Re: [RBW] Clydesdale's -- Which Riv Model are you riding?

[René Sterental]

I currently weigh 284 and I ride both a Hunqapillar (and have done loaded overnights with it with no issues at all) and an Atlantis, which I only load for commuting (spare clothes and laptop). I run 50mm tires on the Hunqapillar and am now running 38mm Barlow Pass on the Atlantis for a superb quality ride.

I'm reluctant to ride my Homer and my Betty at this weight, although I've been told not to worry about it and just ride them. When I do, I do not load them other than with the basic tool/tube kit, maybe a sweater and a camera in addition to the mandatory water bottle.

If you are planning to get a Rivendell for your current weight, then I'd recommend getting the Hunqapillar if you are going to also load it for overnight camping trips. Otherwise, for non-loaded riding/commuting, I think that you could also consider the Atlantis and the Sam. Or, you can place an order for a Clem which I think should not present a problem either.

René 

On Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 9:31 AM, DSat <satt...@gmail.com> wrote:

To the riders that weigh 200 lbs or more, which Riv model are you riding?  I am just shy of 300, so should I consider one model over another?  I assume that the wider the tires the better.

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[Jim Bronson]

I'm somewhere in the 260-270 range and I ride an older 68cm Custom
that was built for a guy that probably weighed 190 soaking wet, and
I've never had any issues in 10 years of owning it. I think you
should get whatever model that you like the best and fits your
intended purpose.

One thing I will add is that I've had a lot better results, longevity
speaking, with 38mm tires than I did with 32s. I just don't think the
32s were wide enough for my girth. That may help inform your choice
of frame. Were I to start from scratch I probably would want
clearance in the 40-50mm range instead of being maxed at 38mm.

On Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 11:31 AM, DSat <satt...@gmail.com> wrote:
> To the riders that weigh 200 lbs or more, which Riv model are you riding? I
> am just shy of 300, so should I consider one model over another? I assume
> that the wider the tires the better.
>
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Keep the metal side up and the rubber side down!

[cbone97]

I'm 245 and rode a double top-tubed Sam for a while.  It never felt weak or overly flexy.  That being said, I sold it for want of fatter tires to accommodate a little rougher riding.  Now I'm anxiously awaiting my Clem.  This is a stout bike that will take fat tires, perfect for us Clydesdales.  Unless you need something soon and want to plunk down the cash for a Hunqapillar, I encourage you to preorder a Clem while the price is still only $700.  Best of luck!

[Sky Coulter]

I range between 220-240lbs and have had no issues with my Romulus with 28mm tires or my Saluki with 38mm tires.  I've never tried carrying more than a credit card load with the Romulus, but with the Saluki I've gone on 5 day bikepacking trips with a front basket full and a carradice camper longflap stuffed to the gills. 

[Tim Gavin]

I'm 225# and I ride a Riv Road Standard (Reynolds 753 frame).  I do light touring on it, maybe with a total load of 275# (I was 250# when I bought it).  

My Riv has proven to be strong and capable.  The frame seems responsive enough to give a good ride without being flexy.  I have a Giordana racing frame in very thinwall HT steel that flexes much more, but even that bike doesn't feel noodly under my girth.

I definitely agree with Jim and the others that, being heavy, I don't like the ride of tires skinnier than 35-38 mm or so.  I ride that Giordana rarely because it fits 700 x 26 mm max (although it rides nice with the GB Cerf tires).  I converted my Riv to 650b to take advantage of the wide/supple tires, and I'd never switch it back.  

You're lucky that almost any Riv made today could fit ~35 mm tires and give you a great ride.  Even the Roadeo or San Marcos can fit 700 x 35, and those would be perfectly OK for your weight if you want a bike for fast, unloaded riding.  Steel is real (strong).  If you want to carry "light" loads (20 lbs or so is common around here), I'd recommend a Sam/Atlantis, or a Hunq/Clem/Bomba for serious loads.

[reynoldslugs]

I am a pocket-sized Clyde at 215.  I easily and happily ride a custom, a Legolas, Roadeo, Quickbeam, and an Atlantis.  I don't know the Hunq, have never ridden one, but it seems hell-for-stout.  Based on my experience, I recommend the Atlantis.  It takes fat tires easily and handles very well, essentially as a traditional road bike with sweet Rivendell manners.  

Max B

[Robert F. Harrison]

I was 270 lbs and rode both a 62 cm Hunq and a 66 cm Quickbeam which are very different bikes (at least across the Riv line). Now I'm 208 and ride the same bikes. I've ridden both of them on short and long rides and they've always been great. The only problem I've had is that the QB has 32 spoke wheels and until I got the hang of 'riding lightly' (yes, possible even at weight) I'd have to replace spokes every so often. That still happens of course, but less over the course of the last year.

My suggestion is whatever bike you get, ride fatter tires. I have an hold Bridgestone with 28mm tires in Hilo but it isn't nearly as comfortable as the QB with 35s or the Hunq with 50s. I'd also go for 36 spoke wheels over 32. But hey, I haven't bothered getting new wheels for the QB and I've overloaded it many a time and had no issues.

Aloha,

Bob

On Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 11:54 AM, reynoldslugs <be...@perrylaw.net> wrote:

I am a pocket-sized Clyde at 215.  I easily and happily ride a custom, a Legolas, Roadeo, Quickbeam, and an Atlantis.  I don't know the Hunq, have never ridden one, but it seems hell-for-stout.  Based on my experience, I recommend the Atlantis.  It takes fat tires easily and handles very well, essentially as a traditional road bike with sweet Rivendell manners.  

Max B

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Robert Harrison

Honolulu, HI
rfhar...@gmail.com
statrix.com

Wu Name: Tha Eurythmic King of Nowhere

[reynoldslugs]

p.s. about fat tires:  I'm riding Barlow Pass 38's on the Legolas, and it rides like a dream for fast road rides.

My Roadeo has 35mm Schwalbe Kojaks that actually measure out to about 33 mm, and the bike looks like it could accomodate a 38mm tire pretty easily - provided you can find a brake set that would work.  

Max

[Leslie]

On Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at 4:26:14 PM UTC-4, DSat wrote:

To the riders that weigh 200 lbs or more, which Riv model are you riding?  I am just shy of 300, so should I consider one model over another?  I assume that the wider the tires the better.

I have a Bombadil, and it's solid under me;  I'm currently running Rumpkins on it, and they're the smallest tire I'd run, bigger would be good;  I've run NeoMotos on it before, too. 
The Hunqapillar would be just as solid.    An Atlantis would also be fine, too.  

But, I also have a Rom and a Ram.  I don't load them down:
The Ram, I converted to 650b and run Hetres on it (~42mm), has a pair of Acorns on it, a rando box on the front and a saddle bag on the back, so I can carry tools, tube, a jacket, etc.; no panniers, or heavy loads. 
The Rom, I run it naked except for a tool-roll, and have it running MSO's (700c / 40mm) as more of a gravel-grinder. (Have a small front rack I could put on it, have considered a rando box for it, too...)  
So, none of them are running skinny tires.  They're fine, but, they were intended for people smaller than me.

What's your intended use?  Just looking for a 'road bike'?  A Sam or a Hilsen might work okay for you, They wouldn't be as stout as the Atlantis or the Hunq, but it could do it. But the Atlantis and the Hunq would be fine at that too, and can take more, if you wanted to load them up more.    The Clem looks like it'd be a great choice too, but, it'll be awhile before it gets here.  

[Deacon Patrick]

One thing to consider is that owning a Rivendell is different than owning any other bike in my experience of one. On a Rivendell you can think you wanted a road bike and possibly get a Hillsen. But something magical happens as you ride roads. A Rivendell enhances our senses so we can hear the back roads and trails calling out to us. Pass a dirt road and the beast pauses a crank, dips and tilts her head, longing to answer the siren's call.

You will find you ride more terrain that you realized you wanted to. It will be astonishingly fun. You may even want to try that whacky S24O camping thing. After all it's one night and great adventure can happen in one night, down those beckoning roads and trails. So my suggestion is what Grant guided me toward, without actually saying it. Get a bike that you can ride the roads just fine with and that can handle the rough and loaded stuff too. If you end up "needing" a road specific bike after that, that means you are riding a lot and what a grand success to be enjoying a bike so much you "need" another! Grin.

With abandon,

Patrick 

[Geir Bentzen]

I'm 6' 2" and bought a 62 cm Hunqapillar last year when my weight was at 241. I have 50 mm tires. It doesn't feel heavy at all and fits me great. I have 48 cm Noodles handlebars and Grip King pedals. I talked with Jared when I put the order in and he didn't want to sell me the Sam Hillborne I originally called about when he heard my weight. I have never regretted listening to his advise. I have other bikes, but I have hardly used them at all since the Hunqapillar arrived. 

Geir

[Patrick Moore]

I'm not a Clydesdale, but my brother at least edges into the territory at 220 or so, so I'll make a modest case for road bikes: he very comfortably and enthusiastically rides light road bikes (steel, titanium -- RB-1, Merlin, Paramount; literally scores of classics; he won't touch CF) with 32 down to 23 mm tires. Of course, he has owned, again literally, scores of dirt bikes and all rounders (and track bikes and tandems and folders and cruisers and track bikes and hybrids and coffee bikes and beaters and collectibles and antiques and classics and everything else except recumbents and electric bikes) with tires up to 60 mm, and loves those, too, but owning an allroad bike doesn't mean you can't enjoy a true gofast.

Get a Hunq and a Roadeo!

Me, I own:

"Utility" bike -- 2003 Riv custom. This gets most use. 32 mm tires with fenders, probably 35+ without, capable of firm dirt and gravel that we don't have on my side of town.

Gofast -- 1999 ditto. Lightest wheels and fastest tires possible; currently 571X23 but hoping for 559X32 if Compass comes through.

Dirt bike: Fargo. I'd love a Hunq but that 58.4 cm top tube is just far too big and I have doubts about sufficient tire clearance. If I ever spend $2K on a dirt bike, it will be a Rivendellian Chauncey Matthews.

[Chris Lampe 2]

You've gotten some very good advice here.   I'm a super clydesdale (400 lbs) and I can say that I would confidently ride pretty much any bike on the market with no fears.   However, many would probably not be fun to ride due to excessive frame flexing from a person of my weight and many currently available wheels probably wouldn't last long under me.  

I e-mailed Grant several times about two years ago, when I weighed 360, and he was very insistent that the only Riv models he would recommend would be a Hunqapillar or a Bombadil.   He wouldn't even recommend an Atlantis.   Despite that, if I had the cash I would buy a used Atlantis in a heartbeat and just put some custom built wheels on it.  All of the other bikes I've ridden with no problem were probably similar to the Atlantis in stoutness.  I mostly ride pavement and I'm not a power rider.  I will note that the one aluminum bike I owned accelerated like a race car under me, compared to my steel bikes so that might be an argument that a stiffer bike like a Hunqapillar might be better for me than what I'm currently riding.  

I will also note that on a bike forum I frequent, a guy who works as a mechanic at an LBS said a Hillborne came thru their shop and he got to ride it and his overall impression was that the bike was way to flexy for his tastes.   Comfortable for gentle cruising was his opinion but horrible for hard riding and acceleration.   He thought some or most of the flex might have been the high quill stem so who knows if that's even a valid representation of the frame itself.  I've never thought of the Hillborne as being on the lighter side of things, more in the middle between a Homer and an Atlantis.  

[drew beckmeyer]

peace of mind is a valuable thing.  i am not over 200#, but i opted for a hunqapillar because i didnt want to worry about loading it up or taking it only on a certain type of terrain.  l think the atlantis would've given the same assurance, and likely any riv model would do what i need it to do.  You could probably find a totally valid road bike of acceptable stoutness relatively cheap and easily. with rivendell, you get the, relatively rare, option to get something weight/bomb proof, if that's a priority.

