FWIW, I have several seasons using my Rambouillet as a brevet bike. Overall I am very happy with the bike and would probably use this bike for the foreseeable future. I am a slow rider so I spend quite a bit of time in the saddle and have been comfortable on the bike. My tire of choice has been Ruffy Tuffy's. The popular opinion is that wider and more supple tires are more comfortable and just as fast. While I would like to ride 32mm tires I have to remind myself that the 28mm tires are significantly wider then the 23mm tires that most riders use. I have also found that non belted tires are too flat prone for me.
I will admit to having a bias towards 700c wheels. I ride a 62cm frame and do not think a frame of this size looks good with 650b wheels. I also feel that because 700c wheels are a standard size and if there is a problem with a wheel or tire you have a much better chance of having it fixed or aquiring a replacement on your route then you do with a 650b wheel or tire. Plenty of people use 650b and you just have to more self sufficient and ready to handle problems. These problems are rare and probably not as important as I sometimes think. Of the three you have I think all would be great randonneuring bikes. The AHH is a 700c bike that can handle large tires and fenders, this would be my choice. The Romulus might be the better choice if you want more of the a go fast bike and like 28mm or small tires. The Saluki is also a good bike if you are a 650b fan. Rivendell makes great steel frames that are durable and comfortable to ride. The most important factor is which of these would you be more comfortable riding for long periods of times. Is there anything about one that would make it more comfortable then another? I think you are smart setting up a bike just for randonneuring. I find that a full seasons of brevets and trainning rides takes alot out of a bike. I set my Rambouillet up for brevets and train on my QB or my Soma Smoothie ES. This allows me to keep the Rambouillet in great shape for the brevets. Good Luck Larry Powers PBP 2007 "just when you think that you've been gyped the bearded lady comes and does a double back flip" - John Hiatt > Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:31:17 -0700 > Subject: [RBW] AHH, Romulus, or Saluki for Randonneuring? > From: pguil...@gmail.com > To: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com > > > As a prospective randonneur but one with little experience with rides > over 400k, I am planning to dedicate one bike to next year’s series. > Recognizing the breadth of on-the-road experience on this list, I am > interested in opinions about the “better” choice between the Saluki, > AHH, and the Romulus. Is comfort the driving factor, or are there > other, more subtle criteria that also warrant consideration? I > believe that any of the three will perform just fine, but I will be > setting just one up for brevets and would like to get it as right as > possible. I own all three, all are comfortable, but each is set up a > little differently. Thanks for any input. > > > _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Make it easier for your friends to see what you’re up to on Facebook. http://windowslive.com/Campaign/SocialNetworking?ocid=PID23285::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:SI_SB_facebook:082009 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
