Re: pre-ordered a blue Sam Hillborne a few minutes ago

[Marc Irwin]

Hi, My Name is Marc and I am....

    Yeah you know where I'm going with this.  I bought a Hunq last year and love it so much I wanted a lighter version of the same geometry for skinnier tires.  I pre-ordered a blue Hillborne also.  The prospect of a near 20% discount was what pushed me over the edge.  I swear I can quit whenever I want!

Welcome, it sounds like a similar build.  I'm going to try the new Bosco bars, but run it with 32mm tires and fenders (probably the cream longboards.

Marc

On Thursday, April 12, 2012 8:16:33 PM UTC-4, cbone97 wrote:

Just wanted to share the joy.  My first Riv and my first bike in a
long while (since mountain biking in college about 12-13 years ago).
Late last year I was looking hard at the Hunq but at a PBH of 87.5,
felt I was on the fence between sizes and couldn't commit. The 56 Sam
should be perfect and I really like the new blue.

I'm planning to go with Falcon friction shifters, Albatross or Bosco
bar, and the biggest Marathons I can run on a set of Velocity Dyad
wheels - probably fender-less.  I already have a Brooks B68 and
Lambda / Grip King pedals.  Hopefully I can recycle the XT derailers,
XT rear hub, and White Industries front hub off my old, barely used
mtn bike.

I like the idea/looks of the crank chainguard as shown on Riv's blue
Sam pic.  Not sure if it'd be best to get the two speed crank that
comes with this guard or add it to the standard XD2.  Any opinions?

And does anyone have a Sackville XS saddlebag in grid gray they'd
sell?

On Thursday, April 12, 2012 8:16:33 PM UTC-4, cbone97 wrote:

Just wanted to share the joy.  My first Riv and my first bike in a
long while (since mountain biking in college about 12-13 years ago).
Late last year I was looking hard at the Hunq but at a PBH of 87.5,
felt I was on the fence between sizes and couldn't commit. The 56 Sam
should be perfect and I really like the new blue.

I'm planning to go with Falcon friction shifters, Albatross or Bosco
bar, and the biggest Marathons I can run on a set of Velocity Dyad
wheels - probably fender-less.  I already have a Brooks B68 and
Lambda / Grip King pedals.  Hopefully I can recycle the XT derailers,
XT rear hub, and White Industries front hub off my old, barely used
mtn bike.

I like the idea/looks of the crank chainguard as shown on Riv's blue
Sam pic.  Not sure if it'd be best to get the two speed crank that
comes with this guard or add it to the standard XD2.  Any opinions?

And does anyone have a Sackville XS saddlebag in grid gray they'd
sell?

[SeanMac]

Congratulations on your new bike. 

I've spent the last few months trying to convince myself that it is okay to pull the trigger on my first Rivendell.  In fact, I've come close a few times to purchasing one of the new blue 56 Sam's as well.  When you finally do get the bike, I hope that it brings a big smile to your face.

[cbone97]

Thanks. Believe me, I spent more than a few months. Nearly ordered a
Hunq before the prices went up. Considered an LHT. In the end, I've
told myself to take a chance and see if I can't be satisfied with
Riv's bargain model. Will let everyone know about the big smile some
time in early June, hopefully.

[RJM]

Congrats on ordering the Hillborne.  I love mine and think it is the most comfortable bikes I have ever ridden.

[Scot Brooks]

Congratulations! I was in the same situation as you when I ordered my Sam. Had a 14 year old Bontrager Privateer Comp that had been through many reincarnations and it was time to get something new and nice. I think you're going to look back at this as one of the best and most overdue decisions you ever made. 

In answer your question about the crankset; I went with the triple because they accidentally shipped it to me (I ordered the double with the guard). After riding it for awhile, I removed the big ring in favor of the guard and I've never looked back. I still wish I got the double to begin with because the gearing would be just a bit more useful. In my case, I bought the 12-36 cassette from Riv and I never quite get to low gear even living in hilly Seattle. The cassette would make more sense with the 42/30 double or whatever it is, for me at least. 

As for the big Marathons, you can go wicked big if you want. I got some 700x47 ones to try on my Sam and they fit no sweat, even (kinda sorta) with fenders. I usually just ride the 38 version though. 

[newenglandbike]

I've been using the quickbeam crank on my bombadil for years, and have been slowly updating my other bikes with the same.     The big ring on a triple has only ever been a dysfunctional, pant-leg eating guard for me anyway.     Might as well have a real guard there :)

Matt

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Yep. I've never used the QB crank, but have added Salsa Crossing Guards and Ring Dingers in place of big chainrings on many of my bikes over the years. For people who don't like the prevalence of 11t cogs on cassettes...it's not so bad when your big ring is a 36 or 38 or 40t. In fact, at least once I ditched the front derailleur and shifter. Unless the bike was loaded, I rarely needed the granny. The front derailer and shifter were dead weight and a mechanical liability. For occasional granny gear use, I shifter with my finger (I suggest stopping the bike first).

[Mike]

On Apr 18, 12:14 am, newenglandbike <matthiasbe...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I've been using the quickbeam crank on my bombadil for years, and have been
> slowly updating my other bikes with the same.     The big ring on a triple
> has only ever been a dysfunctional, pant-leg eating guard for me
> anyway.     Might as well have a real guard there :)
>
> Matt

More and more this set-up is making sense to me. I have a pair of VO
50.4 BCD cranks on my rando bike and while I love the 46/30 rings I
just don't like the cranks. Set-up is a bit tricky as it's much easier
to have issues with chainline and the crank arms hitting the chain due
to the design. Why they didn't update the design a bit, like Rene
Herse did, rather than just make a straight copy of the TA crank is
beyond me. Also, I don't know that I'm a van of the super low q-
factor.

I sold my QB a while back but kept the cranks. I may use them on my
Hilsen with an 8-spd 11-32 cassette. Two questions:

1) What derailer do I use? Double? Triple?

2) Are there any issues I need to be aware of when using the big
(middle) ring and the lowest or highest gear?

I guess I have a third question, how do I determine chain length, just
wrap the chain around the big (middle) ring and lowest gear?

Thanks!

--mike

[newenglandbike]

Hi Mike,

I just use a triple derailleur, and have adjusted the screws so that it doesn't shift past the middle ring.     For chain length I use the middle ring and largest rear cog +2 links, and that seems to work OK.     The stock 40/32 of the QB crank may not give you the full range you want but it is not awful.    When it came time for new rings I went with a 28t small ring.   If running 700c wheels with fat tires you may not even need 40t on the 'big' (middle) ring and could go to a 36/26 or something.    Anyway it's great to hop on the bike and not worry about tying up your pant leg all the time.    The guard also slides right over small fallen trees.

-Matt.

[newenglandbike]

PS I haven't had any problems using the big (middle) ring across all the cogs, but tend to prefer shifting down to the small ring when on the biggest 2 cogs.

On Wednesday, April 18, 2012 9:36:41 AM UTC-4, Mike wrote:

[Mike]

Thanks for the info Matt.

And to the original poster, I didn't mean to hijack the thread.
Congrats on the new bike. I'm sure you'll love it. Be sure to post
pictures once it arrives.

--mike

[Duplomacette]

Congrats! I own a Sam and think you will like yours. I find the Sam to
be a bit more nimble than a LHT which makes it more fun to ride. Happy
riding!