[Philip Williamson]

I'm 250# and ride a Quickbeam. I'd ride it anywhere. I do "ride light," in that I shift my weight to account for obstacles, but I haven't had any problems with wheels, or bike feel. Perfect bike.

Philip
www.biketinker.com

[Deacon Patrick]

Talk with Riv. on sizing. They do a brilliant job!

With abandon,

Patrick

[Amit Singh]

I'm currently at 230lbs, 6'6".

I ride a Quickbeam, A. Homer Hilsen, Atlantis and Bombadil.

BombaLove doesn't come alive until either on dirt with some knobbies or until loaded down with 60lbs of gear. It's such a great bike.

Atlantis is like A. Homer - has that magical Riv ride, feels like I can ride all day and takes fatties. It's currently set up as a ride around town errand bike. I love it.

A. Homer is my fast bike, set up with 38mm tires and fenders, I've been pushing 18-21mph riding next to a racer friend turned randonneur with it. Comfortable and fast and smooth, especially on descents. When I first rode it I thought it had 90% the speed of my DeRosa, just way more predictable and smooth. Amazing bicycle. My first experience with Riv was with the AHH.

Quickbeam. What a sweet ride. I love this thing and sometimes wish for more gears so I could ride faster. But I am so happy with its simplicity that well, it's the perfect ride.

I've ridden all of these bicycles at 270/275. I ride the largest frames and have no problem with any of them.

Sometimes when I ride a lot and get strong and channel my inner columbian to ride up hills with gusto I can feel A Homer "plane". It is a good feeling and so I push harder. I also took the Atlantis camping, loaded it up with around 80 pounds of stuff. It felt a little noodly ... which surprised me at first, but after a few minutes riding I did not mind the feeling and kept riding.

These bicycles are overbuilt and made with love for the longest of journeys. Your selections are great. Based on your requirements and your flexibility issues I think a Cheviot would be perfect for you.

The best thing you can do, however, is pick up the phone and call Riv. The entire team is wonderful to work with and they will bend over backwards to make sure that you are happy.

Good luck and let us know which bike you decide to go with. Remember, pictures prove it happened. So make sure to take some photos and share them!

[Zack]

First, and most importantly, talk to the guys at Riv about any and all sizing and weight/height issues.  They will not ever steer you wrong.  If you aren't near enough to SF to visit Walnut Creek, follow the instructions explicitly for measuring your PBH.  At Riv, if the best option is the cheapest option, they will tell you so.  It's a different buying experience than at 99% of the places you buy things in the world.  They are awesome, they will help you, and that is good.  You won't get any pressure sales tactics, I would say it's more like talking with a genius friend about what might work best for your situation.

Next: I am 6'3", of varying weights depending on how many pizzas donuts and carrot cakes i am consuming at any given time, from about 215 to 250.  I have a Sam and a Hunq.  Both are most excellent bikes.  I just got back from a camping overnight on the Sam, loaded up, and it was totally fine.  I have the 64 cm double top tube.  I don't ever think about putting too much stuff on the Sam.  I certainly don't think about it on the Hunq.  I took the Sam because it currently has fenders on it and the Hunq doesn't.  The Sam rides better when there is less stuff on it (but is still eminently rideable when carrying a load), the Hunq feels better when it's loaded up, but is still fun to ride when it isn't!  

[John Philip]

I'm 6'5" and currently 240#. Like Amit I have a 67 Hilsen and 68 Atlantis.  My Bombadil is a 64 and the Hunq is a 62.  The Hilsen rides beautifully and feels the most lively.  I ride it with minimal day loads and I love it. It feels fast and smooth. The Atlantis was my commuter and now around town bike.  I originally got it thinking I would tour with it but I found when it was loaded it just too flexy for me. Various loading strategies didn't change things. For me it works best with moderate loads. The Bombadil shines loaded and is very steady climbing slowly or descending at speed. I've loaded both bikes with the same racks, bags and gear there is no question the Bombadil handles a load much better. It seems a bit dead without a load. The Hunq is set up as an offroader with Midge Bars and fat knobbies.  It takes fatter rubber than the first gen Bombadil and I like the stand over room it provides. It's very steady up hill and down.  I'm sure it would be fine with a touring load as well.  If I could only keep one it would be the Atlantis.  If you look through my photo stream you can see them in various configurations.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cnyriv/

[Zack]

were i forced to choose to have just one riv, i'd probably sell both the sam and the hunq and get an atlantis haha!  i'd also be happy to have any riv as my only bike.  they are all awesome in their own way.

