I've approached this thought experiment from every angle before. Given that I participate in a wide range of types of cycling (brevets, errands, commutes, multi-surface exploration, bikepacking / touring, and technical mountain biking) it really comes down to what is the number of bikes I own total vs. what Rivendell(s).
I've consistently come to the same conclusion on an optimal balance - three bikes; a Brompton, the Hillborne, and a hardtail mountain bike. So that means the Hillborne is my pick for one Rivendell: it's quick enough for brevets but also capable enough for loaded touring on FSRs. Even if I dropped the Brompton from that trio, the Hillborne could pick up the slack and do all the erranding I need with aplomb. If I had to go to one bike total, I'm not sure if it would be a Rivendell. But if it was, my Bombadil would be my pick with the Platypus in second place On Thursday, 17 November 2022 at 15:56:52 UTC-8 Greg J wrote: > I've only ridden 3 Rivendells, all of them pre-2003 models, so I don't > know what I'm missing on the newer models with the relaxed geo and long > chain stays. But I have yet to find any faults* with the Waterford A/R > that I have, so I guess that would be the one for me! 26" wheels, triple > crank, bar end shifters, and (currently) drop bars. > > *Sometimes I wish it were lighter, but that would mean that it would be > less versatile for touring, off-road, etc., so I'll take it as is. > > Greg > > On Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 1:35:25 PM UTC-8 Patrick Moore wrote: > >> The threads on Platypus versus [name] and using versus "saving" your >> Rivendell raises an interesting if (fortunately!) academic question: if you >> could have only 1 Rivendell as your only bicycle, and that Rivendell had to >> serve all purposes -- fast pavement, commuting, errand loads, at least >> light dirt and gravel: what model would you choose and how would you build >> and equip it? >> >> I'm fortunate to have a bike for each of my purposes, except a >> theft-be-damned but fun to ride grocery beater, which I hope to add to the >> collection*, but if I had to choose just 1 and that a Riv, it would be my >> gofast with a second set of wheels shod with 42 mm Naches Passes (which fit >> with room to spare under the front normal reach single pivot) but not bolt >> anything else to the Riv. Lights: I have an excellent B&M Ixon IQ Premium >> which puts out at least as much brightness and has a nicer beam pattern >> than my Edeluxe I, and Cateye clamps are cheap and easy to find. There are >> all sorts of bright, strap-on blinkies for the rear. I'd rig up a QR for my >> Saddlesack Medium and attach it with the Nitto standoff only as needed, and >> augment it with a courier bag in 1 of 3 sizes. I'd get some clip-on, easy >> on/off fenders, shorties if need be -- hell, this is New Mexico. >> >> Wheels: Actually, I might do as I did decades ago when I tried to make a >> mountain bike do triple duty with 3 wheelsets: gofast with 23 mm tires and >> 12-19 (7-sp) cassette, commuting with 35 mm tires with 13-21, and off road >> with knobbies and 14-28. The Phil fixed/fixed with Elk Pass would keep the >> 17/19 Dingle and the 28 mm Elk Passes, but I'd have another Elk Pass rear >> for the TC fixed hub with 17 t cog for 76" direct and 66" underdrive; and >> then I'd have a third wheeset for Naches Passes with the fixed TF hub with >> a 19 t cog and the Naches Passes for 70" and 52"; good pavement-to-moderate >> dirt ratios. >> >> Of course, I'd have to overcome the scruple of keeping this bike pristine >> .... Funny, I usually take a brief detour for a mile or mile-and-a-half >> along a very busy 6-lane when I ride North from my house because the direct >> route is dusty, sandy crusher fine. Would have to strenuously overcome that >> vice. >> >> * Actually, one reason for this 5th beater bike would be just the fun of >> building up a bike that rides nice and meets my gearing and handling >> preferences at the lowest possible price. >> >> -- >> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Patrick Moore >> Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum >> >> -- 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/4da83ede-91a3-41c1-bd0c-9afc507737b5n%40googlegroups.com.
