"you pick the fun stuff, we pick the rest"

[Steve Theberge]

Hi everyone,

I just purchased a Sam frame from Riv and am contemplating build options. I have plenty of ideas, and also appreciate the simplicity of the "you pick the fun stuff, we pick the rest" option on the site. Anyone have an experience with this option?

[Chuck Blessing]

I picked that for my new Sam. It's due to be delivered next week. I chose the friction option and Choco bars, and gave them details of the type of riding that I do. I have faith that they will put together a nice set of components to match that. 

Chuck

[Charlie R]

One of the mistakes I made when a chose a similar build option when building a Mermaid Platypus, was that I didn't specify silver components and ended up with a mix of silver and mostly black components which to my eye is not as pleasing as silver would have been.  I was able to specify Cliff Hanger rims and the widest tire that would fit, a Nitto stem and handlebars and was very happy with those.  But when I opened up the box that I had spent almost $4000 after taxes and shipping and saw the black components I was not as happy as I could have been.  Again my fault for not thinking it through, but if I can save somebody else from making the same mistake if that is important to them.............

Charlie

[Jkarlin]

I chose this option for my Clem, and I’m very happy I did. Like Charlie, I ended up with a mix of black and silver components. That’s a fair warning, but the mix looks cool to me, and, for someone who is both a middling mechanic and also can’t easily make the trek to Walnut Creek, I appreciated the chance to get something that had been put together by Riv mechanics. The bike was super easy to reassemble and still rides like a dream 6 months of daily riding later.

[Chuck Blessing]

My Sam arrived yesterday and I put it together today. I chose the "you pick the fun stuff ..." option, specifying only the crankset, handlebar, and that I wanted friction shifting, as they requested. Also my PBH, height, weight, and riding style. I basically indicated 90% road riding. This is what I received and am very happy with it. I had also told them the color of my saddle (Brooks Antique Brown) so they could pick a grip/tape color to match. 

Headset: FSA Duron 
Brakes: Shimano Alivio T4000
Brake Levers: IRD - Cafam
Shifters: Silver Thumb Mount
Stem: Nitto 90-190 110 mm
Handlebars: Nitto Choco
Tape/Grips: Newbaum Cloth and Twine
Seatpost: Nitto S65 Crystal Fellow 26.8/300
Crankset: Silver 42/28
Bottom Bracket: Shimano 68mm
Front Derailleur: Stubby Skeleton Key (Microshift)
Rear Derailleur: Shimano, Alivio M3100
Cassette: Shimano - 9 Speed 12-36t (hg400)
Chain: KMC 9 speed
Wheelset: Velocity Atlas
Tires: Panaracer GravelKing Slick 43mm

As pulled out of the box:

After assembling:

Complete bike with all my additions: