I got a new Clem!

[Joe Bernard]

The mid-to-later-life crisis continues! I've headed this butternut Clem H direction a few times, and always seem to end up somewhere else. Recently Riv had a couple 52cm frames on the Specials page, and I almost jumped then but no. Then Alex Wirth from Yellow Haus posted some Riv completes he has in stock, and I started ruminating about this model being discontinued soon and..well..enjoy!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UPMcxsi2fDJcB1dg9

Joe "ah geez, I better try to sell more stuff" Bernard
Novato CA.

[WETH]

Congratulations, Joe! That color looks great. Will this be a candidate for another e-conversion?
Enjoy the ride!
Erl

[Joe Bernard]

Hehe, Erl, I've kinda given up trying to answer that question. I always say I'm not going to do another eRiv, then two months later I'm showing you guys pics of it. So it's a definite maybe 😬

[ctifusion]

Love that color.

[Joe Bernard]

Isn't it awesome? The Saluki used to come in a similar shade (or two..I think I've seen a couple variations on that bike) and I always wanted one.

[RichS]

Joe, congratulations! It's exciting - the color and handlebars make your Clem H scream FUN!

Best, 

Richard 

[Tom Wyland]

Wow, it looks great in that color! I've been on the fence about a mustard H as well. What's your "regular" size for a bike? Just curious how the reach compares with your setup.  I also have the Velo Orange saddle on one of my bikes. 

Tom

[Joe Bernard]

Tom, it's a great color that is just about impossible to show accurately on computer/phone screens. It doesn't even stay the same from living room to outside the front door..inside there's a ton of green showing, then the sun hits and all this yellow pops out! It's a great color that Riv doesn't look to be doing again, so get it now if you find one.

My "normal size" for a not-very-sloping toptube is in the 53-55cm range, but I seem to like crazy long toptubes for pullback bars. With Rivs I think that's the place to look; don't even think about the seattube as long as the saddle isn't completely slammed. My pbh is 79-80 (I've never done a super accurate measurement) and I ride with regular running shoes so add a little height there. The reach with Boscos is bolt-upright even after dropping it since taking those shots, but it feels mellow and cool on this frame. I'll probably be inclined to cut an inch off, but I'm going to resist that a while and use the different hand positions available. Gripping in one spot all day is a habit I'm trying to break.

Oh, another reach comparison, I have a 55 Cheviot with chopped Boscos. It has a bit shorter cockpit, as befits that it's more of a country/road bike; Clem is a mountain bike.

The Velo-Orange saddle came with the bike and I know nothing about it. The plan is to put my ti B17 on, but for the short ride I did yesterday the V-O was pretty nice! I was surprised, I'm notoriously finicky about saddles.

[Joe Bernard]

Edit: Cheviot has chopped Chocos, not Bosco.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NmXCbvDKbxuxwrmL2

[Jon Dukeman,central Colorado]

Joe
I really like the color combo with the saddle and grips.
Clean looking bike😁👋

[Joe Bernard]

Btw, now that I have a bike box with packing materials (excellent job, Alex Wirth at Yellow Haus!) and too many bikes (again), I guess I'm going to try to sell my Chev. I know, I go through bikes faster than Igor..mid-to-later-in-life crisis!

I'll do a proper FS post after I've chatted with one fellow who's already expressed some interest in it, he gets first refusal. Wide-low Sugino double, 105 fd, Deore rd, SunRace thumbie front, Deore RapidFire 9 rear. Velocity 650B rims, Deore LX rear hub, Shimani dynohub, B&M Eyc T light, Conti Double Fighter (?) 2.0 tires, I also have some Fatty Rumpkins and 33mm Speedblends we could discuss.

No saddle (unless you want that nifty V-O), pedals, rack or fenders,
$1900 shipped Bike Flights

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bdru98VnhVifexXc7

Joe "buy high, sell low" Bernard
Novato CA.

[ctifusion]

That's a really good looking Chev.

Brynnar
Indy

[Ed Fausto]

"My pbh is 79-80 (I've never done a super accurate measurement) and I ride with regular running shoes so add a little height there."

Hi Joe, looking at your 55 Cheviot, you may have higher pbh.  I once bought a 55 Cheviot but sold it since I need to shove the seat post all the way down even with my 79.5 pbh.

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[Joe Bernard]

Ed, you're probably right. My saddle height is usually about 70cm, so my pbh may be 81 or 82. Hey, I'm taller! 😋

[Drw]

Ok. I want a report on differences between the lightning bolt, cheviot and Clem (didn’t you already have a mustard Clem?) in non e bike modes. You’re probably the only guy in the world who’s owned all three.

[Joe Bernard]

"You’re probably the only guy in the world who’s owned all three."

True, I didn't think of that! I had a bronzey green Clem L which I sold after ordering the Cheviot cuz who needs two step-throughs then I got the mustard H cuz I always wanted it and this all makes sense right? ;-)

Lightning Bolt: This is the proverbial 'fast bike, slow rider' situation. The low-trail steering was an acquired taste for me..it steers a bit like a folding bike or recumbent, which took my brain a while to accept because it doesn't LOOK like it should. It's very maneuverable and fun, not a bike I think of for just going for a cruise. It has a "let's go!" attitude, and the big brakes and tires accentuate this by making you feel you can ride over anything, then stop on a dime from ridiculous speeds. Hence why it works for me as an ebike.

Cheviot: A road/country bike; lovely thin lugged tubes, gorgeous paint with creamy panels; the way the bike looks and rides makes me wonder why - outside of racing - we ever needed "high-bar bikes" instead of mixtes. If we'd started here everybody would ride them now.

