Insomnia and a Roadini that finally fits

[Franco Rinaldi]

Hello to all,

Last night, I could not sleep. I’m not quite sure what my recent struggles are with the extremities of sleep as it appears in my life, because at times I sleep too much and at times I just don’t wanna sleep, and this all appears to have occurred more so after experiencing Lyme disease.

Last night at about midnight, I decided to watch some bike, fit videos, after getting my own bike fit, to explore the proper way to set up drop bars. That quickly evolved into me, dismantling the bars on my Rodini, adjusting the hood height, adjusting the rotational angle of the bars, and re-wrapping the bars, out of all of which, I must say wrapping the bars was the most difficult and most frustrating.

Fast-forward, to 1:30 in the morning, and I’m riding the Roadini around Far Rockaway Beach Queens, enjoying how well it fits, how comfortable it is, and how I just don’t wanna get off the bike to explore whether or not maybe I’m ready to go to sleep.

And so today I start the day with a roadini that finally fits, despite my awkward proportions with 88cm pbh at 5’9 and short reach torsoe and long shins.

My next move I believe will be to convert it to friction and move the small ring on my 2x from 34 to a 30.

If anyone one would like to chime in on their chainring sizes on their roadini set up, please do! And like wise if you want to chime in on how your roadini rides with a rando rack and back front loaded, again, please do.

Thank you!

Franco Rinaldi
c: 646.403.0661

-Pardon any typos, Siri typed this message-

[ascpgh]

Franco, I rode the path you did to get a fit for the legs, which are too long/torso is too short for my height phenotype. Very happy to read of your path in the darkness to enlightenment, Lyme-induced or otherwise. Riv owners always relate to the Eureka! moment. 

I did it with my Roadini predecessor Rambouillet twenty-four years ago, ordering after a talk with Grant and the improbability of a custom due to the time restriction of an invitation to join a group on the TransAm. 

I had fiddled and bodged my way around my physical habitus for several years after college, being firmly of production bike finances. Still, I realized my RB-1 and XO-2 were neither good fits after four hours of riding, and something had to drop. Grant detailed the Ram and specific design points that moved it into a strong option for me rather than hoping for a custom in an unlikely timeframe.

I got my Rambouillet the night before traveling to meet my TransAm group in Yorktown, VA to start our light credit card ride west. My test rides began with the Williamsburg Parkway, then into the Appalachian Mountains. I had the OE option of TA Zephyr cranks in 46-36-24 triple format and indexing 105 bar end shifters. I was also breaking in a Brooks B-17 professional from new on this adventure. 

By the end of Kentucky, I switched to friction shifting. Since that ride, I replaced the 105 bar ends with a set of Suntour AccuShift bar end shifters for their much more tactilely pleasing friction operations and switched the Zephyr cranks to 44-24 double. A 110mm 33t existed, but overcome that tooth by cassette choices and OCD-repellant deep breaths.  Today, my Rambouillet has changed very little for fit; I use the same Nitto bar and stem length. Perhaps twice over the years I adjusted stem insertion a bit. The last time I messed with saddle height was because of a new pair of riding shoes. What was right, still is. I hope that age doesn't get to involved in the future, I'm riding to be sure it is very discrete if so. 

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[Franco Rinaldi]

Thanks for the Reply, Andy, I’m always wondering if my emails here go to junk cause I’m so new.

A couple more changes will be made to my Roadini before I deem it final form. First, I want to move from brifter to friction. Second, I want to make the smaller ring smaller. Currently I have a 46/34 on there. I may try and follow your path and go to 46/24 or 46/26 if that’s not possible.

Good day all!

Franco Rinaldi 

c:  646.403.0661 

-Pardon any typos, Siri typed this message-

On Jan 8, 2026, at 8:17 AM, ascpgh <asc...@gmail.com> wrote:

Franco, I rode the path you did to get a fit for the legs, which are too long/torso is too short for my height phenotype. Very happy to read of your path in the darkness to enlightenment, Lyme-induced or otherwise. Riv owners always relate to the Eureka! moment. 

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[Joe Mullins]

I had 46/30 on my Roadini and it was perfect. Biggest rear ring was 32 if I remember correctly. My Sam is 42/26 with a 36T as the big ring in the back. It is meant to carry loads and go on all roads and I find that even on big, long hills I mostly stay out of the big rear ring unless I’m exhausted or it’s super steep. If you are keeping the Roadini light, 24 might be overkill. And I think a 20t difference between front rings is beyond what is recommended and maybe even possible. Derailleur may not be able to handle that. (I used to know this stuff definitively but can’t remember for sure). 

I miss my Roadini for quick, lightweight rides. Sold the frame because the Sam really does everything so well but I’ve been considering posting a WTB for another Roadini frame…

Joe

On Jan 8, 2026, at 5:41 AM, Franco Rinaldi <fmri...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks for the Reply, Andy, I’m always wondering if my emails here go to junk cause I’m so new.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5F2839F0-1A57-4DB3-813A-79742E4BC821%40gmail.com.

[Franco Rinaldi]

totally hear all this. The thing is I always end up somewhere ridiculous. Like on some weird super chunky connector. And I’d rather not have to walk. So it would be cool to have a gear or two for when k need to sliver through super real nasty uphill stuff.

Franco Rinaldi 

c:  646.403.0661 

-Pardon any typos, Siri typed this message-

On Jan 8, 2026, at 11:09 AM, Joe Mullins <jmlmu...@gmail.com> wrote:

I had 46/30 on my Roadini and it was perfect. Biggest rear ring was 32 if I remember correctly. My Sam is 42/26 with a 36T as the big ring in the back. It is meant to carry loads and go on all roads and I find that even on big, long hills I mostly stay out of the big rear ring unless I’m exhausted or it’s super steep. If you are keeping the Roadini light, 24 might be overkill. And I think a 20t difference between front rings is beyond what is recommended and maybe even possible. Derailleur may not be able to handle that. (I used to know this stuff definitively but can’t remember for sure). 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/401936BE-9F01-4780-8735-238B896E937D%40gmail.com.

[Joe Mullins]

In that case you may need to shrink down the 46 as well in order to wrap all those teeth. I have the 38/24 Silver on the Rosco Baby and with my kid on the front and a bunch of stuff on the back, I pretty much always stay in 38. I don't have a front derailleur on that bike and have only stopped on a hill to shift down to the 24 once or twice. Granted, I avoid big hills on this bike. But when it comes to flats, I don't mind the 38. I overspin going down hills and thus resort to coasting but I try not to go that fast with my kid anyways. Smallest rear ring is an 11.

[Dan]

On my Roadini I have a 44-28 double. It’s pretty much what Riv spec on their Roadini build options! (Well, to be precise, one option has a 44-28, and one has a 44-34-24 triple). 

It’s a good spread of gears. With an 11-36 out back I can ride up any hill that comes before me, especially because the bike is so spritely. On the flip side, I am often in the 44-11 gear going downhill. I’m happy with the range but I do wonder that maybe Joe was right when he said 46-30 was perfect for the Roadini!

[ascpgh]

I  miskeyed my chainring pair; it should have been 44-34, not 44-24. My following statement about a 33t existing but not worth the bother sort of indicated my error. 

I've used 8-speed cassettes of 12t or 13t high to 28t-32t low end, whatever I find of high enough quality. Either way, my roadish Rambouillet gets up and around my steep local surroundings.

 

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh