Homer and the overlap with my BMC Road+ ... new bike?

[matt miller]

Hi all,

I really enjoy the community and discussions on this forum, so I'm expecting to get some clarity. 

A few years ago I had my bikes stolen (BOOO!), but I was able to find a couple bike locally. Since I'm in STL and not NoCal, I just bought. I've got a Road + and a 650b Canti AHH. Initially, the AHH was set up as a "townie," but I wanted drops and more road riding with it. 

For the most part, I've really enjoyed riding it. (The photo was from a Father's Day 50 along the Mississippi.) And much like our Platy-loving crew, I do enjoy looking at it. There was some speculation about its origin when I bought it, but I've since learned that it was a Waterford AHH, and then the owner sent it back and had them put cantilever posts on and repaint. There are no rack mounts. Dyad/Phil wheels. I moved the old cockpit to a Trek for commuting and tooling around with my kid.

Given that I live in a metro area, most of my riding is streets, bike paths, or a wonderful limestone trail (Katy). Unless I'm exploring or on gravel, I always seem to have to make a decision about what to ride. And I do like to go out for solo or small group rides for 30-45 miles. I'd like to keep increasing my distance, but it's doubtful I will be doing 200k and beyond.

I'm kind of thinking of I should move the AHH along and look for a slightly more road-oriented 700c bike. (Roadeo?) 

I sent a member an off-group message (sorry Bill). But I did end up finding a lot of information comparing models and steel from threads in 2020 and 2012. Google searches did help more than the search function here. It seems like the larger Roadeos aren't terribly different from the AHH models. If I were to sell this frame, would the canti option make it a bit more sought after? 

I know the real answer is, "stop thinking about it and go ride," but part of the fun is over-thinking this stuff. And I know some will say, N+1. But that's not an option.

Anyway. That was a ramble. Would an AHH frame sale get me close to a Roadeo? Is that even a noticeable difference? Aesthetics do matter to me. But that's probably most of us here. 

And here's the Road+ from a fun ride around Iowa. 

Cheers,

Matt in STL

[Steve]

Matt, if your canti Homer were a bit smaller - say a 51cm or thereabouts - I'd say the answer is easy; sell it to me and get the Roadeo.  Since it's not my size, the best I can offer is to say, that's a tough one!  To my mind, the cantis make the bike all the more desirable, and it looks like a sweet build!   I'd be loath to part with it.

But as Emily D. wrote, the heart wants what the heart wants.

Steve in AVL

[Garth]

I keep track of geometry charts over the years and the Roadeo is distinctly different from a Homer. Besides the tubing, the BB drop is less, chainstays shorter, the head and seat angles are steeper, and it takes short reach calipers(Homer was med.). The TT slopes are slightly different, and of course the tire capacities are different. The Roadeo is pure road bike, the Homer is more in the all-arounder tweener tire size bike. Nobody knows the tube specs but it's safe to assume they are not the same. They are as different to me as any Riv model could be from another. 

So just get a Roadeo if you have the opportunity and don't worry about how much your Homer may sell for with whichever brake option. It'll sell just fine. 

[Patrick Moore]

I think the Roadeo takes normal reach brakes, from a Gary Boulanger interview with Grant back when. Per the interview, they considered short reach but decided on normal reach.

[matt miller]

A few people have asked about the sizing. I realize it may be helpful to post that. I don't know much about the numbers, but the bb drop jumps out to me. I don't get any pedal strike, but 67 is pretty low, right?

[Jason Fuller]

There is no one best answer, of course, and if there were I wouldn't endlessly debate my own quiver.  But what came to mind when reading your post and looking at your (lovely!) bikes was: if you can do without disc brakes, I'd suggest keeping the Homer as your 'slower' bike, and get one of the new batch of BMC Road. I suspect it would be as fast as a Roadeo for a fraction of the price, but it isn't as beautiful I'll give you that.  Then the Homer stays fendered and more all-surface capable within the confines of your available terrain, while the BMC Road can be fender-free, light, and sporty. 

BTW 67mm BBD is standard for Riv's in 650B, it's neither particularly low nor high. In 700c it's commonly 80mm 

[Toshi Takeuchi]

I have a 650b 54 cm Waterford AHH (which probably fits more like a 51 cm version of today's AHH). I have a 53 cm Roadeo 700c.

The biggest difference is the top tube is much shorter on the Roadeo, which gets me in the drops much more comfortably on the Roadeo (with a similar length stem). The Roadeo steers more quickly, but is by no means floppy (in the wheel flop sense). I feel very comfortable on the Roadeo in fast pacelines with my carbon compatriots, and I wouldn't feel as comfortable with any other bike in my stable. For any other road ride/club ride with single pacelines (and not riding at my limit), I think I'd be fine with the AHH.

A big minus for me for the Roadeo of my size is the reduced clearance for the 700c wheel between the saddle and wheel. I have trouble with my saddlebag rubbing the wheel. (Although the "true" road riders would wonder why I need such a large bag on my bike). This is not a problem with my 650b AHH, which has extra clearance due to the smaller wheel.

Toshi in Oakland