First Riv Ride Report: Waterford Homer

[Samuel Huang]

Hi everyone, first post here! I've always been curious to try out a Rivendell, and finally got the chance to when a Waterford-built A. Homer Hilsen came up locally for a decent price. It's a 63cm, probably about 2-3 frame sizes too large for me, but wanted to try out a swept back bar build. 

I'm 6' with a 86 pbh / 76cm saddle height and typically prefer a 56-57cm top tube on a drop bar road bike. The 60.5cm top tube and 120mm stem get the Choco bars in a comfy position for me, since any shorter and I feel too upright/cramped. I do have to tip toe slightly to stand over the top tube.

To describe the ride in one word, it'd be smooth, like the bike disappears under me. I feel like I can zone out in and really enjoy the scenery without having to focus on the bike. The tubing still feels lively and the 700 x 38mm RH Barlow Pass extralight tires feel like the perfect size for fast yet cushy pavement riding. 

As much fun as it was trying out a Riv for the first time, I think I'll probably put this one up for sale soon, as I didn't really need it and need to N-2. The commuter sport touring bike I have gets me 70% of the way towards what the Homer does, and I don't have to worry as much about locking that one up around town. The lack of standover and color aren't my  first preferences either. That said, I definitely have a newfound appreciation for Rivendells design elements, and hope to try out other models in the future!

Sam

San Diego, CA

[Patrick Moore]

Sam: FWIW, I’d highly recommend trying a smaller, more “proper” size for the bar you really prefer. I know that Grant has pooh-pooh’d top tube length in the past (because you can always raise the bar, which brings it back), but if you have a distinct preference for where you want to place your bar in relation to the saddle — height wrt saddle, reach wrt saddle — then, yes indeed, it may well be wise to choose a smaller seat tube to allow a longer stem.

I’ve owned 6 Rivendells since 1995, sold on 4, and now have 2, which are definitely keepers, and both road bikes. I very deliberately sized them so that without having to use an exceptionally short stem, I could get my drop bars exactly where I want them; this ends up requiring a 56 to 57 cm top tube with a seat tube anywhere from 57 to 60 c-c and stems from 8 cm to 10 cm depending on bike and bar height — I like the bar on my dirt road bike to be ~2 cm higher than the bars on my pavement road bikes.

IMO, the superlative Grantian/Rivendell ride quality — as you said, smooth and “disappearing” — make Rivendells, at least the more road-like models, my all-time benchmarks after 65 years of riding (I learned when I was 4 or 5). Even my Chauncey Matthews customs were built using Rivendell frames as models. If I were you, and knowing what I know now, I’d be loath to give up on Rivendells for what (in my own experience, and take that for what it’s worth) are inferior substitutes.

As always, FWIW and YMMV.

Patrick Moore

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Patrick Moore

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

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