Wanting to try an AHH 47.5 or 51 in Boston

[Stephanie A.]

Hi everyone! As I continue (spending probably way too much money and time) altering my pandemic bike (which looks splendid but is probably a size too small and, gasp, aluminum), I've been scoping out which Riv I might buy in the future. I'm between an AHH and a Platy, heavily leaning toward the AHH to have a zippier feeling bike and a diamond frame. As much as I love seeing people touring and bike packing, I'm not sure that I'll ever do more than commute, lug sometimes heavy CSA shares or work stuff, and ride on pavement or packed dirt. The AHH seems to give me the flexibility to go at least a little beyond that if I want to.

What I'm most unsure of is sizing. My PBH is right on the line at around 80cm. I want to avoid buying an expensive non-returnable new or used bike and feeling like I should have gotten a different size--or different model.

To that end, does anyone in the Boston area have an AHH in 47.5 or 51 that they'd be willing to let me stand over in the Common?

Many thanks,

Stephanie, who is really hoping that the more common size of 51 will fit so that her chances of eventually getting a gold AHH are moderately higher than if only the 47.5 fits

[zem...@gmail.com]

I'd follow Riv's sizing guidelines, bearing in mind that they plan for a decent amount of crotch clearance. So if you're on the edge and would prefer a taller head tube, size up, and if you're wanting a shorter reach, size down. I think a lot of this depends on what kind of handlebar you're planning on and your desired riding position. 

[Piaw Na]

Also depends on what handlebars you're planning to use. Drop bars - go for the smaller frame. Upright bars - go for the bigger frame. There's nothing about the AHH that would preclude bikepacking or bicycle touring! I would happily ride my Roadini on a tour and I now treat it like a 1990s mountain bike since I've got 38mm tires on it.

[Roberta]

Hi, Stephanie. 

I have both and love both, set up similarly, but like the Homer ride a bit more. 2019 Homer (last gen, 54.5cm) and 2021 Platy (first gen, 55cm). Wheelbase is 43” for Homer and 47” for Platy, which is too long for city bus bike rack (I’ll post pics later) and Amtrak roll on service. If you’re  planning to use either on bus rack, I suggest getting someone to measure wheelbase for fit. 

My pbh is 83cm and I can straddle the Homer if I’m wearing sneakers, which is my standard riding shoe. But I do worry when I jump off quickly. I’ve been lucky enough to have ridden many Riv models and think, for me, bigger is better, when I “can” fit either size. 

Things to consider for sizing when you straddle sizes: handlebar type, reach, tire size (bigger tires raise bike), thickness of riding shoe soles, head tube height. 

Trying them out is best, especially that 51cm to rule out “too big.”  

Roberta 

Philadelphia 

On Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 10:11:06 AM UTC-4 Stephanie A. wrote:

[Stephanie A.]

Your responses are all so helpful! Roberta, especially, it's good to know that the Platy wheelbase likely won't work for Amtrak and city bus bike racks--I'm car free.

I finally got some paint sticks to take a more accurate PBH measurement. I'm 5' 5" and have an 80.6cm PBH. I'd like to be able to run either drop bars or swept back bars. It looks like the 51 oughta work with different stems. Barwise, I've got an albatross and an RM3 dirt drop. 

My current bike is a 42. That's what was available at the time and I needed a bike. I've made it work. I installed a 350mm seat post because I was over the max height of the OEM post. The flat bars felt uncomfortably close no matter where I put them with the bike's 85mm reach stem. I swapped to albatross bars and changed the 80mm reach stem for a 135mm (124 w/ the upward angle) with the hopes of being able to use both a semi-upright and my preferred stretched out position. That's been working surprisingly well. 

Current bike came with 700x38 and the geometry is (* indicates a rough measurement from me because established geometry numbers were not available):

Stack: 53*

Reach: 42*

TT Length: 55.3

HT Angle: 73*

ST Angle: 73

BB Drop: 6

Front center: 61.2

Chainstay length: 45

Wheelbase: 105.5

Idk why I added all of that. But now I've typed it all out and it's staying. Here's to hoping I can get an AHH in the relatively near future! Until then, I have a bike that's getting the job done.

[DavidP]

"I swapped to albatross bars and changed the 80mm reach stem for a 135mm (124 w/ the upward angle) with the hopes of being able to use both a semi-upright and my preferred stretched out position. That's been working surprisingly well."

Stephanie - the above sentence is all I needed to read to be confident in your ability to select the best size frame and then set it up to work well for you. The detail about the stem reach changing with the rise angle and your experience with setting up albatross bars for multiple back angles speak volumes.

Personally, whenever I've looked at the recent Riv geo charts (the ones drawn on cardboard) and wondered about stretching up a frame size on a diamond frame, I've found the standover height measurements seem to back up Riv's minimum PBH recommendations pretty closely. That's another reason I love my 60cm Platypus - I'd not be able to get the same roomy TT length on a diamond framed Appaloosa or Atlantis.

For the AHH, your 80.6 PBH puts you in range for a 51cm with 40mm tires, while Roberta is a centimeter shy of the recommended minimum PBH on her 54.5cm (which makes Roberta's description of her standover clearance very helpful!).

-Dave (not far from Boston but with larger bikes)