Clem vs Appaloosa ride comparison

[mike smith]

Has anyone riden both?  How do they compare & contrast?

I have a 59cm Clem and I'm considering a 58 Joe.  91 PBH.

[iamkeith]

I've been interested in the same question/answer, for the exact same sizes you list. For those responding with first-hand experience, please discuss handlebar choice. I suspect - but could be wrong - that the bosco bar is not a viable option for the appaloosa.

[mike smith]

Your rendering in Bikecad on another post helped some. the Joe looks to be about 2 CM shorter (length) and possibly 1 cm shorter (standover). Does that sound about right?

[Joe Bernard]

My experience is with a 46 Clem which I sold, and my current 51 Appaloosa. Honestly, I think you would have to really want to find differences in ride to find them: They both are commuter/touring/light-trail oriented designs with long stays, similar tubing diameters and canti/v-brake mounts.

The big difference I see is literally what I see..joining method. The Appaloosa is fully lugged, doesn't have the swoopy seatstays required by Clem's seat lug, and has a very cool fork crown reminiscent of old 3-speed Raleighs.

I think if you like one bike you'll like the other, but there's definitely a lot of overlap in ride and capabilities, so make sure you're interested in duplicating abilities. The Appaloosa will have a shorter toptube relative to similar size Clem, so this may be a quality you're looking for.

Joe Bernard
Vallejo, CA.

[tresba...@gmail.com]

I had the same curiosity and so ordered both.  I found them both to be wonderful dream bikes, but in very different ways (apologies to Joe :-)

The Clem says, "Let's go play!  Let's ride off the curb, onto the dirt trail, then across town and explore on our way to pick up groceries.  Then, maybe if you're nice, we can grab a beer at Paul's on the way home!"

The Joe whispers, "First, let's do a 60 miler for a warm up.  Then, we'll go to your mother's in Mississippi by way of Cleveland. Next, we'll head to the Big Apple by way of California. Those dirt & gravel roads, limestone trails, potholed highways?  No Problem, I gotcha covered.

I find the Clem to be fun, practical, & steady.  I'm a kid on my banana seated Sting Ray again.

The Appaloosa is exquisite.  It's simply the most amazing, calm, inspiring capable bike I've ever ridden (yes, even including my other Rivs) but I don't feel quite as tempted to ride off the curbs and into the brush with it as my Clem, though I'm sure it would oblige me.  The bike you get for the cost is an unbelievable deal in my opinion & I do a double take whenever I see a used one for sale.  The ONLY fault I can find with the Joe is that a taller size isn't offered.  Someday, Grant, pretty-pretty pleeeeze??

Okay, so there you have my two cents worth.  Hope you're tempted to get one!

Al

[El Sapo]

I've ridden them both but I have a Clem, so I'm biased. They are different rides. The Joe felt like a road bike to me. Not a bad thing, just something that I'm not into anymore. I prefer the cushy fat tire ride and love the 650b wheels/tires on my Clem. After riding the Joe, I had them pull out a set of the chocco bars to see if they would work on my Clem? They just looked wrong. Love those chocco bars.

[Joe Bernard]

That's an interesting perspective, Al. Regardless of the similarity in ride/capability I experienced with both bikes, I would agree that Clem has more of a "bash about" personality, simply by nature of its semi-welded construction and lower price. In reality they can both do the same stuff, but I definitely treat my Appaloosa as a more delicate object. Unnecessarily.

[Joe Bernard]

El Sapo: My 51 Appa has fat 650b tires and I totally agree, it's a wonderful way to ride. The 52 Clem I rode at RBW with similar wheels was great, too.

[masmojo]

I have to agree with what has already been said here, but will chime in anywayz. I have a M Clementine & an Atlantis. I've riden the Appaloosa as well. The Clem is much more forgiving and while you can ride it a long way, I think it is most enjoyable on quick jaunts; it feels a bit like a cruiser. The Appaloosa on the other hand (like my Atlantis) wants to go and not come home for a long time. On the Appa. you'll just want to get out there & mash the pedals for 2 or 3 hours.

[Mike Packard]

I like Al's descriptions; actually very informative. Would be great to hear such first-person, 2-4 sentence identity descriptions of every Riv model.

Mike