First 40+ miles...

[Robert Dowtin]

I suppose this is a ride(s) report. A few weeks ago I was escorted across state lines to procure my first Rivendell road frame, my partner in this heist (a great deal) got himself a super rad hubbuhubbuh tandem. Upon arriving in Nashville we discovered that a first gen Quickbeam frame, that for some reason or another I believed had been previously sold and not available, was very much available. The owner being the rad guy that he is, let me ride his identical orange QB around the block to see if I immediately fell in love with what he described as his #1 favorite bike...of course I did. I bought it and the set of OG QB wheels along with the Road frame w/ Phil Wood wheels that we had traveled all that way to get.  Elated, we rushed back home with our take and by Tuesday at lunchtime I had the Quickbeam fully built and before a storm rolled in I got around the block twice with a massive smile across my face. Just can not believe how great the potential is for fun on this bike...man. 

So, as I waited to get my hands on the last few remaining parts for the Road bike, I struck up conversations with a number of wonderful people on and off this list to include Will over at Rivendell about the history of this bike (the road, not the quickbeam, keep up, we'll be switching back and forth a lot...I'm sure) which it turns out was not a road standard but a road custom made by Joe Starck and painted by Joe Bell. This was all covered in Patrick's thread about the wonderfulness of his custom frame.

So. The Quickbeam. After that storm, I rode that bike every single day between 5 and 30 miles a day all over NW Arkansas, running errands, just riding, holy shit with a massive grin and emotions bordering on euphoria. Never have I felt this good on any bike. I love this thing. I love it. Goddamnit this was and is an outstanding frame. OK so that's settled I don't ever care about riding anything else again ever.

Last few parts came in for the Road. As I finished putting it together my excitement naturally grew, but I must say I was kinda nervous that the Road was going to steal something away from my new found love for the QB. Lets be honest my QB looks like someone kicked it down a few flights of stairs, and while it is cool it never was amongst Rivendell's prettiest line of frames. 

The Road, however... the lugs and the paint and the head badge and font makes this absolutely the prettiest bike I have ever touched, much less ridden, much much less owned. There may be objectively more attractive bikes out there, somewhere, maybe. 

Almost identical situation occurred as the week before only this time torrential rain instead of snow came with this storm. I waited it out having only done the ride around the block a few times with my kid on the brand new bike because I was short on time routine... This couple of 'round the blocks' was just enough to let me know that there was the potential for magic.

Storm lasted for approx. 36hrs…

Two days later I'm off on my first shake down ride, my favorite 20mi out and back to a local spring. Best tasting water around. Fill up and head back. Well, there was a 17mph headwind nearly the entire way there. And I just couldn't get my pedal stroke comfortably where I wanted it, nor can I even fully tell you what I mean by that. I did regularly think that it was bizarre that I felt so fast and so uncomfortable, even in the wind. And it was, as I later learned, strangely fast no matter how uncomfortable. 

The pictures of evergreen and mini waterfall are the aforementioned spring area. So then I simply turned around and rode an uncomfortable 10+ miles back home on a phenomenal bike with a great tailwind. I knew the uncomfortableness was do to my form, I just couldn’t figure out why it was so bad and I couldn’t seem to fix it…also my ass my have never hurt this bad from a c17 ever. 

I got home and all of the gps data from my phone said that it was the fastest I had ever done that out and back route. Not sure I believe this at all. I am blown away, I don’t feel like I was pushing myself hard, mostly due to just feeling awkward and uncomfortable. Other than how you would expect to feel in any normal headwind, although, I averaged over 1mph faster than normal. So I got out the tape and started measuring every. single. Thing.

Apparently my saddle was 1.5cm too low and my bars were about 2 cm too low. Whatcha wanna bet that solved my comfort issues?

Next day I did another 20mi out and back to a state park with a lake near our house. Last photos are of the overlook above the lake. Its one of my favorite routes with well over 2000’ of climbing. Once I fixed my contact points, and what a crazy simple fix it turned out to be... I was crazy fast and I was crazy comfortable. Again, this was the fastest I had ever ridden this route, which felt extra wild when I honestly didn’t feel as though I had overly exerted myself for the day. I did have a lot of shifting issues brought about by desire to use a 45 year old deraileur just because it was pretty. It’s back as wall art now and I have a massive ugly Deore mounted back there, which is fine because I can only see it when I’m not riding it and the frame makes up Shimano’s gross deformity. 

All this to say thanks. Thanks to everyone that has ever had a hand in the creation of these bicycles. Fantastic. I’m going now to go climb some hills on the QB now. Photos in link. Please don’t hesitate to tell me how I can get photos to these posts more efficiently, btw…

~Rob in NW Ar

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DziWe6QkpcWdKwNWA

[Patrick Moore]

Congratulations on 2 new Rivendell road/roadish bikes. Frankly, the Quickbeam looks good in the photos; not at all as if kicked down stairs. The paint on the Road reminds me of the original navy metallic with cream accents on my '99 custom -- darker than yours, I think, but very similar. It's now Ford Blue after some 2018 modifications.

The really is something about a dialed in Rivendell road bike that I've not found matched elsewhere; or, more accurately, very rarely found matched elsewhere. I've felt this "perfect match of rider and bike" every time I've gotten on the 1999 for the last 21 years; I rode the the new -- 2020 -- Matthews clone-of-a-clone (copy of 2003 Road custom itself a copy of the 1999) up hills on Friday and man, how I love the feel of sitting just perfectly behind the bb, hands light on ramps or hoods, and being able to efficiently and comfortably sit and push against gravity. I daresay the downhill handling is superbe too, but so many years of riding my Rivs with fixed drivetrains have ruined my downhill handling skills and, indeed, confidence.

Put that old rd back on the Road; it deserves a nice-looking rd, not some ugly black anodized or powdercoated blob.

Patrick Moore, whose 700C X 61-with 80 mm fenders Matthews "road bike for dirt" has a rear Dura Ace 7401 rd pulled by a Suntour Barcon over 10 cogs, 13-25.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[Kushan]

Nice photos. I love how the shade of blue changes with different light.. 

[RichS]

Hello Robert:

Congratulations on your bonus Quickbeam. How cool to travel for one Riv and end up bringing home two. Your enthusiasm comes through loud and clear in the report. Of course the Starck built custom is an absolute gem!

A question about the custom: I've only used Silver 1s as dt shifters so I'm curious how you like the Silver 2s as downtubers? Functionally they're identical to Silver 1s but Riv promotes the 2s as barenders or thumbies. Perhaps more for ergonomic reasons? I've jabbed my thigh more than once with original Silvers used as barends.

Have fun with your new rides!

Best,

Rich in ATL

[Christine Justice]

Hi Rob,

Wow that Road is simply gorgeous! You're very lucky to have connected so well with both bikes. You have quite a conundrum now though, choosing which one to ride!

Christine in Denver

[Paul Richardson]

loved the write-up!  congrats on the awesome bikes!

paul

takoma park, md.

[Roberta]

Congratulations on getting this duo. You might find that after riding one bike you get home wanting to go on another ride with the other one. 

On Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 4:27:45 PM UTC-4 Robert Dowtin wrote:

[ascpgh]

What a win! You have nearly a lifetime of Rivendell riding joy by some rider's experience at your disposal almost immediately. 

Style points on your pictures too. As a long ago Fayetteville resident (Disckson St., two blocks off 71on the hip of Mount Sequoyah) I had my own mental images of riding to those places, paddling Frog Bayou and riding big loops of gravel around and either side of White Rock mountain on my RB-1 or XO-2. Pretty much covered all the roads south of Hwys 16 and 23, west of Hwy 71 as far south as just below Shores Lake. We avoided Devil's Canyon to the west, always returning to 71 through Winfrey Valley. 71 was always a scary transit back to town with the traffic that now uses I-49. A good place for drivers not interested in driving instead of inattentively buzzing us on the shoulder. Often cut off at Pitkin, wove over to Blacck Oak via Wallin Mountain, Lake WIlson and entered town by the old industrial park.

