Re: Sam or Clem (or both) ???

[Deacon Patrick]

You can't go wrong either way. You will be delighted either way. You will scratch your head and wonder "what if..." either way. Grin.

I wouldn't fret about standover height on the Sam. I ride bikes that have a standover height the same as my PBH and I put the fattest tires I can on there, and we get along great. You'll do just fine. From what you describe I'd go for the Sam were I you. Then I'd get the Clementine for when I'm 95 and can't swing my leg over the saddle or the top bar any more. Grin.

With abandon,

Patrick 

[Shoji Takahashi]

One thought: if you're looking to ride soon, then Sam is probably the way to go. IIRC: Clem and Clementine are scheduled for fall. If you can wait that long (or possibly longer if there are delays), then no big deal. But... you'd be missing prime riding season, which is worth something.

With your PBH at 83, you could go either 51 or 55 Sam-- if you're concerned about stand over, why not go down to 51? It's also 650b like 52 Clem. (or do you think the head tube/handle bars won't get high enough?)

shoji 

[Kellie]

You can save some dough; buy the Clem. You can get two different sets of tires for the different kind of riding. That's cheaper than 2 bikes. Also I use the Rock and Road tires on my Cheviot and ride trail and street. Love them!

On Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 11:09:57 AM UTC-7, DSat wrote:

Sam 55 vs Clem 52.  PBH 83.  5'10" and weigh 300 lbs.  Will ride mostly on pavement.  Anything offroad will not be too rough.  Will never carry any real heavy loads.  I do one charity ride a year where you get to choose anywhere from 30 to 100 miles.  I usually do the 60 mile ride.

Clem will provide a couple more CM's of standover than the Sam, so I could use the max width tire than Clem will allow if I so choose.  I'm not really sure how wide of a tire that I could use on the Sam and still have clearance for standover.  I've read the min SO for the Sam is 83, so I will be close to max'd out with standover on the Sam.  I think I could do standover for at least the 38mm tires.  I usually ride in sandals, so I do not get a lot of help with standover from my shoe soles.

Per some Riv employees, I could get the bars maybe 1cm or so higher on the Sam/Hunq as compared to the Clem in my sizes.  I will use either Alba's or Bosco's no matter which bike b/c I am not very flexible and I need the bars above the seat level.

I think the Clem is probably the safest bet just due to a little more standover height with the ability to get the bars nearly as high as the Sam.  I'd love to have both, but I'm not sure about spending that much money.  I'm not sure if the Clem would work for the charity ride due to an out of shape engine.  Seems like my head is saying Clem and my heart is saying Sam ha ha ha.

Wow, things must be going well for me if my biggest problem is deciding on which bike to buy!!!

[Garth]

Standover is measured in the middle of the top tube, with Rivendell's largest recommended tire and is irrespective of shoes . It is measured from the ground to the top middle of the TT. .  So you are fine+, regardless as nearer the seat there is even more clearance . 
Or just a Clementine and do aways with the whole clearance idea :)


As mentioned, the Clem does not even exist for sale yet and won't until at least fall. Final specs are not truly known either. Prototypes are called that for a reason .

You're good to go any way you choose .

[cbone97]

I had a Sam and loved every aspect of it, except that tire size maxed out at about 40mm.  I'm a big guy and like the peace of mind, at least for me, of riding fatter tires.  I now have a Clem pre-orderd and can't wait to have the fat-tired Riv I always wanted at a bargain price.

Do you have a bike now? 

[Richard Rios]

FWIW I have a Sam size 56. My pbh after much measuring and mismeasuring and measuring again is 84cm + or - a wee bit which puts me towards the bottom of the suggested size range. I have ridden the Sam with smart sams 700x42 I believe on and off road no problem. The top tube is close but it hasn't caused any real world problems. Most of the off roading I do is non technical fire road type stuff. If I was gonna do anything a bit more tricky then that though I would Definately size down.

[Surlyprof]

I'm a big fan of my 56 Sam but I am 5'11" and 165# with an 85 pbh. No problems with clearance and I even thought my seat was showing a slight excess of post. I can't see why you would have problems on a 55 Sam with an 83 pbh.

I haven't ridden it fully loaded yet but I have ridden with some unbalanced loads and noticed a little flex. The tubes on the Clem sound like they are stouter than the Sam which may or may not be an issue at 300#. Riv could probably clarify both issues.

The Clem is cool but so is that discounted 55cm Albastache Sam in the web specials. $150 bucks off vs. $300 off! Can't see how you could go wrong with either.

Good luck deciding.
John

[cyclotourist]

Ohhh, that's a nice bike and price ready to go! Try with the Albastache as-is, knowing you can move to Albatross or Boscos if still too low. Looking at that picture, the clamp of the stem looks a good 3-4 inches above the saddle, don't know if there's too much drop with those bars though. 

Try it and report back!!!

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Cheers,
David

Member, Supreme Council of Cyberspace

"it isn't a contest. Just enjoy the ride." - Seth Vidal

[Surlyprof]

... and if you do want to swap the Albastache for an Albatross... let me know!

John