The problem, as laid out I believe in the wonderful Clem brochure, or maybe in one of the blug posts, is that making a vintage bike work well is often expensive, even as the bikes themselves become more rare and often less pristine. And in the end you still do not have the bb height you desire.
I am in the midst of an experiment, making myself an inexpensive AtlaniBomba kind of creature. For that, in your case, you would hunt down a small size vintage 700c hybrid, possibly step-through. I am using a Trek 750 Multitrack. Move the canti bosses to take 26" wheels with fatties and voila, a roadish ride that handles big rubber! I don't know what your local framebuilder situation is, but if you snagged one of these hybrids for let's say $200, then paid a framebuilder $75 to change the seatstay bosses and found a suitable 26" swap-out for the fork at say $100, plus misc parts (tires, brake pads, new handlebars) at another $200, that comes to, let's round it at $600 for touch up paint for the rear stays. You may be able to do it all cheaper, with your access to a used bicycle shop. I can also heartily recommend the Isla bike line. I bought one for my birthday this March and gave it to my son. He was surprised, and I can't get him off the thing. Bought it with fenders, rack, and a second set of knobby tires for trail rides. He is only six, so I got him the 24" model. I expect to get two solid years from it, then pass it on to a cousin or sell it. I paid about $650 shipped with all the extra goodies, and despite it being a financial stretch, it was more that worth it to me. For a bit more, you can get a similar model in 26". Depending on your daughter's pbh, it could work great, though they are currently out of stock (they now have a U.S. distributor) : http://www.islabikes.com/product/bikes/beinn-26-large-age-10/ I was planning to post about this. It may just be my foggy mixed up old brain, but I could swear at one point Rivendell was considering a kid's bike. In fact I think maybe it was the original idea behind Clem? or Rosco? Anyway, I can understand why that would not be particularly financially prudent for a company like Riv. But I have been lately musing that a collaboration between Islabike and Rivendell would be kind of awesome. Islabike gets a lot right, but I think with Grant in the process, they could really hit one out of the park. (Kickstand plate, longer stays, handlebar design, etc.) That said, the difference between the Islabike and his second-hand Hot Rocks (now they only come with a shock unless single speed) is night and day. If anyone wants more feedback on this bike, feel free to contact me off list. <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j_JgzlhuyGg/Vx9RVBfL1DI/AAAAAAAAGb4/0Ht-eDjdQU49Nraj1fjuXlDFLUu6KhgBQCLcB/s1600/IMG_1303.JPG> <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8FLy0V_ukCg/Vx9QVjSFfGI/AAAAAAAAGbw/Arleqaa7fE8TUCexyKFc_iV5WbR3xboFwCLcB/s1600/IMG_1054.JPG> On Monday, April 25, 2016 at 6:28:06 PM UTC-4, Patrick Moore wrote: > > After typing that heading, I paused to ask myself if the question is > kosher for this list. But I think it is; it has to do with my desire to get > a fat tired bike with large bb drop for my daughter. > > > -- 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.
