Need advice for first bike

[Sam Scoville]

I am a complete novice. I've always enjoyed riding bicycles casually, but have never had one that fit me properly. I'm 6',2" about 170 lbs. I live in coastal South Carolina. I decided to fix that and went to my local bike shop to buy or order a single speed Townie cruiser but ended up buying a Townie Path 9d, which is basically a cruiser with 9 gears and disc breaks and straightish handle bars. I found that I absolutely love riding the bike and my butt gets sore long before my legs ever do. 

This led me to youtube, pathless pedal, Rivendells, Velo Orange, henry wildeberry, then Jan Heine and his book, which I have now read.

First and foremost, I want to have fun and I think going faster and further would be fun. I like to dream of bike touring or credit card touring, but I don't see this as likely in the near future. 

So, I think I want a steel drop bar bike with wider 650b wheels. I have a rack and basket on my cruiser and like the idea of a rando bag for carrying some stuff like lunch, layers, etc. This would primarily be for paved surfaces, a little gravel.

I've been researching the Crust bolt (I'd enjoy just having one of these on my wall in champagne) , bombora, and Rivendell Rambouillet. 

Can y'all give me some advice? On the one hand, these bikes look cool, on the other hand, I think it's probably foolish to pursue these as a first bike, especially since I will probably not be able to test ride any beforehand. 

Thanks for the help.

[Greg Achtem]

“ I've been researching the Crust bolt (I'd enjoy just having one of these on my wall in champagne) , bombora, and Rivendell Rambouillet.”

Out of those bikes, Crust Lightning Bolt canti version. IMNSHO

[daxo potato]

get the lightning bolt. if you have regrets they are easy to re-sell.

in your research, did you learn about "N+1" ? just get the lightning bolt if you are drawn to it, you can always buy more bikes later.

Dave n+2 in NY

On Tue, May 7, 2024, 23:54 Greg Achtem <greg....@gmail.com> wrote:

“ I've been researching the Crust bolt (I'd enjoy just having one of these on my wall in champagne) , bombora, and Rivendell Rambouillet.”

Out of those bikes, Crust Lightning Bolt canti version. IMNSHO

> On May 7, 2024, at 19:15, Sam Scoville <j.sam.s...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I've been researching the Crust bolt (I'd enjoy just having one of these on my wall in champagne) , bombora, and Rivendell Rambouillet.

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[Sam Weinberg]

sam, i'll disagree about the lightning bolt. here's why:

the lightning bolt is a very 'randonneuring' geometry with long fork rake and odd entry angles to corners. i've ridden a lot of bikes in my life and wouldn't put a novice on my bolt due to the odd feel of steering. riding no handed is tricky, even with a loaded front end, the flop over point comes late, and on bike paths it's kinda cumbersome. 

my wife rides a bombora which i think is a better all around platform on the 650b size. with road geometry (and adjustable rake if you find a frame with the enve fork), i think it would feel better as a first time bike. they handle bike paths better, ride moderate dirt trails, and accommodate 48c tires with fenders where to bolt maxes at 42c with fenders. its going to ride like a road bike and road bikes are easy everywhere. the only draw back is the single chainring design, but these days it's pretty easy to find cranks and cassettes to suit. mechanical disc brakes will most certainly be easier to maintain and adjust without experience and you won't be trapped in a world of shrinking rim brake options like some of us. 

in summary, the bombora will do everything the lightning bolt can, but with better entry-level handling, modern features, more adaptability, and more accessibility to parts in the future. if you walked into my shop, i'd put you on a bombora no problem.

- sam

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[Sam Weinberg]

le sigh, now i'm down the black hole of swapping my lightning bolt to a bombora ... taking soft offers on a V1 61cm cantilever lightning bolt in champagne. probably including brakes and the dura ace 7900 downtube shifters that i spent months sourcing, maybe even the wheels with my beloved 7400 hubs. kill me now. 

[Sam Scoville]

I first thought N+1 was a style of bike. But yes, I am now familiar. 

Thank you. 

[Kevin M]

I would suggest that you go visit your local bike shops and test ride a bunch of bikes. Maybe rent or borrow some for a half day and go on some long rides. Wheel size and frame material are just a couple factors that affect the total package. The most important thing is that you gel with your new bike, and as some other people have mentioned, low-trail bikes just don't gel with some people. If you are new to drop bar bikes, it will take some time to find a bike that fits right as your body adapts to the new riding posture.  

