I like what Bill said: keep both but set them up with different bars and tires. If that's a stretch perhaps you could snag the Appaloosa frame now and then gradually acquire parts as it's practical. I can't think of a better combination than an orange Appaloosa and a sage Sam Hillborne.
Joe also has a good point, if you have a strong preference just go with it. Did you determine that the Sam felt too cramped with Albatross bars after trying longer stems? On Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at 2:29:35 AM UTC-4 Ed Carolipio wrote: > Hi Damien, > > I like Bill's response the best - get both - but as a former Appa owner > and having read discussions on these comparisons on the board, here's my > opinion on each of your points: > > - Sweet long chainstays - Likely not something you can sense - I think > chainstays are balanced with other parts of the geometry - but it helps > with heel clearance for rear panniers > - Can carry more (?? Is this true??) - Sams easily can do "practical" > loads, like a commuter bag or some groceries. Appa and the Atlantis are > for > if you plan on hauling far more impractical loads. To be fair, the Appa > had > a talent for riding about the same no matter what I was hauling. Can't say > that for the Surly Troll I owned previously, which felt dead unloaded and > didn't come alive until it was absolutely loaded down. > - Will likely work better for me with upright bars (Sam felt too > cramped for me with Albas) - Might be a discriminator. The Appa was ideal > for all sorts of swept back bars and had that wondrously expansive top > tube. That also made for a larger front triangle so, even at 51 cm, I > could > run carry a frame pump and run 24 oz bottles. > - Better tire clearance for fattish knubblies or fatter tires + > fenderage - Published difference is 6mm. Probably only significant if you > want to run knobbies off-road, and even then it's just to increase your > tire choices (lots of options for knobbies at 27.5 x 2.1, though > manufacturers are offering more options at 650b x 48 for gravel) than the > extra volume. > > No regrets on selling the Appa since I replaced it with two Rivs (a Homer > and a GBW) to cover a broader usage spectrum without having to change over > the bike. > > --Ed C. > > On Monday, June 28, 2021 at 2:30:58 PM UTC-7 Damien wrote: > >> So here's the situation. I've got a super hot lead on an orange 51 >> Appaloosa, but I'm already deep in it with a sage 51 canti Sam. Initially, >> when I was looking at these bikes, I was torn between the two. I ultimately >> leaned Sam because at the time I liked the colour and it was more >> available. Well, things change I guess! I'm more seriously entertaining a >> move to the Appaloosa because: >> >> - Sweet long chainstays >> - Can carry more (?? Is this true??) >> - Will likely work better for me with upright bars (Sam felt too >> cramped for me with Albas) >> - Better tire clearance for fattish knubblies or fatter tires + >> fenderage >> >> What I would love to do here is tap the forum's collective wisdom to see >> if the grass is really greener. Has anyone made the move from Sam to >> Appaloosa, or vice versa? What were your feelings? What did you miss on the >> old bike when you made the move? What did you love about the new bike that >> the old bike couldn't live up to? >> >> I'm approaching this a bit more cautiously since I already regret selling >> another Riv I owned (Roadini - my regret is well documented, I believe). >> That said, I imagine I'll need to act fast to get the bike before someone >> snags it. In a perfect world I'd keep both, but we all know the world isn't >> perfect, and I do have to live within the very real constraints imposed >> upon me by my lovely partner who for some reason isn't cool with me having >> umpteen bikes. >> >> Anyways, enough of my incessant rambling. Thank you for reading and >> helping to encourage my hobby of buying bikes then selling then replacing >> then modifying then selling then replacing then buying then crying then >> selling then complaining then... (and so on and so forth). >> > -- 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/a30a7b7d-a265-458a-82c6-5f2d6fa4ae39n%40googlegroups.com.
