Ride differences between Bombadil and Appaloosa

[Jason Fuller]

I know some of you are already chuckling, assuming my eyes are already wandering towards a new project after only seven months on the Bombadil... well fair, but mostly I am just looking to do my due diligence given that a) Appa's are about to be available in Mermaid and b) at some point soon, I'd be spending decent money on a liquid paint job and a few small braze-on additions that the Joe already has.  

I assume the two bikes ride pretty similarly and weigh pretty similar amounts (the Bombadil, while a burlier bike in theory, is also Waterford build with probably lighter tubing than Grant would use today), in which case I'd stay with the Bombadil.  But my main use-case of the Bombadil, especially in the future, is longer distance commuting (90%+ paved). So if the Appa was noticably quicker and more comfortable, that would be very interesting to me. I realize both are a bit overkill for that purpose, but I want to keep it versatile for hauling stuff and has to be 650B due to the expensive wheelset I just built. Mostly, I just want to initiate a comparison discussion! 

New paint would be either palm green / sand green VW bus colours (dark olive green, and greenish-beige head tube and details), or flat grey with cream headtube. Additions would be M6 rear rack mounts like the Appa has, internal tail light routing, and triple bottle bosses on seat tube. 

[nus...@gmail.com]

Not to hijack this thread (sorry, Jason!), but I've been pondering a similar question in light of the soon-to-be-available Appaloosas: how different is the ride between my Toyo Atlantis and a new long-chainstay Appaloosa? My uses would be similar to Jason's--mostly around-town riding with some gravel/single-track thrown in for good measure--so I'm hopeful that my question isn't too far afield!

Andrew in Denver

[Chris L]

I've had similar thoughts about my 1st run Hunqapillar vs the Appaloosa or the new 55 cm Atlantis.  From what I remember reading over the years, I think the old Hunqapillars and Bombadils are probably quite a bit lighter in weight than the Appaloosa and new Atlantis.  I remember seeing numbers like "0.8 straight gauge" for the Bombadil and the Hunqapillar is supposed to be very similar to the Bombadil in tubing.  OTOH, Will sent me the specs on the Appaloosa tubing and it's thick, with several 1.x numbers in there.  

In theory, the 54 Appaloosa should ride almost identically to my 54 Hunqapillar with the the exception of the chainstay length.  I would love to ride them back-to-back.  

I've thought about picking up a 55 Atlantis frameset when they come back next year, but I've pretty much decided that if I did, I would hold on to my Hunqapillar until I had some time on the Atlantis, and then I would decide which one to keep.  Old Hunqapillars and Bombadils are not not easy to come by.

[Bones]

Jason, you had a Clem, correct? How does the Bombadil compare to that? I've never ridden a Bombadil, but compared to my Clem H (59), my Appaloosa (62 2TT) always felt lighter, quicker and more roadish. I never actually compared their weight. In my mind the Clem always felt like it belongs primarily off the road and the Appaloosa on the road. So that's how I always had them set up. That said, I'm a pretty slim dude and I'm sure I could ride an Appaloosa as rough as I'd like without worrying about it breaking. I dig the long chainstays, and I'd bet the Appaloosa would be an improvement for the type of riding you are doing with it. If you need a 54cm or larger its a moot point though, 700c only. Also, I had a 62 2TT Hillborne and that felt almost identical to the Appaloosa, maybe a hair more responsive.

Bones

[Addison Quarles]

Wow, that bombadil is beautiful! 

I will be watching this thread as I’ve liquidated some things to get the cash necessary to buy an Appaloosa next month, and am always interested in being further talked into something I’ve already decided. 

[Joe Bernard]

The short version - having owned that Bombadil for a very short time and an Appaloosa longer - is nope! I don't think they feel exactly the same but I wouldn't say one is significantly faster or more comfortable than the other. The only reason I can think of to move on to an Appa is if you have a strong affection for the long stays (I do). Or you just like the Mermaid color and want a new Riv. That's also a good reason! 

Joe Bernard

[brendonoid]

I wish I could help on the comparisons but I have never ridden a Bombadil.

RE: the tubing differences. The Appa (all current 'silver' tubed Rivs) have the single butted tubes so I can only assume they are heavier by whatever fraction that entails. I too suspect the Waterford built rivs are going to be lighter purely because of the tubing options.

I feel like  you should just buy the Appa because you like the colour. Do the comparison yourself then pass on whichever bike you like the least? let us all know your thoughts with lots of photos etc!

Appa would be a damn fine commuter.

[Jason Fuller]

Thanks for the responses, between feedback here and off-list conversations with the right people I have full confidence that the Bombadil is the better fit between the two for me - or, at least, there'd be as many drawbacks as benefits if I went to an Appaloosa. 

Sorry to a certain someone who is in line if I ever sell it :)