650b bikes gained popularity when a lot of mainstream bike makers weren't focusing as much on comfort and practicality, but that has mostly changed with the rise of gravel bikes. 

[Cary Weitzman]

On 2024-05-08 9:36 a.m., Sam Weinberg wrote:
> the lightning bolt is a very 'randonneuring' geometry with long fork
> rake and odd entry angles to corners. i've ridden a lot of bikes in my
> life and wouldn't put a novice on my bolt due to the odd feel of
> steering. riding no handed is tricky, even with a loaded front end,
> the flop over point comes late, and on bike paths it's kinda cumbersome.
>

This won't be a particularly helpful addition to the conversation, but
this is really an instance where Your-Mileage-May-Vary comes into play:

I experience none of this on my medium Gen1 Canti-Bolt. To me, the
steering is a little bit quicker, that's all. I've ridden it without a
front load and a larger saddlebag for the entire time I've had it (Feb
2019).

My takeaway is that reaction to Trail is yet another of those cycling
related things that are very personal, and the only way to know is to
try. The Canti-Bolt is a great bike and if you're interested it would be
worth your while to seek a out a low trail bike to test ride, and not
write it off because other people haven't gotten along with them.


Cary
PTBO.ON.CA

[Ian A]

https://groups.google.com/g/650b/c/6sLxCX6-P0k

That frame would probably fit you, but it would mean doing a complete build and would be costly. Also, rim brake 650b means limited options when it comes to rims/wheelsets, but what a bike it would be.

IanA

[darkg...@gmail.com]

If you read Jan Heine's book and thought "I want a bike like that", I don't think the Bombora is the way to go. Definitely not the carbon forked version.

Can't say I understand or agree with any of the criticisms offered for the LB. I came from a relatively similar place as you, although I've been a long-term rider on a 90s MTB set up for touring and commuting. Had a Riv Clem Smith and very much did not like it and almost completely stopped riding for a couple of years. Decided what I wanted was to do some spirited road riding and looked around before ultimately deciding on the LB this past January. I've been familiar with BQ for years but didn't actually read Jan's book until after having this bike, so that didn't influence my decision, but I do like how well it represents the ideas in the book.

This is my first proper drop bar road bike (had a cheap one 20 years ago while in college) and as a "novice" roadie have had zero issues with steering or handling. I do get a bit of shimmy at speed but the knee on the top tube trick nulls it and I can coast no-handed with ease, not that the ability to ride with no hands is particularly important to me. I've always run a front load on my bikes and I really like the lack of wheel flop with low trail. It feels super stable and planted on fast descents and is overall a joy to ride long distances on road and the many local rail-to-trail options, never even remotely approaching "cumbersome".

Overall I think it's always best to decide what is important to you in a bicycle and not put too much weight into opinions from internet strangers. But don't count out the bikes you're looking for being "not entry level".

[Josiah Anderson]

I agree with Cary, low-trail weirdness is very subjective. Scores of new cyclists rode low-trail bikes in the 70s bike boom (Motobecanes, Peugeots, etc) and before that in France and elsewhere too, and they were fine. Most of the complaints I've heard about low trail bikes are from experienced riders whose body language on the bike is firmly calibrated for bike handling that requires more forceful inputs. 

I rode my canti Lightning Bolt to work this morning (about two miles, on low- to no-traffic streets) 97% hands-free while eating a bowl of oatmeal. The handling certainly works for me. I think the Lightning Bolt is a great bike, and as others have said, if you try it and it doesn't work for you, resale value should be quite good. Good luck with your decision, and welcome to the list!

Josiah Anderson 

Missoula MT 

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[randal...@gmail.com]

Your tastes and needs may change, but it sounds like you're new and unsettled without much preference. Buy the one you're most excited about and think that you will like the best.

At separate times years apart - I went all in on putting together a fixed gear and then later a low-trail 650b Jan Heine Rando machine. I was thousands of dollars into the bikes without ever having ridden either type before and from the first pedal stroke I loved each one. 

