I bought my Hillborne after seeing the first Clems but I did so because it was the right compliment to an MTB I already had. It was a replacement for a Bianchi that maxed out at 25c tires. The Hillborne is a pretty different bike than the Clem. From initial reports, it sounds like the Clem is closer to a discount Atlantis or Hunq based on stoutness and a discount Appaloosa based on stability from longer stays. The Hillborne is a bit tighter and less stout. Closer to a Hilson than the Atlantis or Hunq. That said, I just carried 4 bottles of wine in the front basket and two bottles in the saddlebag yesterday and, aside from a little shimmy, it was definitely up for the task. I'd feel comfortable camping or touring with it (seems like many people do). I've also found that everything I ride now that is not my Hillborne feels twitchy and overly aggressive. The Sam H is incredibly smooth and handles beautifully but I've come to expect that from every Rivendell I ride. If you want to ride fatter tires than a 45 (40 with fenders), get the Clem... and enjoy whatever level of components you want to put on it. Take a look at the Clem Drew Beckmeyer gave to his girlfriend in the other post. He described it as stout like a Hunq and it looks fantastic with the Brooks b67 and the Schwalbe Big Ben 50's (50+?) he has on it. A machine to be proud of for sure (as is the Hillborne if you decide to go that way).
If you are close enough to Riv to try both, that would be the thing to do. If not, buy the one that supports what you want to do with a bike. They said the Clem rides like a Riv on the Blug and I believe them. As for pedals, I love both my thin gripsters and my grip kings. If I had a Clem, it would have one of those pedals on it (maybe even one of each!... That sounds very "Clem") John On Monday, March 9, 2015 at 10:30:22 AM UTC-7, Wayne Naha wrote: > The Clem sounds like a great bike for me, just the right level of > stoutness to the frame and those nice longer chainstays. I had been > considering a Sam, but Clem has turned my head. Yet I can't contemplate > hanging plastic pedals off it, and I would really like to have a generator > hub, too. But it seems like the idea that the Clem is some kind of > 'beater' bike because it is unlovely is being promoted. But this would the > most money I have ever spent on a bike! My 'beater' says 'Huffy' on it. I > want to be proud of this bike, even if it is not the prettiest. Is it > silly to put Velocity Atlas rims, a Schmidt SON hub, and aBrooks saddle on > the Clem? Or should I save a little longer for the Sam? > Also, does anyone know headtube and seat tube angles for the Clem? -- 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
