Patrick, I've thought about this a bit with my Redwood (similar geometry to Ram) as I like using a rando bag for carrying stuff and accessing things on the go. Redwood didn't ride well with a setup I tried, and I thought about trying a higher rake fork. After some thought, I decided to leave the bike alone and enjoy it for what it is, a road bike that's not meant to carry a lot of gear. I've made a very large saddle wedge that I can fit as much as I should carry on that bike. If I need to carry more stuff, I ride a different bike. That being said, an easy way to experiment would be to find an older bike (with a higher rake fork) on CL that's at least the same size, maybe a size bigger than your Ram. Swap out forks and see how you like it. With CL, at least in my area, I was able to find a complete Univega for $100 that had a high rake fork. I never did experiment with swapping forks, but at the least I have a nice 650b project in the works. David Chicago
On Tuesday, October 28, 2014 3:23:32 PM UTC-5, Patrick Moore wrote: > > Just back from turning a 3 m RT PO ride into 16 hilly ones. While the Ram > is more prone to wandering when one is seated and twiddling a low gear up a > steep hill, further investigation shows it is not nearly as bad as other > bikes I've owned -- the Sam Hill was bad for this, and a Fuji Royal as bad > or worse (tho' the Fuji actually handled better with a heavy rear load, > while the Sam and the Ram are worse with a rear load). > > OTOH: I think part of the problem is simply my relative unfamiliarity with > seated climbing on steep hills, where the front end is unladen -- most of > my riding is fixed, and even on multispeeds I very often stand to climb > rather than sit and downshift. I noticed on today's steep hills that if I > left my grip loose on the bar and didn't worry about handling, the problem, > if such it is, diminished greatly. > > Still, I'd like to know what a lower-trail fork would do to the signature > Grant-designed "turn-in". I know I didn't care overmuch for the handling of > the 2 low trail bike's I've ridden (Herse and Kogswell Porteur). > > Maybe many of life's fretting little worries would go away if one didn't > -- frettingly worry ...? > > Patrick Moore, who delved as low as a 45" gear today in beautifully sunny, > calm (winds), moderate (temp) Rio Rancho, NM. > > On Tue, Oct 28, 2014 at 12:18 PM, Steve Palincsar <[email protected] > <javascript:>> wrote: > >> On 10/28/2014 02:06 PM, Patrick Moore wrote: >> >>> I like my Ram very much (and got a splendid deal from Mr. Whalen, to >>> whom thanks again) but two handling quirks make me pause and think. >>> >>> The first and worst is the way it wanders on steep, slow climbs, >>> particularly with 20 lb or more in back, when I am sitting back and pushing >>> a low gear. It's hard to keep it tracking straight. I don't notice this >>> with my other bikes. (I often stand and climb, so even this is not a huge >>> problem >>> >>> Second, and far less important, is that it does not "turn in" to corners >>> as quickly or nimbly as my customs. >>> >>> If I were to get a lower trail fork made for it, could I expect less >>> such wandering when seated and climbing steeply? >>> >> >> Yes, I would expect so. >> >> >> >>> What would such a lower trail fork do to the turn-in? >>> >> >> ? >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected] <javascript:>. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> <javascript:>. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > > > -- > Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews. > By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. > Other professional writing services. > http://www.resumespecialties.com/ > www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/ > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique, Vereinigte Staaten > > ************************************* > * "Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to > never was there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from > it. Where is there a place for you to be? No place.* > * "Nothing outside you can give you any place," he said. "You needn't to > look at the sky because it's not going to open up and show no place behind > it. You needn't to search for any hole in the ground to look through into > somewhere else. You can't go neither forwards nor backwards into your > daddy's time nor your children's if you have them. In yourself right now is > all the place you've got. If there was any Fall, look there, if there was > any Redemption, look there, and if you expect any Judgment, look there, > because they all three will have to be in your time and your body and where > in your time and your body can they be?* > * "Where in your time and your body has Jesus redeemed you?" he cried. > "Show me where because I don't see the place. If there was a place where > Jesus had redeemed you that would be the place for you to be, but which of > you can find it?” -- *Flannery O'Connor,* Wise Blood * > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