It really sounds like you want the Lightning Bolt in Champagne - a bike you enjoying looking at it as important as a bike you enjoy riding. The former is much more likely to bring about the latter. 

What a beauty:

Randall Daniels

Rome, GA

[Sam Scoville]

I saw that and I'm familiar with Fitz via Henry Wildeberry's channel. 

On Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 12:42:00 PM UTC-4 Ian A wrote:

[Tracy Hruska]

Hi Sam,

As a qualifier, I am not a serious bike nerd, which probably sets me apart from most of the people in this group. I'm also not wealthy. Due to that combination of factors, my taste in bikes does not run particularly far toward the custom/expensive/weird end of the spectrum. I don't have a problem with big company, off-the-shelf bikes by default (though would certainly urge you to tailor your bike to fit your own body, style, and tastes once you have it). I rode old steel road bikes purchased off CraigsList for many years, including on century rides. I did spend money to improve on an old Trek 520 only to find I didn't actually like the geometry. When I moved to a town with a lot of logging roads and little good road biking, I started hunting for a gravel bike. I like steel (functionality and cost) and wanted disk brakes because I'm a small giant and have never been impressed by the stopping power of canti brakes, particularly on steep descents in the rain (which abound here).  I bought a Surly Midnight Special and have been extremely happy with it. I've done a little bikepacking, for which I use both a Swift front bag with rack and some panniers on a rear rack. Given the hills around here, I do wish I had a 2x drivetrain instead of a 1x, though in general I prefer the 1x simply because of the simplicity (FYI Jamis' Renegade comes in several comparatively affordable steel options, including with 2x drivetrains, and was favorably reviewed on PLP).

I'm not trying to steer you toward a Midnight Special or any other bike so much as encouraging you to consider production bikes that you can actually find in your local bike shops and test ride before you buy them. It'll be your first bike of this type. Don't spend thousands of dollars on something you can't even get your hands on first, especially if you would also have to go through the trouble of building it up before you could test ride it.

Yes, I know my opinions are not likely to receive widespread agreement on this forum.

Tracy Hruska

Astoria, OR (soon to be Oulu, Finland)

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[Sam Scoville]

darkgizzard -

What size is your Bolt? I ordered the B. Quarterly with the Bolt review a few days ago (the shipping cost caught me by surprise!) but I haven't received it yet. I

I called Crust this afternoon to see if they could recommend a builder in my area and I spoke to Garret and he explained they could build it and ship it so we discussed some of this. He owns several of their bikes, including a bolt, but not a Bombora. He thought I would be happy with several of their models, including these. Towards the end of our conversation I mentioned that I love the 27.5 x 2.4 tires on my current bike and he suggested I remove the Bolt from my list based on the fact that I can put wider tires on the Bombora. It sounds like the Bombora is more versatile, but I appreciate all of the feedback I'm getting here. RIght now, I plan to have Crust build it for me, whichever I go with. 

Also, color, for what it's worth. I'll be limited to the sea green in the bolt. I don't love the lilac of the bombora and Garret said they may have some XL Bombora's in Sea monster green somewhere. I like the sea green of the bolt best, but the color is the least of my concerns.

From my limited internet research, it seems more people sell their Bolts than Bomboras.

[alight]

I only own one bike and it most closely resembles the lightning bolt, so I'd have to go with that. I instantly liked low trail, even with no front load. I carry groceries and work stuff in the front bag and have a tubus lowrider for additional touring gear. It's really amazing how well the bike handles with 30lbs on the front; of course the handling varies depending on the load, but it works very well for me.

[adem....@gmail.com]

> Can y'all give me some advice? On the one hand, these bikes look cool, on the other hand, I think it's probably foolish to pursue these as a first bike, especially since I will probably not be able to test ride any beforehand.

I say this as the very happy owner of a Crust Romanceur: I'm going to advise you NOT to buy a Crust, or Riv, or any other bespoke-small-batch-$$$$$ bike for your first "real bike".

I've seen too many Crusts for sale online (usually decked out in all the trendiest color-matched Paul and Nitto and Rene Herse and White Industries and Chris King parts) with descriptions like "Bought two years ago, only put 100 miles on it". It's basically a meme at this point; it's the "baby shoes, never worn" of bike sales. I think a lot of people set themselves up for disappointment when they get a bike that hits all the instagram trends or looks like it's straight out of the pages of BQ, but it doesn't magically grant them effortless BQ adventures or inspire them to ride more often.

