Congratulations! Please keep us updated on you experiences with the Clem. I'm intrigued by the "planing" feel, which I expect has more to do with Rivendell's design and geometry imponderables as with flexible tubing -- I feel it in my 2 Riv Roads, too.
At any rate, I'd like to hear more about that "planing" sensation, and also about any off road experiences. On Fri, Apr 22, 2016 at 4:38 PM, iamkeith <[email protected]> wrote: > Well, a full year and a half after I ordered it, I finally got to take a > proper ride on my Clem yesterday. Roads have melted off and been swept > clear of sand during the past few weeks and, in the course of a few days, > it went from rain and slush to near 70 degrees and sunny yesterday > (Thursday.) With the forecast calling for rain and snow for the weekend, I > decided I couldn't pass up the opportunity, took the day off, threw some > cables on the bike, and hit the road for a few hours. All I can say is > I'm exhilarated. > > I definitely understand the "planing" sensation that people have been > talking about. It seems to accelerate like mad, and hold speed well at > the same time. I never really had a notion that I was riding anything > other than a road bike. Passed people left and right, without even trying > or exerting myself (which doesn't mean much, since everybody around here > is in the same boat of taking their first ride of the year, after a long > winter.) I ended up using super moto tires instead of the knobbies I had > originally planned, so I'm sure they helped too. > > I took the Bosco bars from another bike and set them up similarly to the > stock Clem build, with some old 6 speed friction shifters. (Something I had > been thinking about, even before the Clem builds.) Unlike many others' > reports though, I think the cockpit was the best part of the ride. Shifting > was intuitive and flawless (with 9 speed rear), and the pods provided a > really good rest for my thumbs in a middle grip position, or for my > forearms in a tuck position when there were headwinds. > > I'm not convinced I like the handling that these bars (or bike?) provide > for off-road type riding, but I need to spend more time on it. I find > myself gripping way forward on the top part of the bars - roughly parallel > to the steering axis - or else it feels wobbly and unpredictable. Maybe > it's just the flexiness of the bar though, which I can learn to trust I > suppose. On the other hand as I've been saying, if I end up keeping this > bike, it will likely be for firm surfaces. Still wish I had an inch or so > of crotch clearance, and the lack thereof will probably keep me from going > off road anyway. > > Some pics to share inspiration and joy: > > > <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wG8d-iHCzI0/VxqnFS_HVbI/AAAAAAAAAUE/qzt-e3YmltI_XBu9tMpDU7P4ws4AVH3GgCLcB/s1600/day1_02.jpg> > > > > <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q844I0sQ-GA/VxqnB8iAgbI/AAAAAAAAAUA/7DCaJUSaRGAdhVAXhZ-2DGFrLdPuzCU_QCLcB/s1600/day1_01.jpg> > > > <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2cnxZTHfeGA/VxqnLVsQ0BI/AAAAAAAAAUI/eG8_XXI8kIkq9Js36BxztoEnRyXYmzu_wCLcB/s1600/day1_03.jpg> > > > <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZBPa3I16ik4/VxqnO1PF44I/AAAAAAAAAUM/DpVPqa9Vb0QSWz2RJ8nfb52XzVw2IfdswCLcB/s1600/day1_04.jpg> > > -- > 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 https://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 ************************************************************************** ************** *The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a circumference on the contours of which all conditions, distinctions, and individualities revolve. *Chuang Tzu *Stat crux dum volvitur orbis.* *(The cross stands motionless while the world revolves.) *Carthusian motto *It is *we *who change; *He* remains the same.* Eckhart *Kinei hos eromenon.* (*It moves [all things] as the beloved.) *Aristotle -- 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 https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
