Ultra-cheap 65cm Redwood on the 'bay

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Bill Lindsay

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Feb 22, 2014, 3:00:41 PM2/22/14
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Not mine, but it's in Connecticut, so we have lots of listers who could scope it out for you:

ebay Redwood in GREEN

Tom Harrop

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Feb 22, 2014, 3:26:32 PM2/22/14
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Cool, too small for me though. The Redwood is from before the long reach Tektro brake era of Rivs, so it would have limited tyre clearance (by current Riv standards), right?

Bill Lindsay

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Feb 22, 2014, 3:55:55 PM2/22/14
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Right.  A Redwood is essentially a Largish sized, budget Rambouillet. 

Bruce Herbitter

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Feb 22, 2014, 3:57:09 PM2/22/14
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It fits a 37 mm tire which isn't too shabby.
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cyclotourist

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Feb 22, 2014, 4:41:13 PM2/22/14
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A large-sized Romulus.

Cheers,
David

"it isn't a contest. Just enjoy the ride." - Seth Vidal





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Michael

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Feb 23, 2014, 9:55:56 PM2/23/14
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That is the deal of the year for a complete Rivendell bike.
 
I have never seen a complete 'dell for such a low price. That is almost Clist, '80's steel beater bikes price range.

If I was that size, I'd be thinking about buying it just because the price is so low.

Based on the description, there is nothing wrong with it, so why not?

Kieran J

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Feb 23, 2014, 10:02:02 PM2/23/14
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I was bidding on a 65cm Redwood frameset a year or two ago, and the bidding went to the mid-700's.
I wouldn't be surprised if the price on this complete one goes up a ways.

KJ

JL

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Feb 24, 2014, 1:53:54 AM2/24/14
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The price isn't actually finalized yet. it has three days left and has a bid of $500 plus $125 shipping (which is actually pretty accurately priced for ups).  Did this bike just have a low starting price or was there a buy it now option that someone negated by bidding? 

Jason
SF,CA
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David Banzer

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Feb 25, 2014, 2:34:37 PM2/25/14
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Anyone have a Redwood that can confirm it'll fit a 37mm tire? I know it's a larger Romulus, just seeing if anyone's riding a Redwood and could let me know max tire size and with which brake. I would imagine centerpulls or Silvers would allow a slightly larger tire than the Shimano long reach.
Thanks,
David

James Warren

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Feb 26, 2014, 11:28:17 AM2/26/14
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David,
If you find out it does fit, don't forget the following: that wide tire probably won't clear the stock brakes (even in quick release mode) for easy wheel removal.

On my Ram with 700x33 Jack Browns and Ultegra standard reach brakes, I wouldn't be able to remove wheels without deflation if not for the following simple mods I made:

1) I got Tektro brake levers with their QR button on the lever itself. When I remove a wheel, I release the brake in two places: on the brake caliper and at the brake lever. But even that isn't quite enough, so...

2) I have the brake adjusted for riding with the barrel adjuster screw all the way up.

So when I take off the front wheel, I do three easy things: I engage QR1. I engage QR2. I screw the barrel adjuster screw all the way down. The tire then clears the opened up brakes.

I don't find any of that a PITA, and the ride of the Jack Brown Green makes it all worth it.

The Redwood on ebay comes with brakes of the same dimension as the brakes I use in the ritual I just described. And if its brake levers are the stock Tiagras, there will be no QR on the lever itself.

-Jim W.

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Bruce Herbitter

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Feb 26, 2014, 11:32:08 AM2/26/14
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This is how my Ram is. I deflate the tires1/2 way  to take off or install the wheel. Not really a pain, and I'm too lazy to do something about it, like wider mouth brakes...

James Warren

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Feb 26, 2014, 11:47:31 AM2/26/14
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The added benefit of dealing with it through Tektro levers (which are reasonably priced) is not just that you get the extra QR button, but also the hand position on drop bars is improved significantly for me when I use Tektros in comparison to Tiagras. For some reason, I think they look better too. (But I think that is just my aesthetic taste being biased by knowledge of how they feel.)

-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Herbitter
Sent: Feb 26, 2014 8:32 AM
To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Ultra-cheap 65cm Redwood on the 'bay

David Banzer

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Feb 26, 2014, 12:35:01 PM2/26/14
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Besides getting the wheel out, is there room for a larger tire than the JBs? If brakes were swapped to centerpulls or the Silvers, would there be more room?
David
Chicago

David Banzer

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Feb 26, 2014, 11:58:35 AM2/26/14
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What size tires would fit on the Ram?


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Steve Palincsar

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Feb 26, 2014, 4:26:40 PM2/26/14
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28mm with fenders but possibly with brake pad issues removing wheels. At least that was my experience.
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Tim Gavin

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Feb 26, 2014, 4:35:09 PM2/26/14
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http://www.cyclofiend.com/rbw/rambouillet/rambflyer/index.html

The Rambouillet fits up to 700x38mm tires, according to the flyer.  The Redwood flyer also claims 700x38 clearance:


Silver brakes and 750 centerpulls will have too long of reach (55-73mm) to be compatible with a Riv Red/Rom/Ram. (I have a red Riv Road).  Red rum?
 
Tektro 539 brakes are the most common current "standard reach" (47-57mm) brakes for these bikes, and they're what Riv sells.  They have pretty good fender/tire clearance.  I don't know if they open any wider than the stock Shimano brakes.

One way to get brakes to open wider:  use Kool-stop "Thinline" pads.

Tim




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Bill Lindsay

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Feb 26, 2014, 5:26:19 PM2/26/14
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"One way to get brakes to open wider:  use Kool-stop "Thinline" pads."

