, CA