on 2/21/09 7:01 PM, charlie at charles_v...@hotmail.com wrote: > I think Riv might have lost some sales because of the emphasis on > fire road weight limits. It gets confusing when you read the info, at > least for me it was. I simply focused on the weight limit number and > got discouraged. Maybe a clarification on the site would be helpful to > other potential customers. In one of my frame building books it > mentions that modern O.D. heat treated 8x5x8 tubing is fine for riders > (over) 200 pounds. I assume they meant for smooth roads when making > this statement.
In Bay Arean parlance, fire roads are not typically rocky, rooty or gnarly. They can be so, particularly early in the spring after the rains or late in the season when everything is dried out and crusty. You would tend to assume washboardy-ness later in the season (or in a dry year). Most in these sets are fire roads - http://tinyurl.com/5mfzqu to wit - http://tinyurl.com/ddblao rain rutted and steep - http://tinyurl.com/ahj3lm And, there's generally a smooth line through the worst conditions. I think that's what I like most of all about using cross/country bikes off road. As I've said before, it's kind of like light-tackle fishing. Forces you to be sharp. Back to the topic, if you were to describe Repack, which is the mother of all fire road off-roading in these parts (and more), as just a "fire road", it would generally be inaccurate. I would tend to clarify it as a "steep and rocky fire road with a lot of off-camber turns." I think that you have to take any manufacturer's weight limits into account against the _way_ you ride. I've ridden with some stantial Clydsedales (as in the mtb race definition) and most tend to strip freehubs/freewheels, bust up wheels, blow out front suspension and snap saddle rails well before any damage to the frame. These were big, powerful riders. Larger volume tires of course go a long way toward absorbing a lot of the impacts, too. And, unlike a lot of companies which figure you'll be buying another frame in four or five years, I think Riv figures you want to pass on your bike to the next generation. - Jim -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com Current Classics - Cross Bikes Singlespeed - Working Bikes Send In Your Photos! - Here's how: http://www.cyclofiend.com/guidelines "That which is overdesigned, too highly specific, anticipates outcome; the anticipation of outcome guarantees, if not failure, the absence of grace." William Gibson - "All Tomorrow's Parties" --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