Clem H: It's what Grant thinks it is, a mountain bike. Big-ole tubes, long stays, long cockpit. With Boscos it feels like that old Schwinn ballon-tire cruiser you had as a kid, but lighter, better handling, and with real gears and brakes. Clem is your bombproof post-apocalypse dystopia bike, it will ride over or through anything. Everyone should have one.

I like them all!

[Joe Bernard]

Btw, an addendum to thoughts about the Crust and Clem as relates to a topic on the BOB: I only knew about these bikes for sale because James at Analog and Alex at Yellow Haus - both Riv dealers - posted them here. I didn't even know what a Lightning Bolt WAS 'til James showed it. So there's that.

[Alex Wirth- Owner, Yellow Haus Bicycles]

Thanks Joe!!

First off I'm glad you are digging your Clem...

The bike a grab most often is my Clem L that I bought off this list.

And thanks for chiming in on the dealer posts.  I'm ultra conscientious of making the list a for-sale market....and I'm glad that you're finding stuff here that you might have otherwise not found.

Cheers, 

Alex Wirth

Rochester, NY

[Joe Bernard]

Mo pics of Clem, now with new improved slammed stem and raised ti B17. There's no build to show here - I haven't even done the inevitable racks 'n' bags yet - but I hardly ever see pics of mustard Clems so here ya go.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bbLThFy31qqZkc148

I did back-to-back rides on Clem and Chev today and they're both spectacular bicycles. I like the differences, which I delineated earlier: Clem is a big bruiser of a bike that would be hard to out-do as a town basher/trail bike; Cheviot is all delicacy and lightness and grace. Good bikes!

[R Shannon]

Joe, thanks for your concise Clem/Chev comparison. Have to say though your Clem looks pretty lithe here and less of a “bruiser”.

All the best,
Rich



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[Joe Bernard]

Good point, Rich. I guess I'm comparing directly to the Cheviot and Crust, both of which have itty-bitty tubes. In a world of downhillers and fatbikes...not such a bruiser! ;-)

[R Shannon]

Joe,

I have a bit of Cheviot envy too. Your description of the Chev stokes that feeling. But with three Rivs already in my bike room . . .

All the best,
Rich

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 2, 2018, at 10:10 PM, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Good point, Rich. I guess I'm comparing directly to the Cheviot and Crust, both of which have itty-bitty tubes. In a world of downhillers and fatbikes...not such a bruiser! ;-)
>

[Joe Bernard]

Rich, the Cheviot is soooo nice. I've put myself in the proverbial 'too many bikes, not enough cash' boat again, but I'm leaning towards keeping the Chev anyway. It's easy to say a bike is for sale when you haven't ridden it lately, but yesterday I rode it. So nice!

[Ash]

Congrats Joe!

That tan saddle looks surprisingly cool on butternut frame!!

[Joe Bernard]

Thanks Ash! Just back from a ride and I have a new Clem note, same as my old Clem L note: This thing really picks up momentum and holds it. I'm an ebike guy and know well the sensation of easing off the pedals and the bike kinda just keeps going..this does that. No idea why and my Cheviot doesn't duplicate it. Hey Grant, where'd you hide the motor?? ;-)

[ian m]

I'll never forgive Riv for not offering this color in the first Clem run. I had considered painting the two bikes I had prior to my Clem "banana slug yellow", then I jumped on the Clem pre-order as I had longed for a Riv but could never afford one before Clem arrived. It looked too nice to consider repainting, plus that turquoise is a great shade. But then they bring out basically the exact color I wanted in the same frame?!?! It's enough to drive you mad

[Joe Bernard]

That turquoise is pretty sweet though. I saw one at RBW a couple years ago - Bike Snob book day, I think - with blue chainring bolts and it was so cool! Hey, remember when Clem was supposed to be rattle-canned urban bike??

[Marc P]

Congratulations Joe! Pretty bike. Love the butternut. That is the color of my Joe App. It's a beautiful color. Happy trails friend, Marc

[Ash]

Hi Joe,  I remember you had owned Appaloosa at some point.  How are these two bikes different?  

I've been secretly thinking of snatching a Clem H with bent seat stays, if it ever shows up FS.  For some reasons that bent seat stay looks incredibly cool to me!

[Joe Bernard]

Ash, my memory will be a little vague on this, but I'd say the differences are mostly aesthetics and weight. They're both long-stay touring-ish trail-ish Rivs; with your extra cash paying for lugs, cream cutouts, and slightly lighter tubing. And a very cool fork crown on the joe.

So why did I sell the joe then end up with a Clem? Some questions do not have logical answers, my friend ;-)

[Joe Bernard]

New pic to show off rackage and accidental bag matching. I tossed these bags on at the last minute for a quick ride and it turns out just about anything matches mustard! The black and orange with the cruiser bars gives it a bit of a Harley vibe. Chopper, baby!

[Joe Bernard]

[Joe Bernard]

Clem, Black Commuter Bags Edition. Ortlieb trunk bag, Road Runner Co-Pilot. No e-kit, I don't think that's happening this time. I still have one on a folding bike, but it was really more of a need/want when I lived on bigger hills in Vallejo. The stock/Grant gearing on this bike is perfect for the rides around here.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/n5uKfWfyoJ5o5LJo6

[Doug H.]

The black looks great with the Mustard frame. What are the pedals and grips you are using?

Doug

[Joe Bernard]

Hi Doug, grips are Ergon GP-1 Small, MKS Sylvan Touring pedals.

I've switched the thumbshifters to outside the bars to use rear indexing, but the location interferes with using the tops of the curves as a "hoods" riding position. The right/rear shifter will shortly be replaced with a vintage XTR trigger a listmember sold me, and the left thumbie - which doesn't get much use and doesn't need to be close to the grip - will move forward to below the curve. Boscos have three positions; rear, curves and flats; and I'm crowding the curves at the moment.