My Clem is built up with most of the same components I had previously used on a 650b converted mid-80s Fuji with Valite tubing. Using the sportier albastaches instead of the upright upright-y bars. My thoughts almost 500 miles in:
The frame is certainly heavier than the previous one. Not by much though, despite being considerably larger in all regards. Final bike build is within 5-6 pounds of where I was before. Some parts and tires and stuff got swapped out, so, it's hard to compare exactly. But, basically, without any of my commuting gear in them, but loaded up with racks and bags and lights, they're both in the low 40 pound range. Just to add some grounding to any thoughts about them in liveliness. Also, it's been kind of annoying out here in the midwest. Warm for a winter, but still cold and with the continuous wall of headwind that entails in flat areas. So, I haven't been able to let loose as often as I have on the previous build. OK, I think that's all the disclaimers. So, I would say the Clem never seems to /feel/ as lively as the converted road bike did. It always feels a bit more stately and go-as-it-will. But, the times and top speeds I've been getting are right in line with what I got on the previous one in similarly adverse conditions. So. Feels more relaxed. But isn't, actually. Zips along just fine, apparently. And with a tail wind, it can boogie on down just dandy. One weird thing is, with the much longer top tube and the rear wheel no longer right under my butt, I don't find myself needing to go en danseuse nearly as often, which might be part of why it feels tamer to me. Also, I mentioned in a different thread, getting the rear wheel way out behind me has increased my turning confidence a lot on some paved trails I frequent that are often wet and covered in leaves and sticks. Previously, with more weight on the rear wheel, I had to take those turns slower to make sure I didn't slide out sideways. The Clem has me barreling through them a lot more often. As far as the acceleration, I can't say I can second Tim's sensations. My custom build with the Sugino XD2 double accelerates like a gem. Well, it didn't for a while until I realized my saddle bag had pulled my saddle back on the rails while I was adjusting the angle and I was stretched out too much, but once I got it back in my sweet spot it's accelerated rather easily so long as I remember to downshift at stops. I had a coworker I passed on a section of commute ask me if I had a motor hidden in it, the way I came off stops. So, in all reality, it's been a great ride, but there still is the thing where it doesn't /feel/ as lively as it is. Sometimes I'm surprised at the times I had vs what they felt like, but, I think most of that is the winter wall. I'll know more accurately in the summer once I've had happier weather. There was more ice last year, so, the previous build didn't get as much saddle time during the winter as the Clem is getting, but what it did I remember feeling worse than my happy times with it through the warm months, so, I'm betting my feelings of the Clem's liveliness will warm up with the weather. And even if they don't, I wouldn't trade it back. It's really the best jack-of-all-trades frame I've ever seen for how I ride, and it rides like a towncar in addition to the heavy-hauling merits. On Sunday, December 20, 2015 at 6:16:54 PM UTC-5, Eric Daume wrote: > > Now that the Clems have been out in the wild for a while now, how "lively" > do people think the frame is? I know Riv built this frame to be on the > tough side, but my briefly owned Cheviot felt pretty lively to me, so I'm > wondering if the Clem is in that ballpark (though I think the Cheviut > benefits from not having a top tube.... 0/0/0 wall thickness!) > > Thanks, > > Eric Daume > Dublin, OH > -- 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 https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