Do not try to make your first bike THE PERFECT bike. Do not try to make it your FOREVER BIKE. Accept that you are going to make some dumb and regretful component decisions when you don't know any better. Understand that your tastes and opinions are going to change as your riding ramps up. Get a bike at a price point that won't hurt when you figure out what you actually want out of a bike and decide to get rid of your first one. Get a bike that you can test ride and see if it seems to fit or not. Get a bike that you aren't going to feel bad about putting an "ugly" stem on, if that's what you've gotta do to alter the fit to make it more comfortable to ride longer durations and distances. Once you understand how you like your bikes to fit, THEN you can start buying objet d’art bike frames online with only a geo chart table to reference.

-Adem

[Pat Smith]

Go to a local bike shop and test ride a few gravel bikes and buy the one that best fits you that you enjoyed riding. Something off the rack that you will have a local bike shop for support. Something like a Jamis Renegade or Surly or Salsa. 

Then if you like it customize it to hell or buy a new bike and make it just the way you want. 

Smitty in DC

[Michael Wong]

I’ve had multiple low trail bikes, have one now, and while I agree the steering is unique, unmistakeable in fact, it’s not so radical as to be dangerous. 

That said, it’s intended to be front loaded. I prefer a higher trail bike when unloaded. In fact, I prefer a lower rake bike when unloaded.

But I say check out a Norco Search S2. It’s a great value and I’ll bet it rides smoother than the Crusts. If you get 105, more affordable. Better yet, Fairlight Secan.

If you’re committed to quick steering, I’d take

an Endpoint over Crust. Bomb and Romancer are fine, latter more stylish, but the Night Moves and Hunter Gatherer seem much better value.

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[Ian A]

The Fairlight offerings are very 

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[Ian A]

The Fairlight offerings are very impressive. Don't forget Black Mountain Cycles too. 

IanA

[Andy G]

Maybe at least not as a new frame/bike. I've bought several similar frames for $300-600 or full bikes for $1000-1200 used, and kept them for several/many years. This 650b list and some other places have somewhat frequent bikes for sale, as does facebook/craigslist/ebay.

I'm somewhere north of 50,000 miles ridden in my lifetime and still set up each new bike a little differently, so I gave up on landing on a forever bike a long time ago!

Andy

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[satanas]

IMHO the OP should definitely test ride some sort of low trail bike before splashing out lots of cash on one sight unseen. He may get on with it fine, but if not it's much better to find that out before risking blowing the cash *and* being frustrated with the bike. Some claim that one becomes accustomed, but thousands of km later that didn't happen for me; YMMV.

TL;DR: Some people like low trail, but others do not: "Do you feel lucky, punk?"

Later,

Stephen (who'll never voluntarily ride anything low trail again)

[Brian Kavanagh]

I have a newest-gen CantiBolt (yes, champagne size 58) that I've owned for a year now and have over 1250 miles on.  

I built it up with Crust's wheelset (a steal IMO)  and a variety of parts either stashed, CL'ed or purchased new.  I've been through a few handlebars and brake levers and am happiest with the Crust Shaka in 520mm with the TRP SSL levers.  The bike is quick-handling and the wider bars steady it considerably.  

Cornering with the 'Bolt is a different experience than my other bikes, it seems to like a shoulder-forward counter-steering effort like when riding a sport motorcycle.  It's something I do need to remind myself about when entering a curve.  I've had a few episodes of headshake, usually at higher speeds when I sit up or back - more weight on the front end settles it down.  Some episodes may have been due to an improperly adjusted headset - my bad!  While I've taken it on some gravel paths, I would not consider it as a gravel bike, it's too reactive and cantilever brakes just don't cut it compared to disks.  For smooth-to-crummy roads it is nearly perfect :).  It is a supremely comfortable ride, and is also very responsive to putting the pedal down - it accelerates and climbs shockingly well.  

I'll be doing my first (front) loaded camping ride with it this weekend, we shall see how that goes :) - with the full fenders and front tubus rack, campeur rack etc it's getting porky.

