What a gem of a thread this has been to read, Kathryn! And who knew there were so many Appaloosas in Australia! As soon as I read you were from Australia, I heard every word of your post in a lovely Aussie accent.
Your Appaloosa is sublime and I love how you have made it YOURS from the get-go. You might as well, or you’ll do it anyway and you’ll have paid twice. Kickstand - I can imagine how irritating it is to try and live without one, esp on a bike you are loading up. I couldn’t even get by without a kickstand on my new road bike (Charlie H. Gallop), much less a bike with a basket. Please update us when you get that rectified! I hope you suss out all the new sounds the bike is making. That thread you referenced of mine - I eventually did get to the bottom of that noise - no one at the shop could figure it out. It was the headset rubbing on something every time the wheel turned. And that headset has a sharp spot on it now. I really should just replace it. 90 kangaroo minutes! How interesting! I’m off to work and it is 15 normal minutes of 3 deer minutes. Or something. Love this thread! And your Appaloosa! Leah On Monday, March 3, 2025 at 3:29:41 AM UTC-5 Kat wrote: > *A Further Ride Report* > > I headed out again today on the longest ride so far on my new Appaloosa (I > have decided to name her Jo, a little sportier and feminine than Joe, but > still true to her roots). I was headed to a work meeting which I normally > would drive to, but I was keen to check out a potential commute route if I > move offices. There's also a cyclone headed our way this week, so I wanted > to get a ride in today because I probably won't be going anywhere if it > makes landfall as is predicted. > > Plus, it was forecast to rain, so I could test out my new Cleverhood rain > poncho <https://www.omafiets.com.au/rover-rain-cape.html> (in matching > green, of course)! > > Fortunately, the start and end points of this route are along the main > Brisbane cycleway, the Veloway or V1 which follows the main highway south. > It's truly an exceptional and forward thinking piece of cycle > infrastructure. Unfortunately for most of Brisbane's population, there are > only 3 or 4 such pieces of infrastructure in Brisbane, so unless you happen > to live and work along one of them, you probably won't have such a pleasant > cycling experience. It's getting better... slowly... hopefully things > improve in time for the Olympics 2032. > > My main takeaway was despair at how much cycling fitness I have lost while > off the bike! I've been training all summer for long distance swimming, > which has left my legs with the muscular strength of wet noodles. You might > be thinking, but surely all that swimming training has left your upper body > and lungs like iron? Sadly long distance swimming is 95% focused on > technique and moving with as little effort as possible to conserve energy, > so I have in effect been doing the same amount of exercise as very slow > walking, leaving my arms similarly noodly. Oh well, a month or two of > grinding it out and I will be whipped into shape. > > The good thing was getting to listen to Jo and get to know all the new > bike noises. Leah made a good thread about this a while ago. > <https://groups.google.com/g/rbw-owners-bunch/c/NxxUYLKcgoc/m/JipYFGWmAwAJ>Leah, > > you're not alone - I was used to all the old clattering, whirring and > grinding of my old bike, and now there is a whole new set of noises to get > used to. Some benign (the new chain, new derailleurs with a slightly > different hum), some that need fixing (yep, that fender stay was loose... > oops, didn't tighten the quick release enough...). After a good 2 hours on > the bike I feel a little more in tune with the song of this particular > bike. > > [image: IMG20250303171759(1).jpg] > Look how she shines in the light! (The boba machine was devastatingly out > of order). > > More exciting things are in the mail (kickstands, saddle cover, matching > green water bottle) but unlikely much else will happen this week with the > aforementioned cyclone incoming. > > Happy riding all! > On Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 10:12:06 AM UTC+10 Kat wrote: > >> Thanks Eric, I saw your build on the Radavist a while ago and it was a >> major inspiration to mine, thanks for the kind words! >> >> I should have specified that 90 minutes is short for 90 "Kangaroo >> Minutes", a colloquial Australian measurement of time which is defined by >> how long it takes to see a certain number of kangaroos. 