Lots of good advice here.
My own experience is that a nice, light but sturdy set of wheels and good-quality tires are the best investment you can make in a bike (outside the Riv frame). Other than dialing in the cockpit, that’s where I spend most of my overall bike budget these days. As mentioned, choice of wheels depends on your weight and intended use. I’m 170ish and much prefer lighter wheels and suppler tires–even when I’m carrying a small load in front or back. That said, I don’t do any loaded touring. My current preference for rims in the H Plus Son Archetype 32H. Wide enough for most tires that Sam can handle, the tires and tubes come off and on easily for on-trail repairs, and they are relatively light. Matched with a decent hub, it makes for a really nicely riding wheel. Like Nathan, Atlas and 36+H is way overbuilt for me, but it all depends on your weight and riding style. As for drivetrain, I’m a huge fan of the Sugino XD crank that Riv used to sell. You can probably find a used one on this group or pick up one of the ‘Clipper’ versions mentioned–which are a similar design. Having tried all manner of fancy groupsets, I still find Shimano Deore to be the best overall deal for mixed riding. It works perfectly with lots of different shifters, is relatively light in weight, can handle wider-range cassettes, and is pretty much indestructible. Again, you can usually find these used or on closeout prices if you want to save a few dollars. Cockpits (handlebars, stems, saddles) are very much dependent on personal preference, riding style, and rider anatomy. Ask ten riders and you’ll get ten wildly different answers. I’ve found the writings of James from Analog cycles very helpful (you can find them on the Analog cycles website). And as with Riv, I always try to buy things from them in order to support the work they are doing. Enjoy the build! Eric On Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 10:21:50 AM UTC-5, Nathan F wrote: > > Hello fellow Sam owner! Lots of good advice has already been offered in > this thread. > > I have an '18 in the same color, but with canti brakes. It was my first > build as well, and I blinged out whenever and wherever possible. Retail > cost of the build was ~$5000. White cranks and hubs, polished Velocity > Quills, Paul brakes, Nitto finishing kit, etc., and I can say the only > things that were "worth" it were the brakes. I'm very happy with the > Pauls--if you can get the centerpulls they make to work on your bike, I'd > recommend them. For the crank, order one of the "Clipper" sets from Riv or > Soma. They're such a great deal. > > My big advice to you is regarding the wheels. It's hard to recommend a set > without knowing your weight. I know the Riv crowd loves the Atlas, but it > is an incredibly burly rim that you likely don't need. A23s or Quills are > the better all round rims for most people. Pacenti and HED are nice as > well. Assuming you're <300lb and not doing heavily loaded touring, 32H > front / rear should be the MAX spoke counts you need. > > Wheels are a real sticking point for me because the general advice on here > can be quite dated. When Riv-built Rivs come into the shop I work, they are > frequently the most overbuilt bikes I've ever seen. We're talking a 100lb > woman riding 36H touring wheels for riding in the city when they could > easily, and safely, be on 24H cyclocross race wheels. Onetime someone had a > bike that, again, they were just riding in the city (no loaded touring) > with a 42H rear wheel. It's utter madness. Once you add in the propensity > for Riv owners to ride terrible tires--I've been so happy to see Riv > overhaul their tire program--these bikes end up not being as fun to ride as > they should be. > -- 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/828ccb94-6a04-4658-9f57-9536bac7ca96o%40googlegroups.com.
