Dear Jeremy, He's brought back the Klunker MTB geometry for his cruiser bikes!
Mr. Petersen was a vocal advocate of shorter chainstays in the mid-1980's when Bridgestone popularized the "NORBA" mtb geometry. He brought out bikes with short-ish chainstays (42-43cm), steep seat (73-73.5deg) and head angles (71-72deg) relative to the klunker geometries that had dominated the industry for the first few years of the MTB boom. He was proud of this contribution for years. They do ride nicely on trails. Interesting how his designs have changed over the years relative to his stated design preferences in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Reading his published thoughts on suitable frame stiffness (, bicycle geometry, and rider position from the early 1990's to today shows quite a change (Basically, he pushes oversize and heavier-gauge frame tubing; more upright positions; slacker and longer geometries compared to what he used to recommend/sell. The transition to O/S tubing was enforced by his builder when he started Rivendell, as Waterford was a leading proponent of the O/S "revolution" as a way to keep steel bikes relevant in the weight and stiffness marketing wars, and the rest, I suspect, has evolved with his clientele (we've gotten bigger, wealthier, and older) and his preferred riding style. Modern MTBs have also headed toward slacker geometries as suspended hucking bikes become more popular for trail use. Best, Will William M. deRosset Fort Collins, CO On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 8:09:05 AM UTC-6, Jeremy Till wrote: > > I've certainly followed Grant's progression to longer stays with much > interest. My most recent bicycle purchase was a longtail cargo bike > <http://handlebarchronicles.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-bike-that-rides-like-car.html>, > > and the utility of it aside, I really do love the way it feels to ride. I > will often pull it out to ride errands on or ride to the bar with my wife > simply because it's fun to ride, not because I need it's full cargo > capacity. > > Given my recent interest in riding bikes with upright handlebars for > everything, I think my next bike frame will be something with longer > chainstays. Not sure exactly what yet, but that is definitely one of the > design parameters I'm interested in. > > On Thursday, June 25, 2015 at 3:26:56 PM UTC-4, Patrick Moore wrote: >> >> Interesting post. I heard tell that Jobst would tell the builder, "Don't >> cut anything off of the stays." At any rate, I *tend* to agree with >> Grant (don't know enough about frames to say with certainty), but my own >> experience, such as it is, makes me so tend. >> >> My 2 Riv Road customs have 44.5 cm stays -- measured to center of >> horizontals -- actually, I think Chauncey has added another cm or so to the >> rear: he's waiting for dropouts from England. At any rate, this is the same >> length as the massively long stays on the Fargo (where I can run 50s actual >> with PB 60s and an inch of air in between, all 'round). >> >> The point, and it's one Grant seems to have missed, is that *long stays >> do not -- *repeat, *DO NOT* -- *compromise quick handling.* I must >> clarify. My 2 Rivs turn in noticeably faster than did the Ram (that's one >> reason I sold the Ram, tho' the Ram was pleasant; just slightly slower that >> I wanted in a road bike). The customs, while being almost as stable as the >> Ram in the straight ("almost:" I think the heavier, larger wheels of the >> Ram affect things), they turn in with exquisite compliance: no hesitation >> at all, while not at all being "twitchy". Quick but seamless. >> >> I'm sure that the short and light wheels affect this too, but on these 2 >> bikes Grant managed to capture what, for me at least, is a kind of ideal >> mix of steadiness and quickness -- and, back to the point: this is done >> despite what, by modern standards, are hugely long stays. (The Roadeo has >> 43 cm stays, IIRC.) >> >> -- >> 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 >> >> ************************************* >> *The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a >> circumference on the rim of which all conditions, distinctions, and >> individualities revolve. *Chuang Tzu >> >> *Kinei hos eromenon. It moves as the being-loved. *Aristotle >> >> *The Love that moves the Sun and all the other stars. *Dante >> > -- 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.
