I responded to the OP of another thread that was essentially an answer to the "what model would you resurrect" question with my orange Rambouillet:
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/vt0OdAZtZDs/1hUH0ETLDQAJ I've done some original parts swapping to optimize things a bit. Racer brakes for better clearance when closed under braking, "Properly" sized fenders for the tires since the Racers greatly improve clearance for such. RH Stampede Pass EL 700x32 tires. TA Zephyr crankset, now a wide-ish 46-34 double. Suntour AccuShift bar end shifters for their lovely micro ratchet mechanism. In respect to the name (useful French sheep) and inspiration of the model (French rando archetype) I have a Mavic 841 rear derailleur with an 845 cage (the long cage road is goofy looking and the 845 parallelogram plate has a garish sticker instead of the nicer laser etching in the black anodizing), and Mavic 860 front derailleur. I have a set of Simplex DT shift levers, but holy cow those bosses are WAY down there on my 62cm frame. My Rambouillet has been so much of what I want or need in a bike that I've been riding it since new to me in 2001. It has acted as a pure road bike and held its own in group riding, carried a load in a Carradice Nelson Longflap with a Bagman support on a credit card trip across the country and been my prime ride for lots of short and multi-day trips on the gravel of the Great Allegheny Passage and rocks and mud of the C&O Canal path. The orange, besides being the undisputed fastest color, has been a large part of people approaching me and asking about the bike and where I'm riding. On the Five Borough ride in NYC a few years ago my wife noted how sour folks on some very expensive CFRP bikes in our riding cohort looked as my bike drew a continuous flow of unsolicited compliments appreciating its aesthetic and fit. I have a project cooking that more precisely matches my dimensions, needs and riding. It's custom, but the Rambouillet was so good of an off the hook production option that I was able to avoid a bespoke bike for almost 20 years of riding. Consider yourself lucky if your body proportions are satisfied by the standard frame size increment geometry. I don't and it has left me unimpressed by lots of bikes that are supposed to be "all that". This has been my magic carpet ride Andy Cheatham Pittsburgh On Sunday, August 4, 2019 at 1:08:13 PM UTC-4, Robert Hakim wrote: > > > > On Wednesday, July 17, 2019 at 6:06:58 PM UTC-6, LBleriot wrote: >> >> People, people. C’mon. The orange Rambouillet is the one that should be >> on everybody’s list. > > > I wholeheartedly agree! In my formative years as a young bike mechanic I > remember going into the basement to get a bike for a customer, and I > noticed the gleaming orange paint, ornate badge and decals, beautiful > lugwork and the lovely white head tube on the bike next to it. I went > straight to the mentor I had at the shop and asked him all about it- and > that is how I came to know about Riv. > > I was very happy with my new-to-me '93 RB-2, but wanted wider tires and a > saddle bag- not to mention that orange! > > This year I finally purchased my first Riv, and I do love it so... but I > still lust over that orange Rambouillet! > > > > -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9ba0561d-227e-4aad-8751-fb28e3bc9584%40googlegroups.com.
