I'll tell you what I love about Clems (and Roadinis for that matter...) is that Rivendell comes right out and says that tig welding is just as good/strong as lugs, just not as pretty. They could blow smoke and talk about all the reasons why lugs are "better," but instead there's that super on-brand blunt honesty you see all over their website in product descriptions, catalogs, etc... Lugs are prettier and cost more to do, which is the only reason why lugged frames cost more.
Clems are cool. I don't have one, and I don't know that there's anything I want to do on a bike that a Clem would be better suited to than what I have, but I appreciate the heck out of them. Ben On Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 11:14:04 AM UTC-6 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote: > [image: 84256557-932F-4AD7-99B6-8BE9DC178396.jpeg]Can we talk about the > Rivendell Clems for a minute? I hesitate as I write this, because opinions > on here tend to be strong, but I see this as a fun topic and worth > exploring. We can be nice, even if we disagree. I have been seeing Clems in > several colors, in a variety of configurations, all over Instagram. Blue > Lug and Helmet Kids are two of my favorite bike Instagram accounts, and > they frequently feature Clems on their group rides. Calling In Sick, a bike > magazine you’ve likely heard of, did an entire issue on the magic of the > Clem, which is also all over Instagram. I suppose it could be that Clem > popularity is imagined by me; I personally love Clems and therefore notice > them, so I’ll add that caveat here. But I really do think the Clems are > having their moment. > > When I first discovered Rivendell in 2012 the only social media I knew > about was the List. The bikes were all lugged, and built with silver > parts. There was a definite prescribed look. The demographics of the group > were not exactly varied. There were few women, and even fewer in my age > bracket (early 30s). But then Grant made the bike he said he’d never > make, and the TIG’d Clem was among us. With the coronation of the Clem, > those unable to afford a Rivendell suddenly could. I began seeing younger > people riding them. Baby seats began popping up on these bikes. (I felt > like I was the only one in the Rivendell world pulling my kid on my Betty > Foy in 2012.) And in several generations of Clems, the owners have now > taken that bike in new directions. Clems are for everyone! > > The Clems are pure Rivendell in manners and ride, but they are divergent. > Black parts abound. 1x gearing. Trigger shifting. Young dudes shredding all > over the ‘Gram with them. Some lucky kids are riding them! My sons have > been raised on Clems (the H version, but we have the L version for when > they are grown). Worries over the step-through frame being considered “a > girl bike” seem to have been unfounded. (And in my family we have 2 giant > Clem Ls the men ride.) People seem to really love the versatility and ease > of a step-thru frame. > > I see the Clem as a Rivendell, modernized. > > The colors have been brilliant; the Clem has never been subject to color > constraint. Atlantis bikes will be Atlantis green, but Clems are like > Skittles - we’ve had bright turquoise, black, orange (Clementines), creamy > mustard, a creamy blue, a glittery blue, grilver, lime, bronzey green… We > really do need a metallic red, but I digress… > > On my own Clem, I have been unafraid to put zany parts on it. Anything > goes. “It’s a Clem,” I say. I’ve got a red front hub and an orange rear > hub. Bright red pedals that look like shoes to me. I damaged the paint when > a U lock rubbed it off as we traveled, but I never think about it. I have > blue wire soldered into the black dyno wire and it will never irk me. I’ve > been way more picky about the appearance of my Platypus, but my Clem is > unhindered by rules. > > The newest Clems have just arrived at Riv HQ and I hope their owners will > delight us with photos and write ups here and on Instagram. I’m so excited > for another wave of customers to get to know these bikes. The Rivendell > Clems, those gentle giants, are so good to us. > -- 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/800e5b1d-c061-4507-b732-d920c75cd27cn%40googlegroups.com.
