This is hardly a new question for me or for others, but it is a question that strikes me anew when I ride the 1999 Joe Starck and find, once again as always in getting on for 25 years of ownership that
it's just easier to maintain speed and cadence in given conditions in given gears, this both on the flats and on hills. I remember being struck by this, again at the start of each ride on it, in the first years of ownership.
Tires make a difference, tho' it felt this way with 571 X 23 mm Conti Grands Prix and Michelin Pro Races and with 559 X 23 mm Specialized Turbos; with the slightly wider (27.19 mm rear at 60 psi and 27.49 mm front at 55 psi on my 19 mm OW rims) and even lighter and more supple Elk Passes it feels even faster and smoother.
BTW, I wholly discountenance the opinion that harshness or vibration makes riders think they're going fast. At least, perhaps some people do that, but I've always associated harshness with slowness and smoothness with speed. But again, the '99 has always felt smooth and fast.
What provoked this perennial question was my very pleasant mid-afternoon ride today. My route included about 1 mile of steep hill starting at Broadway and, feeling tired and sluggish and being old I considered swapping the Phil 17/19Dingle wheel (76" and 68") with the SA TF wheel (76" and 57" underdrive), but didn't want the bother and decided I'd just walk if necessary.
I did plan to move the chain to the 19 t/68" gear once I got downtown, but didn't do this, either. Winds variable up to about 7-8 mph.
I took it easy but found myself following some youngster on a thin-tire 700C derailleur hybrid for about 8 miles; I finally caught up to him at the first light on Coal and followed him up the climb. I think he was a UNM student and at least 45 years younger than I, and he put a few yards on me up the hill spinning in a low gear but I was surprised once again (this is the point, don't mind my meandering) at how well and easily the bike climbs.
???
Planing? The frame is not as over-beefy as the 2003 Goodrich custom but it's not as light and certainly has fatter tubes than the wonderful thinwall 531 normal gauge 2020 Matthews replacement of the 2003.
Weight? With the Phil it's right at 18 lb without bottle or bag versus ~28 for the Matthews road with F+R racks, fenders, lights, and SA 3 speed hub, and versus the 30-31 lb of the Matthews road-bike-for-dirt with 2X10 derailleur drivetrain, 50 mm tires, 2X gauge fenders, dynamo lighting, and rear rack. But it feels fast on the flats at steady-state cruising. I daresay that the weight makes a difference on hills, but I don't think that weight is the only reason.
I know that some bikes just fit and feel "perfect," and this is one of them (tho' the 2 Matthewses fit just about the same since I built them up to do so). That old Herse was a tank that 2 earlier owners sold for cheap but for me it rode "fast" if not as fast as the 1999 Joe Starck.
To end this meandering: since so much of my riding is either errands requiring bags or dirt requiring fat tires the 1999 gets ridden less than it otherwise would, but if I had to get ride of all bikes but one, I'd happily keep this and build 1 or 2 alternative wheelsets (geared/skinny, geared/fattish) and buy a bit selection of strap-on saddlebags from repair kit only to Sackville Medium.
I've owned 5 Rivendells including 3 customs and this one is the last (tho' the 2020 Matthews is a copy of the 2003).
Sorry, can't resist posting again:
--
Patrick Moore
Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum
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