A Homer Hilsen Ride Report

[James Fune]

Hello RBW Owner's Bunch,

On Monday, a friend of mine remarked that he had never completed a century. 

I replied, "What about tomorrow?"

It was an opportune moment. Both of us are currently in school and not working. The forecast revealed an unseasonably warm day with a low of 40 but reaching a temperate 60 in the afternoon. He leapt at the suggestion, eager to tackle a goal that to him was practically unattainable. His longest ride was around 50 miles. 

It was settled. We were to depart around 7am the next morning. With a few stops and some rest, I told him to expect 8-9 hours of elapsed time. Some people would have second thoughts at those numbers, but he didn't waver. He was determined to complete a century. On my end, I have finished multiple centuries and 200K's but this would be my first extended ride with my Homer which had only seen commutes to school, an array of errands, and the occasional 20 mile river loop around Richmond VA. I was thrilled.

When morning broke, we honored our anticipated start time and set off right at 7am. The 40 degrees wasn't too chilling. It took us about 10 miles to get warm. He expressed his desire to pick up the pace but I stressed the importance of riding steadily. No need to burn our matches. It was going to be a long day regardless of effort. We filled the time consuming trash calories and talking about life. He openly described his turbulent family history which directly led to years of drug and alcohol addiction, amongst other unhealthy behaviors. Despite it all (and with tremendous support from his partner), he got sober! Now just over 2 years. He longs to help others battling addiction and he plans to use cycling as an instrument, leading weekly recovery rides beginning next week. 

52 miles in, we reached our halfway point in Williamsburg, VA. We were both feeling good and quickly hopped back on our saddles. Once again, he expressed the itch to ride harder, but this time I obliged (with the condition I get to draft behind him). After about an hour, I could feel him slowing. I encouraged frequent fluids and nutrition. I was happy to pull him and so we switched position. This is the point where the Homer shined. Normally, I would experience noticeable discomfort after 4-5 hours on my other bikes. Riding the Homer, my legs, shoulders, back, and arms were perfectly intact. I did not just feel good, I felt great. My fit priority leaned towards comfort and I could not have been happier with that decision. 

The miles ticked down but the saddle time began taking a toll on my friend. We stopped more frequently to allow his bottom some relief. His Brooks C17 was betraying him. I continued with encouragement reminding him we were closing in on the city. We had about 1 more hour of riding. He locked-in to the point of becoming completely non-verbal. When we reached the last climb, he donned a smirk and unashamedly got off his bike to walk. I forgot one crucial detail. He's crazy. His bike of choice for the ride was fixed gear with 53/13t ratio. We met at the top and I reminded him-- You did it. You rode 100 miles today. 

108 miles, 2300ft elevation. 7:30 of moving time, 8:45 of elapsed.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I hope you all get some good time outside (it's 65 here in Richmond VA)

James

[PDXJohnny]

Awesome ride report, congrats to you and your friend <3 

[Mike Rossi]

Although it may not have been this report’s intention,… man, this makes me want to take my fixed gear out that’s been collecting dust for a couple of years. It’s a mere 49/17. Your friend’s a beast! 

Mike

On Jan 7, 2026, at 4:17 PM, PDXJohnny <johnny....@gmail.com> wrote:

Awesome ride report, congrats to you and your friend <3 

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[Roberta]

What an impressive report and write up.  I've owned 4 Rivs over the years and the Hilsen has also been my most comfortable bike.  Not that I'm surprised, but I'm glad it didn't disappoint you.

I'm also glad I read to the end for "the rest of the story."  Kudos to your friend.

Roberta

Philadelphia

[Eric Daume]

53/13 is crazy. That’s about 110 gear inches. I don’t have a bike in my fleet that does that high. 

Eric

42x16

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[James Fune]

Johnny - Thanks!

Mike - I will neither persuade nor dissuade you from riding your fixed gear. I briefly owned a Surly Steamroller for about 2 months before giving up on track bikes ha!

Roberta - I've been toying around with the idea of switching to my albatross bars to make it even more comfy...

Eric - He is certified a freak of nature. In no alternate universe will you find me riding anywhere near that ratio.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/4F4C4E4C-6F26-4FD0-955E-E2A2EBB80B38%40gmail.com.

[Roberta]

I gave up drop bars (I had them on previous bike from HS days, but was always on the hoods), and straight bars once I found Rivendell.  I have Albatross on my Homer and Betty Foy, I think both with 10 cm stem.  No more neck pain!  I love Homer.

Roberta