Finally, a Roadeo!

[C B]

Hi All — Back in June I posted an ad here looking for a 61cm Roadeo. I have owned at least one Rivendell model since 2003 or so — a Romulus (my first and I still have it), two Toyo-era Atlantises at different times, and a Legolas — and have wanted to try a Roadeo for several years. Based on my ad here, I was able to connect with James in Santa Barbara, and drove up from LA to buy his Waterford-made Roadeo frame and fork. I had wanted a Nobilette-built frame but given that Waterford has closed its doors, I like that connection to the cycling past.

I now have it built up and have put several hundred miles on it. I wanted it to be a “modern” club racer (the stated purpose of the bike when it came out), so I used Campagnolo Chorus 12 speed, one of the last higher-end mechanical, rim brake groupsets. Roval stem, seatpost, and wheels. TRP brakes. Ritchey WCS alloy handlebar. Inni Cycle threaded headset that allows me to use a 1 1/8 threadless stem (I’m an inveterate stem swapper so prefer the ease of changing with threadless). Currently using Ultradynamico Cava Race 33mm tires with latex tubes. I also have these semi-ridiculous, virtually weightless carbon bottle cages on as a sort of bike nerd joke.

The verdict, no surprise, is I love the Roadeo. I am using it for my group road rides (usually 18-ish mph pace over 40-50 miles) and solo fitness rides. I’m often the only steel bike in a group of 40-50 riders, which is fun. I’m pleased with how light it is for a big steel bike — a hair under 20 pounds ready to ride with bottle cages. Once I add my Garmin computer, front and rear lights, seat pack (tube, CO2, multitool), and bell it’s still under 22 pounds. This is with alloy rims, and alloy stem and handlebar. I am not weight-obsessed by any means, but I do like the feeling of a light steel bike.

I appreciate that Rivendell focuses on the “un-racer” side of riding, and I’ve been using the Roadeo to accompany my son on his ride to elementary school (flip flops work fine on clipless pedals). But sometimes riding as fast and as hard as you can until your body is screaming at you to stop can be a lot of fun as well, and I’ve been having a blast on the Roadeo doing that on occasion.

Thanks to James for responding to my ad and looking forward to many more miles on the Roadeo.

[P W]

I’ll be honest, I absolutely love that!

So nice to see a go fast Riv.

You did a great job on a really unexpected build, too.

Nailed your intentions, I would say. 10/10. No notes. Etc.

P. W.

~

(917) 514-2207

~

On Aug 29, 2024, at 4:55 PM, 'C B' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

40yahoo.com.

[Ryan]

Normally. I prefer silver components on my own bikes...but I've seen some builds where the murder look rocks. This bike is one of them. And I think that black carbon cage is really elegant ...unlike many fugly ones I've seen.

But like they say on the cooking shows...it's all in the taste, and clearly this Roadeo is a hit.

I'll beat Bill to it and APPROVE!

[Mike Godwin]

Hmmm, 61 cm white Roadeo with blue accent, from James in Santa Barbara?  From Redwood City to Nipomo, to San Luis Obispo, to Barnstable area Massachusetts, to San Luis Luis Obispo, to Santa Barbara, to LA.  When I got the bike the first time, it had a similar black 105 crank and black FD and RD. Its a partial boomerang bike, well travelled for sure. 

Mike "currently no Rivs" SLO CA

[Craig Bessenger]

Glad to know that history — it’s survived those travels remarkably well!  I was conflicted about the black components and generally prefer silver as well, but I wanted 12-speed, rim brake, mechanical components and that rules out silver.  The only silver rim brake road components from the big 3 I know of that are still available new are 11-speed Shimano 105 (not sure if it’s all NOS or still being made but silver R7000 is out there) and 11-speed Centaur (silver becoming harder to find, and silver Potenza has been discounted)   Interestingly, SRAM has incorporated more silver into its latest Red groupset, which is probably just an inevitable swing of the pendulum back in that direction (but still electronic and disk brake).  In any event, I think with the white frame, saddle, and bar tape, the black components work fine.  I’m still not crazy about the look of the Chorus crank, but I do like the gearing (48/32) and the shifting is excellent.  

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 29, 2024, at 6:39 PM, Mike Godwin <spoke...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hmmm, 61 cm white Roadeo with blue accent, from James in Santa Barbara?  From Redwood City to Nipomo, to San Luis Obispo, to Barnstable area Massachusetts, to San Luis Luis Obispo, to Santa Barbara, to LA.  When I got the bike the first time, it had a similar black 105 crank and black FD and RD. Its a partial boomerang bike, well travelled for sure. 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/wozCfx9828k/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/fa2dbf06-51c0-4dc6-91d0-48af10f74442n%40googlegroups.com.

[Stephen]

Wow, excellent! I also really like the look of the black components. I was feeling tempted recently by a roadeo on sale here but since i have my lightweight ram I felt like it would be too similar. I do wonder how different the frames would feel and what the weight differences are. Anyways well done, now i want to go ride my road bike!

[John Dsvidson]

That’s a super looking bike. The black just seems to go with that white and blue

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/8B29CDF4-3882-448F-90A0-A5F12BAC2555%40gmail.com.