EXCELLENT! Once you try Rivendell, you just can't go back!
On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 11:26 PM, Rene Sterental <orthie...@gmail.com>wrote: > I'm getting ready to leave for a family vacation in Ft. Lauderdale, so > there won't be any more riding for me this year unless I manage to do some > convincing and we rent some beach cruisers to ride there... > > What a year this one has been, and I'm only talking about cycling; no other > serious stuff for now. After a very difficult cycling 2008, where the year > went by and I wasn't able to accomplish any of my personal cycling and > weight loss goals, 2009 was much better. I managed to get into a pretty > steady biking commute to work, either riding one way in the morning (12.5 > miles) and taking Caltrain back home in the evening (4 miles+train) when I > wasn't traveling, which was pretty often in the second half of the year. > > I discovered Rivendell and closed the year with an A. Homer Hilsen and a > Bombadil, having sold a Gunnar CrossHairs and a Cannondale F500 that just > couldn't fit me no matter how hard I tried. Still on the judgement table, an > almost brand new (100 miles or so) full carbon and 16.5 lbs Specialized > Roubaix SL2 with a combo of Sram Red components that I can't quite fit in > comfortably after riding the Rivendells. Waiting for the spring to see how > much I can get for it. > > Managed to loose about 20 pounds (not continuously) over the 12 month span, > but regained about 2 - 3 pounds during the holidays. > > I start the year full of excitement about continuing to commute regularly > (and overcome my resistance to ride in the rain), continue to lose weight > and becoming fitter now that I can ride pretty comfortably so I can start > introducing some longer rides (Ray must think I'm bluffing, but I really > want to ride with him from San Francisco to Palo Alto) and really hoping > I'll be able to join any local Rivendell rides as well as get started with > the newly (for me) discovered concept of the S24O. > > Now to the Bombadil report... > > I've ridden the Bombadil with 29er knobby tires on mountain biking trails > twice, although I must say those trails are quite mild. Once in Arrastradero > Preserve in Palo Alto, and the second time in China Camp. Both times the > rides were a blast, and I was very surprised at how comfortable, compliant > and secure I felt on the Bombadil. I rode with Moustache handlebars and must > say that I really love them on the dirt. The trails were compact and the > Bombadil tracked beautifully. Over rocks and other rough spots, I just stood > on the pedals and flowed with the bike in a way I must say just felt > perfect. > > I then switched wheels and rode with 40mm Marathon Extreme tires on the > road and some dirt trails around Stanford (Lagunita). On the pavement, the > bike rolled very smoothly and quietly; there was no hint of noise from the > tires and they felt very smooth and with little rolling resistance. I never > tried the previous Marathon XT tires, but I must say these are great. Off > road, the bike handled perfectly and even while going through some short > steep climbs where I had to stand on the pedals to clear them, the bike > never hesitated nor the tires slipped. I'm seriously considering leaving > those tires permanently on the bike, as it seems the Bombadil is going to be > my bike for trail riding and not really technical mountain biking as I'll > use my dual suspension trail bike for the more technical riding, at least > for now. We'll have to see if I end up avoiding the dual suspension bike in > favor of the Bombadil or not. I may also try the Marathon Supremes in the > 700 x 2.0 version, but am not sure about that yet. > > Riding the Moustache bars on the road has produced some hand > pain/discomfort so I've been playing with both the tilt and the height of > the bars to address that. It seems I've finally got it to a point where the > discomfort is minimized, but all I've done are 1 hour rides these past few > days so I don't know how my hands would fare on longer rides on the road. > > With its ultimate use goal as it appears to be shaping up, when I get back > from my family vacation, I'll put steel fenders on the Bombadil and report > back. I didn't quite like how the Cascadia fenders looked, so I didn't > install them and since they didn't have any safety releases as I had > expected, then there doesn't seem to be any point in keeping them. I'll > either return them or put them for sale if I can't return them. > > So far, my best cycling highlight of the year, as you can all surmise, was > my discovery and introduction to the Rivendell philosophy of cycling, and to > its bikes. Being close to Walnut Creek and having the privilege of visiting > them, pestering them and asking lots of questions is like icing on a > delicious cake. They have been great with me and always put up with my > questions with a smile. The support I've found in this group complements the > whole experience in an unbelievable way that I couldn't have hoped to find > anywhere else. > > Happy New Year everyone!!! > > René > > PS.- Check out the 3 pictures one of my friends took on the ride to China > Camp: http://tinyurl.com/yctakx2 > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<rbw-owners-bunch%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > -- Cheers, David Redlands, CA "Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There is something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout in a gym." ~Bill Nye, scientist guy -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