Cheers,

Brian

On Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at 6:15:40 PM UTC-7 j.sam.s...@gmail.com wrote:

[Cary Weitzman]

On 2024-05-11 1:29 a.m., Brian Kavanagh wrote:
> I would not consider it as a gravel bike, it's too reactive and
> cantilever brakes just don't cut it compared to disks.

Absolutely, not a gravel bike, even though you do see pictures online of
people riding them that way.

I agree with the first point, it's work to keep the front end steady
when hitting a section of small washboard and bigger rocks just throw
the  wheel to one side. This when riding 650bx42.

On the second point though, I have a set of NOS Shimano BR550 'cross
cantis
(https://www.corleycycles.com/product/2551/shimano-br-r550-cantilever-brake-front/option/),
and paired with the same TRP levers in black, Kool-Stop Mountain pads in
Salmon and a straddle cable that just clears the fenders, the braking is
quite comparable to V-brakes.

I'm very curious as to whether it's the 26x2.3 Rat Trap Passes that Jan
Heine rides on what is essentially the same bike that makes that bike
work for him on demanding gravel courses.

Cary
PTBO.ON.CA

[Andy G]

May not be ideal for rough roots/rocks/jumps, but I've ridden most of my gravel on Rawland rSogn/Stags with 650b set up mostly as a radonneuring style bike (but used primarily for my 10 mile each way commute). 

Depending on what "gravel" means and how you get there, most of my riding involves quite a bit of pavement to link together woodsy trails that has somewhat limited bumps. My front rack bag has a rather robust Tanaka decaleur and has held on well. I used to have fenders on it, but rarely commute in rain anymore so I took those off so it's easier to gravel with it. The other option is a slightly similar Rawland cSogn (also rim brakes, downtube shifters) but fits 2.6" tires with fenders. If I plan to ride some rougher stuff than that bike fares a bit better with big tires - but it's less fun on the longer pavement rides.

Regardless, I'm not sure how many bikes like these are going to be found in stores to test ride. Are any modern bikes low trail? I have a list of classy steel frameset makers but those aren't the kind I've seen in any store. Luckily I've been able to collect these from the email lists over the years at very reasonable prices.

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[Stephen Poole]

Jan is Jan - I'd be reluctant to extrapolate what works for him to myself as it often would/does not. He has his preferences and is articulate about promoting them, but people do differ. Having said that, wider tyres do help when things get rough or sandy, but they don't necessarily need to be 26".

As for brakes, MTBs started off with cantis and most of us who used them - often on quite technical terrain - are still alive! I've never had a problem with cantis (or V-brakes, or dual-pivots) not doing the job, despite all the hype pushed about how discs are the answer to everything. This includes loaded touring in wet weather, both on and off the  road. 

I'd suggest taking any ideas promoted in the cycling media with a grain of salt; they exist largely to foster sales and planned obsolescence.

Later,

Stephen

On Sun, 12 May 2024, 05:58 Cary Weitzman, <weitz...@gmail.com> wrote:

...I'm very curious as to whether it's the 26x2.3 Rat Trap Passes that Jan

[Brad]

First work on finding a seat that fits your bottom.  If you butt hurts before your legs give out and you love the bike, the seat is where you start.   Once you have a comfortable seat, then start looking for something fancier.   Seats are easy to move from bike to bike.  *   I would look for something with rim brakes.  I suspect we are at peak disc.  A technology that has worked well for more than a century will continue to work well.   Ride enough to wear out a rim before you start choosing based on a few feet of extra stopping power and the current state of shop inventory. 

*There could be a whole thread on seat clamp adventures, just like any other bike part you fiddle with.

[Sam Scoville]

I really appreciate everyone’s thoughts and advice. I decided to go forward with the bolt and have placed my order. 

Im going to use the Crust 650b wheel set and I think I’m going to start with ultradynamico cava tires in 48mm, but I haven’t decided which casing. I think im going to go with a single chainring for now. 

Which bars? I’m considering the Crust Nullabar, but I haven’t decided. 

J. Sam Scoville

Sent from my iPhone

On May 11, 2024, at 4:08 PM, Andy G <abg...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Tom Goodmann]

I've also appreciated all of the very informative contributions, and have had my eye on a canti Romanceur, currently out of stock at Crust.  Besides color ways, are there any other differences known between the first and second (or third?) run of these frames?  

Tom

[Brian Kavanagh]

Good to know about those Shimano's and their ability to clear fat fenders.  On the Crust Cantibolt, I am currently running DiaCompe 980's with KoolStop Salmon pads.  They're oooookaaaay - when I consider the brakes in my "fleet", they are superior to vintage Campy Record and inferior to circa 2013 SRAM rim calipers.  Your results may vary, I'm certainly no expert in setting up cantilever brakes.  The SRAM Force hydraulic disc brakes on my Stigmata are in another performance universe altogether - endless one-finger power and modulation for days.  

For the Crust I'm considering getting some Paul Neo Retro's, at least for the front, as the pivot design of the Pauls is not dependent on the precision of the fork's brake posts and should eliminate the slop that is currently there in the pivots.  I don't ride the Crust like the Stig (i.e. like a nut, zooming down steep gravel double track in the pnw rain) so all-in-all the cantis are fine once I adjust my mindset :).  

[adem....@gmail.com]

haha oh boy yes, there have been a ton of changes to the Romanceur over it's lifetime.

I could go into a lot more detail but basically:

• QR disc, straight/lugged seatstay bridge (2016/2017): The OG silver frames, and then the first Mustard version and Root Beer Brown. 50/52/55cm are 8/5/8 and 58/62cm are 9/6/9 tubing, all oversize (28.6TT / 31.8DT). Known weak point at the seatstay/seat tube junction, a lot of 'em cracked here. The fork that came with the silver bikes had the Allotec A13 fork crown, the Mustard and Brown forks came with the Pancenti MTB crown.
• QR disc, curved seatstay bridge (first order summer 2018): Mustard and Black frames. 50/52/55cm are still 8/5/8,  while the 58/62cm are 9/6/9 DT and 8/5/8 TT, all oversize tubing. No lug at the seatstay/seattube cluster, no longer a weak point. Forks with the Crust crown.
• Thru-axle disc and QR canti (late 2020 onward): Turquoise and Salmon disc frames, and Pistachio canti frames. 8/5/8 tubing all around for all sizes, but only the 58/62cm frames are oversize tubing: 50/52/55cm are standard-diameter. Different lugs across the entire frame. 

The Romanceurs of today are different in basically every single detail when you look closely. It's a much lighter-riding frame than the OG ones from 2016/17.

-Adem

[Sam Scoville]

Has anyone tried the Paloma bag from Swift? What are y'all's thoughts on a handle bar bag versus a rack supported bag on a low trail bike?

[darkg...@gmail.com]

I say take advantage of the design and braze-ons and run a rack. Makes a nice place to mount a light if you decide to go with a dynamo system in the future, and your bag wont sway. I'm a basket guy, and I've been using a Swift sugarloaf for a few months and have been liking it so far. There are many options out there for that set up: https://bikepacking.com/index/basket-bags/ but running a classic rando style bag like the Paloma is a great choice too (I'd recommend at least a rack and maybe a decaleur for that). You will get at least as many differing opinions on the subject as you did with the frame

[Sam Scoville]

I'd like to have a rack and bag with a proper decaleur, but the set ups I like are more money than I want to spend on these accessories right now. I have a velo orange rack with a Wald basket on my cruiser and a small handlebar bag (burrito?) on my Townie right now and I like it, but I don't want a basket on this new bike, at least not yet. I like the features of the Paloma, like the way it opens and is held shut and the price with the quick connect is right at $100 right now online. It seems like it will keep the load stable and off of the brake cable. 

[Josh Zielinski]

I agree.  

Go front rack and rando bag (I have a VO one and giant Swift one on a couple bikes--that don't have mounts like LB!) or go with something small and light like Outershell Draw cord Handlebar bag (my new summertime favorite).

The Lightning Bolt is an awesome bike.  I can't imagine having it as a first.  I've been learning what I like by tinkering with mass production frames 650B conversions but something tells me I'll probably do this forever vs step up to nice new frame or custom.  It's fun and affordable.

Have fun, 

Josh

Oregon 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/650b/fceef171-3509-4319-8038-63c43707e805n%40googlegroups.com.

