I know asking a bunch of bike nuts "which bike for me" is a bit of a silly proposition, but I do have some specific questions and would love to hear the commentary.
So obviously as the thread title suggests, I am considering a Bombadil, coming from a full suspension bike. Now that comment in and of itself is fairly vague without some background and detail. So here we go. I am freshly turned 38 and have been a cyclist for the last 23 years. Cut the teeth on BMX racing, then a die hard mountain biker for several years, a few at road racing, and since have become an advocate of anything with 2 wheels. For full disclosure I have worked on and off in the bike biz for 15 years. I ride as much as I can, but with my first child now 2, I tend to do a bunch of trailer pulling and just for fun cruising. Which I love. Competition, training, and "extreme" riding is well behind me. I just love biking. Having started mountain biking in the late 80's I have basically spanned the full range from quite rigid non suspended bike (Klein Adroit) to plush full boing (Yeti 303). The riding I enjoy is cross country climbing type of rides. Twisty single track, trees, smooth fast rollers...that's what I like. Maybe an occasional trip to Moab. I am a sissy descender and don't do big hit kind of stuff. Colorado is great because it offers up all manner of dirt fun, so I'm certainly not lost for terrain here. Now about 3 years ago, just before my daughter was born, I picked up a new Yeti AS-R SLC full suspension cross country bike. All the sexy stuff on it, light, fast, plush. Well, I rode it @ 6 times while my wife was pregnant. Daughter came aboard, I became stay home dad, and the bike has sat for 2 years. Now backing up a year, I realized I needed a more utility oriented bike, and wanted a sort of townie do- all. All my bikes were of some race oriented design, no rack capability, and aggressively fit and geared. So, that led me to the Bleriot. I have ridden nothing else since then. It fit the ticket so perfectly it has almost become my main reason for riding. I just love to ride it. Got rid of my old beach cruiser, road race bike, and cross racing bike. No tears shed at all. But here's the rub....although not ridden, I am extremely hesitant to get rid of my dedicated mountain bike. My very first preference is to ride in dirt, but being 45 min to an hour from the closest trails has been very tough to work into the schedule. I am also aware that my riding ability is now (and probably has been for a while) far outmatched by the Yeti. I have it basically because I have seemingly always had a racing mountain bike. So here is where some question comes in. Has anyone gone from a hi- tech suspension bike to a rigid Bombadil? Good or bad? Now having come from rigid frames, I understand all that is entailed there, and also things like disc vs. cantillever braking etc, but the Bomba is quite a different beast from rigid bikes of old. Having been riding a 650b I am seeing it's benefit on roads, but have never experienced it in the dirt, so thoughts there? And also sizing...based on my PBH of 86.5 I would be on a 52 or 56 Riv from a (med) Yeti, but from pictures, the Bombadil looks massive....is it unwieldy in the dirt? Tight single track an issue? I am sure fire roads and such are a blast. Yes I have considered that the Bleriot could be made to do some dirt riding, but lets go on the assumption I want to keep it as is. The Yeti would certainly have to go in order to do this, so no "have em both". The thought of having a bike that is as versatile in the dirt as the bleriot is on roads is wildly appealing to me. I may actually be on the verge of having only 2 bikes. That from an all time high of 28. So what say the Bombadil Brigade? --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
