Are all blue Rambouillets 700c, and another frame question?

[Lungimsam]

1. Are all blue Rambouillets 700c?

2. At what size do you start getting into (if any on these bikes) the "problems" of small sized bikes? 52? 50?

I notice they have different rakes, CS lengths, head tube tilt, and drop than the other sizes.

http://www.cyclofiend.com/rbw/rambouillet/rambflyer/17.html

3. Was there a distinctive run of frames that suffered from cracked rear side chainstay/dropouts that should be avoided? I have heard a couple times on this forum of this happening and was wondering if anyone knows if there were enough broken stays to amount to a design flaw.

Thanks for any info.

[Joe Bernard]

I've seen blue 26-inchers..I believe all 50cm Rams came that way. I'm less sure about 52s.

[iamkeith]

Both 50 and 52 are 26 for sure.   I don't know about 54.  My wife has a 50, if you want me to take any measurements or photos.   I'm sort of getting the feeling, between these two threads, that you're considering buying one???  

My wife loves hers.  I think it's really perfectly proportioned, too -  when I look at it, I can't even imagine how you'd make a bike this size work with 700c wheels, unless the headtube shrunk to the point that the top tube and down tube lugs overlapped each other.   She has never complained about TCO either, which is great for someone that rides only occasionally, and is something that I can only attribute to the smaller wheel.

I've never heard of any "problems" with the smaller sizes, so I'm not sure what to say about that.   Both of our Rams (her 50 and my 60) are from the later end of the run.  I think hers has slightly less tire clearance than mine, but she doesn't like fenders so its not an issue.    Still, she runs 1.25 (35) pasellas with clearance for miles, and has also run 1.6 (42) Marathon Supremes - though they had to be aired-down to fit past the calipers. 

[Fullylugged]

The blue 50 and 52 were sold only as 26" because GP said you couldn't design proper geometry in those sizes with 700s.  I have a 52 with about 12K miles on it since getting it new from RBW and still love it. It takes up to 37 mm tires (you have to let air out to get past the brakes though on tires larger than 32mm). It has great proportions and a custom bike for me would have the same dimensions I think.

[Johnny Alien]

The 54 is for sure 700c. I thought only the 50 was a 26" wheel so I learned something knew.  A 52 with a 26" wheel seems really odd to me but I guess that's what you got in the days before 650B in rivland.

[Steve Palincsar]

Even now, if what you wanted to build was a bike with 28mm tires you
most likely wouldn't choose 650B as the wheel size. I think the only
28mm 650B tire is the Confrerie Hutchinson. Everything else is 32mm or
wider.

[Johnny Alien]

Was that the reason for the 26" tire?  I just figured it was to get the geometry better in a smaller size.  I doubt many Riv buyers want a tire slimmer than 32.  I know the Ram could take larger than 28 tires even in the 700C sizes and most I have seen take advantage of that fact.

[iamkeith]

I'm certain it was to achieve proper geometry in the case of the Rambouillet.   But, for me, 26" is where its at anyway!  In addition to my 60cm Ram, I have a 60cm All Rounder with 26" tires, and I will virtually always choose that bike, no matter the conditions or type of ride planned.   The smaller wheels  have less inertia, so they spin up faster - so easier climbing and acceleration.   The gyroscope of the wheels is lower, so its more maneuverable at higher speed.   The overall center of mass is lower, so its more stable at moderate speeds.   There's zero toe clip overlap, even with fat tires and fenders.  The arguments that make sense for 29ers on mountain bikes (better attack angle for rough surfaces and more momentum to roll over larger obstacles) really don't matter in a road bike.

I've heard that Grant has said he doesn't want to go "backwards" and do a larger 26" road bike again, but maybe the new Rat Trap Pass tires from Compass will change that??    I cant' wait to get my hands on them for this bike.

Here's an old picture of my 60 AR and wife's 50 Ram, together, both with 26" wheels, just for kicks.

On Friday, July 3, 2015 at 6:08:53 AM UTC-6, Johnny Alien wrote:

[Bruce Herbitter]

The 52 cm Ram with 26" wheels rides very nicely on Conti Gatorskin 28s.  The factory build (most were sold as frame sets but a built model was avail and that is what I bought) came with Pasela 32s

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[Bruce Herbitter]

Picture saved :)

[Bruce Herbitter]

From the RBW web page for Rams in march of 2009 (the one where it's famous "nap" was announced):

"The Rambouillet is better made than most custom frames. It is hand-made in a small high-end frame shop in Osaka, Japan. There are five builders, and three of them braze. Their standards are high, and our standards are high, and the quality and consistency of the Rambouillet is phenomenal. The frames are straight, symmetrical, and defects or rejects are so rare that we can't even remember the last one.

If you're looking for a comfortable, versatile road bike you can be proud to own and can reasonably expect to be riding 20 years from now, a Rambouillet is a great choice.

It comes in sizes 50 thru 68. The 50&52cm frames use 26-inch wheels because it's impossible to properly design a frame that small around 700c wheels."

[Leslie]

AASHTA:
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/rambouillet/

[Joe Bernard]

The Ram was designed in pre-650b-resurgence days. You are correct, the 26-inch wheel was used for geometry purposes.