[J]

Reading your opening post, I see that we are the same size ride the same size bike. I really liked the LB when I borrowed one for a week to try out but it was out of stock at the time so I bought a XL/62 canti Romanceur and love it. With a 110mm stem the fit is the best I've ever had on a drop bar bike. On bikes our size, as a matter of aesthetic and functional preference I typically stay away from front racks. It takes a bag of at least 11 inches in height (depending on your stem height) to span the headtube distance from rack base to handlebar and I think short bags sitting down on the rack look as bad as a really tall bag to close the distance. So I use a simple handlebar bag like a Swift bandito/burrito or a bigger Fab's chest/Zeitgeist type handlebar bag with a simple pec deck type support if carrying more things. This has served me well over smooth road and very rough terrain (rides in my area usually includes both) with no issues for the last few years. I've wanted to set up a front rack and rando bag for awhile but every time I search for reference photos for big bikes using a rando bag I'm turned off by the proportions. It's purely my opinion of course and it seems the folks that do it. Maybe moc something up once you get the bike built up so you can see how everything will fit?

[Sam Scoville]

I received my bike about a week and a half ago and it's been so much fun to ride. I've been getting use to the drop bars and the brooks saddle and riding most every evening. I tried to add some earth tones with the saddle and western rattler bar tape, but I can't decide if I'm satisfied with the colors yet. If anyone has suggestions on a color of Newbaum's they think will look good, please chime in. I weighed the bike with a fishing scale and was surprised it showed between 25-26 lbs. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but I assumed it would be more.  My longest ride thus far was 18 miles. 

[Squire Black]

It looks like a really nice bike, and it's great that you have been enjoying your first rides.  I have a couple of suggestions for you that may help to enjoy it more.

I don't know how old you are, or how flexible, but most of us find that having the handlebars at the same level as the saddle, or slightly higher, is more comfortable, especially as we take longer rides.  The lower position that I see in your photos is more aerodynamic, and it's what racers use, but I'm assuming that since your are here in the 650b group, you are more interested in comfort that the ultimate bit of speed.   In any case, since you have a traditional quill stem, and adjusting the handlebar height is just a matter of loosening the bolt at the top of the stem and raising it, so this is something that you can try out for yourself.  If you like the handlebar higher, keep it that way; if not, you can return the bars to the lower position.  

There is a limit to mow much you can raise the 'bar: there needs to be enough stem inserted into the steerer to make good mechanical contact.  Having the handlebars come off in your hands while riding would be a Bad Thing!  If you pull out the stem all the way, and wipe it with a rag, you will see a mark etched with something like "Min insertion depth" or "Max Height": believe the mark!  Put the stem back so that the inscription and the line above it are hidden inside the steerer.

The second thing I noticed is that your saddle is pointed upwards.  Some people like it that way; other like it pointed slightly down.  My personal preference is to make the saddle dead level, because I find that any tilt causes me to slide forward or backwards as I ride, and I have to pull or push with my hands to keep my butt in the right spot on the saddle.  My suggestion here is to experiment a bit to find the spot that is most comfortable for you.  As with the handlebars, it's easy to change the angle a little, and try it out.  If you like that better, move it a little more — you are searching for the "sweet spot".

While speaking about saddle comfort, I'm assuming that you already know about bike-specific shorts and "chamois cream" of some kind — Body  Glide, Assos Chamois Crème, Chamois Butt'r, or similar.  If not, talk to the guys at your Local Bike Shop. Good shorts can make the difference between an enjoyable ride and an ordeal to be endured.

[Stephen Poole]

Saddle to bar drop depends very much on individual biomechanics  so generalisations are IMHO dangerous. If something works for you I'd ignore whatever anyone else says, unless perhaps they're a proven professional bike fitter, and you're seeing them in person.

Ditto with anything to do with saddles, for instance brand, model, tilt, fore/aft position. All of these things are likely to differ for everyone, and unfortunately the only way to sort things out is by trial and error. This may take years, and may involve buying and ultimately rejecting many saddles; how fussy (or easily damaged) people are varies dramatically. If anyone says they know what will work for you they're most likely either a salesman, or else foolishly believe whatever works for them must necessarily work for everyone - very unlikely to be the case.  :-(

I'd be especially cynical about self-proclaimed "experts" on YouTube, or anyone who has any product or service to sell, but YMMV....

Later,

Stephen