Congratulations on your unexpected Nashville double coup, particularly that road custom with the direct mount Paul Racer medium centerpulls. I put center mount Racers on my Rambouillet and bought clearance for both 32mm tires and appropriate width Honjos to replace I used to cheat with narrower fenders under the Shimano groupless "long" reach. calipers. Made my gravel riding around here so sweet that I kept going with it because of the Rivendell ride, despite still getting pinch flats from time to time if I let the siren song of softer tire inflation lull me onto the rocks. 

Enjoy and thanks for a quick flashback. 

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

On Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 4:27:45 PM UTC-4 Robert Dowtin wrote:

[ascpgh]

Meant to say west TO Hwy 71... 

Oklahoma's OK, but my most frequent destination on a bike west of 71 was Devil's Den State Park, Arkansas.

Andy Chetham

Pittsburgh

[Robert Dowtin]

Thanks so much for all the kind words! I promise I will attempt to provide more entertaining reports and pictures in the near future.

Rich: I am not positive I love the silver 2s on the DT. I am not so sure I would prefer them on the barends however... I need to give them lots of time before I allow myself to develop a real opinion. 

I really do have a hard time getting work done around here now. I find myself spending a lot of time thinking about when I can get out again for a ride and which bike I am going to take. 

Update: I think I may have fixed the shifting by going back to the Suntour Cyclone RD w/ an 11-28 cassette, instead of the 11-32. Everything seems to be shifting quite nice with that and a vintage XT FD.

Pic: Yesterday afternoon top of Mt. Gaylor

[R Shannon]

Robert,

Thanks for the feedback on the shifters. “Which bike am I going to take.” Good problem to have!

Best,

Rich in ATL

Sent from my iPhone

On May 3, 2021, at 4:35 PM, Robert Dowtin <robert...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Robert Dowtin]

With that said, I should have pointed out the 'ratcheting' feel is pretty great. I like the 'feel' of the pull better than the dura ace but I loved my dura ace shifters on my Crust's bartends. So... 🤷🏽‍♀️

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/2802912E-65B4-43FF-B228-F0B58698CF25%40gmail.com.

[ascpgh]

My bar end shifter knee strikes stopped once I settled on the right width of bars with the right amount of flare, regardless of the popular choices of the time. 

My legs are long for my height, so frame size and cockpit set up have my hands far from DT shifters, bar ends have long been my answer. Every bike has been unique due to fit and set up. I held on to a set of NOS set of Simplex/Mavic friction shifters for possible use on my 650B rando last year but when I mocked up the rolling chassis to try the reach, the bosses were just too far down. "Shift" was right, my whole body to reach the lever and move the chain over a cog.

I accepted that I use bar ends and made sure my new bar provided for knee clearance then I gifted the shifters to one of the mechanics who was piecing together a Waterford rando for a big west coast ride and they were perfect for his Rinko needs and the trains.

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[R Shannon]

Hi Robert:

My apologies - not trying to turn this post about your two terrific new bikes into a thread about shifters! Good to know about the ratcheting feel on the Silver 2s. Thanks!

Andy, given the frame size you require I can see why bar ends would be optimal for you. I'm nowhere close to you in height so I can go back to the future shifting from the DT or install the excellent shifting Shimano bar-enders.

Best,

Rich in ATL

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[Fullylugged]

Congrats on your new bikes! Hope you enjoy many miles with lots of smiles on them. Another nice feature on your early Road is the bi-plane fork. Very pretty but disappeared later on with the Road Standard.  Is your top tube sloped like a Road Standard or level?  My 1995 Road is level and like you, I think it is one of the prettiest bike designs ever. I agree with the ride. Of my 4 bikes, the Road is my #1 choice.

Bruce