Hi, I've rode/owned all those bikes you've mentioned at one time or another. IMO, the San Marcos is just the ticket. It handles the same as the Sam, but made of heat treated, and lighter tubing. So it's just as stable, but a more "spirited" ride. Still can carry a good load (I've hauled about 15lb on a basket up front no problems), and has brazeons for a rear rack. At the end of the day though, the San Marcos is more of a road bike, and I think it would be perfect for your commute. I used it commute from DC to VA and it's mostly uphill for about a mile into Virginia. Climbs better than the Sam Hillborne and Cheviot, IMO.
I have the same PBH and the 51cm is perfect size. Don't size down, if you're using it for road use, no need for too much standover. The sloping top tube will get your handlebars up nice and high. The 47cm will be too small, and the reach to the handlebars will be a bit cramped because of the slacker headtube angle and sloping top tube. The way the top tube and angles all work, it can easily be changed from drop to upright cockpit. I've found 70-80mm stem with drops are nice, and 110mm with Albatross handlebars work well for me. If you're planning on using Albatross bars, definitely don't size down. Mine is outfitted with Hetres, which are a dream to ride. Though for more pure pavement use, the Compass 650bx38's feel a bit faster (i'm sure it's just in my head as commute times were the same), and will work better under fenders. I used to have a Sam, sold it for a Chev out of curiosity. Eventually sold it for a San Marcos because I put an order in for a Hunqapillar and seemed like too much overlap. Hunqapillar is now my only bike, but gave the Soma to my girlfriend, so it's easily accessible for me to ride. Hope that helps. On Tuesday, June 21, 2016 at 10:00:22 AM UTC-4, PineTarSoap wrote: > > I would like to get my first Riv bike. I mainly plan to commute with this > bike (17 mi roundtrip, hills) and do the occasional road ride. I have a > neck pain issue and I am hoping a more upright position and fatter tires > will help. I have a nice carbon road bike for fast rides, but I would like > to mix in a bike with a different position to take stress off my neck. I > don't plan right now on doing any off-road riding or touring. > > I have tested ridden the Hunq, Cheviot, and Sam. They were all fun, but I > thought the Sam probably seemed the most appropriate. But I didn't get a > chance to ride a Soma SM. The Riv description is that is like a more well > rounded Rodeo, which seems to fit what I would use it for. I suppose a > Rodeo would as well but at more cost. > > Questions: > 1) Does the Soma sound like the right choice for me? > 2) Do they still sell this frame? If you google search it, the Riv page is > the first listed, but you can't find it on their frames page. > 3) My PBH is 78 (just) and so I guess I am in the 51 cm range, however the > 51 cm Sam didn't leave much crotch room. Would a 47 cm work? Seems odd to > me that the size down from 51 is a big jump to 47. > -- 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.