I respectfully disagree with this.  It is true that if your brakes are adjusted for "thick" brakepads and then you just replace your thick brakepads with Koolstop Thinlines, that the brakes will open wider.... BUT ... your brakes will no longer be adjusted.  They'll be way too loose.  Readjust the brakes for the thinner pads and now you are right back where you started, not able to open wide enough to get your tire out.  

I'm running 700x35 Paselas on the Windsor.  They measure a true 36mm on my widish rims (in fact they measure wider than my 700x38 C-Lines, so weird!).  Anyway, I have an old DiaCompe 610 in front.  I have a QR on my cable hanger, and then I use that slack to disengage the straddle cable.  That way I can get the front wheel out without deflating.  

I think the modern Dia Compe 610 brakes or the Paul Racer M's would be very smart on a Redwood.  

Tim Gavin

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Feb 26, 2014, 5:51:52 PM2/26/14
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Thin-lines do increase opening width of calipers in one (common) scenario:  the back of the pads hit the fork legs/seat stays, preventing any further opening.  Thin lines delay that limit a bit, and aren't as thick, so they block the egress of the fat tire less. 

Think about it this way:  a door knob hit the wall when the door is fully open.  If you change that door knob for one that stuck out less from the door, the door would open more widely.  Plus, the inside doorknob wouldn't catch on your hip as easily when you walk through.

If you have ample fork/stay clearance, than what you said is true, Bill.  Most Rivendells have ample fork/stay clearance, but the early ones had less than current ones.  Then, you're limited only by the opening width of the brake, something unique to sidepull brakes.

I agree that centerpulls would open completely; Paul Racer Medium's would be a great fit for this bike.  I didn't realize that Dia Compe 610s were in production again, but it looks like Gran Compe level ones are available at VO.  Purdy!

Tim


Bill Lindsay

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Feb 26, 2014, 6:05:22 PM2/26/14
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OK, I see the scenario you are after, and I really like the doorknob analogy.  But, the doorknob scenario you describe is common for cantilever brakes, but not sidepull brakes.  Sidepull brakes practically never have their brakepads hit the chainstays or the fork blades when you try to QR them open.  Look at the profile photo of every bike on rivbike.com.  All of them clearly show the brakepads clear the stays and the fork blades.  The only way they could or would hit is if the owner deliberately put a lot longer than normal brake pad on those brakes.  Cantilever brakes usually come with really long v-brake style pads and do hit the stays.  For those bikes, thinner ones like the Thinlines or shorter ones will allow the cantilever brakes to open up more.  

Tim Gavin

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Feb 26, 2014, 7:30:57 PM2/26/14
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I guess I spend a lot of time on bikes with Silver/Tektro R559 brakes on skinny forks (short reach-to-650B conversions), where I do have that problem.  Again proving that a bike designed with the proper clearance is best. 

:)

Tim

David Banzer

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Feb 26, 2014, 7:40:45 PM2/26/14
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In addition to the max tire size of 38mm, the flyer states that it'll fit a 35mm with fenders. Anyone able to do this in practice?

Bill Lindsay

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Feb 26, 2014, 8:02:42 PM2/26/14
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and the stock brakepads of the R559 brakes hit the insides of the fork blades?  That's wild.  Share a picture if you get the chance.  For all the Tektro sidepulls I've set up (559s on 4 different bikes, 538s on 2 bikes), the brakepads didn't reach that far back to get in between the fork blades.  Did you decide not to use the two spacers that the brakes came with?  Did you swap the brakepads for extra long v-brake pads?  Are they straight blade forks?  Set up 'normally', the entire brake and both brake pads should be entirely in front of the fork blades.  No matter how skinny the clearance at the fork blades is, the brake pads shouldn't be in there.  

Sorry for taking this thread on a tangent, but now my interest is piqued.  Ha ha.  

Tim Gavin

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Feb 27, 2014, 8:59:42 AM2/27/14
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Bill, you're totally correct.  I must have been thinking about my canti-equipped bikes.  

This shows I need to spend less time chatting about bikes, and more time riding or wrenching on them!  Stupid winter.  The high is 3 F today.  :(

Tim


Bill Lindsay

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Feb 27, 2014, 2:46:58 PM2/27/14
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.....and it sold for just under $1000.  That's pretty fair for both the buyer and the seller, I'd think.  Buyer gets a whole bike for something like $1500 new, rides it for several years and gets more than half his money back.  Good deal for him.  Meanwhile, a modestly equipped Rivendell road bike climbed to ~$2200 in price so the buyer got a decent deal as well.  

James Warren

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Feb 27, 2014, 3:29:15 PM2/27/14
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Probably 10 years old actually. Those came out in 2003. How do I know that? That's the year I bought my Ram frame and the big internal debate was Ram frame or Redwood complete. Both were ready to ship in April of '03.

I think new Redwoods were offered by Riv for 2 only years or less.



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David Banzer

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Feb 27, 2014, 8:31:44 PM2/27/14
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Unfortunately it didn't go to me. I happened to be in a meeting, and was outbid and forgot to raise my max bid. Oh well. Since I did justify money for a new bike, I guess I'm on the hunt now.
David
Chicago

Peter Morgano

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Feb 27, 2014, 8:52:30 PM2/27/14
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The hunt continues... Gotta get auction sniper for those must have items. Good luck!

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Tim Gavin

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Feb 28, 2014, 9:14:41 AM2/28/14
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David Banzer

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Feb 28, 2014, 9:27:53 AM2/28/14
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I have. 65/66 really is my ideal size. 68 is probably too big. That is an intriguing offer though if it went for the opening bid, and he is offering to meet up to 200 miles, which makes it completely do-able for me to pick them up.
David
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