[Rod Holland]

Related question: 36h or 32h wheels?

rod

[Geir Bentzen]

36 spokes on my Hunqapillar. There never was a question about that. I have a history of breaking spokes on road bikes, especially at the moment I decide to stand up while climbing a hill.

Geir

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[Deacon Patrick]

36 Hunqapillar, 36 rear, 32 front on the Quickbeam. It's the Hunqapillar I've snapped a spoke on. Likely because you can only unweight the bike so much when it is garrying gear.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Robert F. Harrison]

36 Hunq, 32 front and rear on QB. I haven't really had problems for a few years. I tend to avoid things these days.

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[Deacon Patrick]

On Friday, March 27, 2015 at 4:41:14 PM UTC-6, Statrixbob wrote:

"I tend to avoid things these days."

What a fantastic and wonderful luxury to have! Between ruts, ridges, moles, dried horse print divets and clumps, rocks, and roots, wash board, pot holes, trees, cracks, etc, I tend to hit a lot, though I avoid 95% of what I could hit. Grin.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Robert F. Harrison]

Now that sounds like fun. I'm mostly an in city commuter skirting broken glass, joggers, and folks using their cellphones while driving. Thankfully I do get out of the city every so often (and really, it isn't so bad living Hawaii...I mean someone's got to do it, right?). 

I'll be out by the dried horse print divots next the first weekend in April when I go for my first camping trip of the year. 

To keep this on track I'm deciding between a 32 and 36 spokes for the ride, and the frame the comes with them. :-)

Aloha,

Bob

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[John Philip]

36 all around 40 rear on the Bombadil.

[Jim Bronson]

36 unless you only ride on very smooth roads, or build rims that will take very high spoke tension. 

I never had any problems running 32h with Velocity DeepV rims, which will take 135kgf, but every other 32h rim I've had gave me issues of some sort or another.

I can tell you that from recent experience that a 32h with a broken spoke gives significantly more hop than does a 36h.  In fact I rode a 36h wheel with a broken spoke for several weeks before I realized it wasn't just out of true.

A 40h setup would probably be even better for the rear, but you'd have to go with a boutique rear hub, which I am not willing to do.

On Mar 27, 2015 5:09 PM, "Rod Holland" <rholla...@gmail.com> wrote:

Related question: 36h or 32h wheels?

rod

[Jim Bronson]

Actually, I take that back.  The first time I used 32h DeepV, I used it in the rear with an older DT Swiss hub and after about 6 months, the drive side flange broke at the root and two spokes started pulling through.

I guess the older hub just wasn't up to the high tension that was applied to it.

[David Banzer]

I have a 65cm Redwood. Riv probably wouldn't recommend it to me, but it rides great and planes nicely for me. For a road bike, which it is, I don't know if I'd want a stouter ride.
David
Chicago

[Iron Rider]

I ride an A. Homer Hilsen and I weight 240 - 250+ depending on the season. I use 38 mm 650B tires and I love my bike.

[Cecily Walker]

Not posting my weight (not because I'm embarrassed, but to keep from getting lots of messages about reading the "Eat Bacon" book), but I'm an Athena, and I ride a Betty Foy. I use a Nitto S83 seatpost, and I ride on 38mm Soma New Express tires. No problems whatsoever, even when I was doing longer rides over rougher terrain. 

I know many bike manufacturers post weight limits to keep lawyers happy, but I think anyone who is in the 300-350lb range can safely ride a Betty, Cheviot or Sam. I don't think a Hunqapillar or an Atlantis is necessary, unless you just really want one of those models.