Leah, I cannot believe how BEAUTIFUL that color is. So rich and the Riv website does not do it justice. I noticed that when I saw the Cheviot in person last week. For those looking at the Chev, Rivendell told me that the Chev and this Clem are the same color in blue.
I also like the svelteness of this bike, compared to the original Clem. When I shopped originally for my first (and, I thought, "only" Riv), I had rejected the Clem because of the weight and heft. However, this will be on my potential retirement bike and I'm looking forward to test riding it. :) Now that it's not in the triple digit temperature, you'll be able to ride nearly every day until summer. ENJOY!!!! You'll have to get another matching shirt for when it warms up! :) Roberta On Friday, November 8, 2019 at 7:25:59 PM UTC-5, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote: > Hi Friends, > > I inherited a first gen Clementine in a pretty aqua color this summer. I > took to it like a duck to water, and after ironing out a few details (those > awful Sunrace shifters, Kenda tires, and the old brake pads that were > speckling my legs with black dots) I became completely devoted to it. I > loved the fatter tires, the step-through frame, the luxurious long > chainstays and being just a tad more upright. The Betty Foy is still a > dear, but the Clementine is just a little more comfortable and a little > more practical, even if she isn’t the rare beauty that a Betty is. > > So, when a Clem L from Riv’s most recent batch came up for sale, I took > note. I decided to call myself #theclemcollector and purchased it. It’s the > blue color, and no photo has ever done this paint justice. It is the most > alluring blue-green, shot through with glimmer like sunlight in ocean > water. It has all the cream accents I’ve never had but always wanted and my > all-time favorite heart seat lug. > > I mean REALLY. > > Anyway, I picked it up from the shop and put it on the Hollywood rack on > the van. To my surprise, the trays (previously set up for the Clementine) > were too close together, and the bar that presses on the top tube and > secures the bike suddenly worked. My Clementine top tube was too low for > that rack, and I had to do ridiculous hacks that would horrify all of you > and that I won’t trouble you with here. Hmm. Well, that’s odd, I thought. I > looked at the two bikes side by side. The new Clem L looked lithe and > slender and a little sexy, and the Clementine looked like a big-boned > milkmaid gal. Surely it was a trick of that magic new paint job and I was > imagining it. It’s the same bike! > > I rode the blue Clem to school with the boys the next day and I noticed I > was not as upright, nor were those bars as close as I was used to. Same > Bosco bars, same stem, same saddle and saddle position, totally different > feel. > > I was shocked to realize - *this is just not the same bike as the > Clementine*. I don’t really remember anyone else bringing this to light. > I do know that there were small changes made to the Clem frames over time, > like taking wider tires, and a small lengthening of chainstays, or so I > heard. But I didn’t expect the bike to be this different. Oh, it’s > wonderful alright, like Rivendells are, but it’s going to take some > fiddling with to get it the way I’d like. I did some crude measuring and it > appears there’s an inch more to the new Clem’s chainstays and maybe 2 > inches longer from bars to saddle. Which explains why I feel I’m in a more > aggressive position. And sure enough, those tubes ARE more slender on the > new Clem L - I measured! > > I’m curious if anyone else feels the new and old Clems are different > species and wants to weigh in. I wonder if I could have even sized down in > the new bike; both bikes are 52s. I really am enjoying the bike; but if I’m > being honest with you, I still stubbornly like how the Clementine fit me. > The aesthetics of the blue Clem are superior - cream accents, blue paint > job, prettier seat lug and thinner tubes...but the Clementine fit me a > little better. And yet, I still will mostly likely sell it because...I have > 4 Clems in my garage, though only one is extra, I promise. > > Signed, > #theclemcollector > ****Pictured, the monochromatic Clem L with its rider, matching it in > varying shades of blue, a photo trying catch the magic quality of the > paint, and the Betz and Clem L with their gorgeous heart seat lugs.******* > > -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/36ed1192-ef22-411d-abae-0b1e7db3f5ee%40googlegroups.com.