90 Kangaroo minutes >> = time taken to see 90 Kangaroos. Kangaroo density varies by location so in >> outback areas you'd get to 90 Kangaroo minutes in about 30 metric minutes, >> whereas if you're travelling through urban areas 90 Kangaroo minutes could >> be as long as 180 metric minutes. >> >> (My commute was through a mix of urban and regional areas and generally >> took 80-90 metric minutes... Yes it was long, I tried to only do it 3-4 >> times a week. I did always see kangaroos, not sure I ever got to 90 in one >> trip though!) >> On Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 4:20:36 AM UTC+10 eric...@gmail.com wrote: >> >>> Beautiful rig and setup, Kat, love the browns with the green frame! I >>> also have a 54cm Appaloosa, mine's in Mermaid >>> >>> Is your 90 minute commute... a metric figure? Is it really as bad as it >>> sounds as a native to the Imperial system? >>> >>> On Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 5:25:08 AM UTC-5 Kat wrote: >>> >>>> *Appaloosa Build Write Up* >>>> >>>> It’s real, it’s alive, it's not a Platypus, it’s an Appaloosa! >>>> >>>> [image: 2025_02_27_01.jpg] >>>> >>>> Some of you may have seen my previous thread where I tried to order a >>>> 55cm green Platypus but it turned out to be out of stock. At that time I >>>> was weighing up whether to go with a 60cm Platypus (possibly too big for >>>> me) or a 54cm Appaloosa. >>>> >>>> *Previous thread: * >>>> https://groups.google.com/g/rbw-owners-bunch/c/2HdGv21LE3E/m/uZH06pptAQAJ >>>> >>>> I decided on the 54cm Appaloosa which arrived to me in its final form >>>> yesterday. I’ve taken it out on an hour’s ride and just love it – it’s so >>>> dreamy. >>>> >>>> [image: IMG20250226143713.jpg] >>>> >>>> I thought I’d write this up both as a build report and a resource for >>>> those in Australia thinking about buying Rivs. They are rare and expensive >>>> birds here so hopefully this is helpful to any fellow Aussies looking to >>>> join the club. >>>> >>>> I have done a full parts list with prices and weights here for those >>>> interested in the granular detail. All amounts are AUD and weights are >>>> metric, sorry Yanks! >>>> >>>> *Detailed spreadsheet: * >>>> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zWzQxG8JKCLovrjOGCLJKXKjwmH8-HA4M0iX2ha9B54/edit?usp=sharing >>>> >>>> Note that the prices/totals for Blue Lug are a little off. The prices >>>> on their site differ from what I actually paid because of currency >>>> conversion. The shipping and customs is also the total of a slightly >>>> larger >>>> order (I also ordered a bunch of other clothing and random stuff not >>>> specifically for this build). >>>> >>>> *Full gallery of photos:* >>>> https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dOytiGxENr-zfkTnDqgVuSLYQdTXyNTZ?usp=sharing >>>> >>>> >>>> In summary, total cost was $6,976.25 AUD, including $686.64 of shipping >>>> and customs. Total weight, with rack and fenders but without any other >>>> accessories, came in at 15.4kg. This is around $4500 USD and 34lb for the >>>> Americans. I already owned the pedals, bars, bag, rack, grips and front >>>> light so these are not included in the cost. >>>> >>>> *Parts List* >>>> >>>> Frame – Rivendell Appaloosa >>>> >>>> Wheels – Crust Rim Brake Dynamo Wheelset >>>> >>>> Tyres – Rene Herse 700 x 48 Hatcher Pass >>>> >>>> Crankset – New Albion/Clipper Wide Low 42-26 double >>>> >>>> Chain – Shimano CN-LG500 (only one chain needed with 126 links) >>>> >>>> Cassette – Shimano 11-39T 10spd LinkGlide >>>> >>>> Front der. - Shimano FD-4700 10-Speed Tiagra >>>> >>>> Rear der. - Shimano Cues RD-U6020 10spd Shadow Long Cage >>>> >>>> Shifters - Microshift SL-M11 2/3x11 Spd Shimano MTB Thumb Shifters >>>> >>>> Brakes - Alivio BR-T4000 >>>> >>>> Brake Levers - MX-2 brake lever Blue Lug special >>>> >>>> Bars – Bosco >>>> >>>> Stem - Nitto FU-82DX Periscopa Stem >>>> >>>> Saddle – Brooks Flyer >>>> >>>> Grips – Brooks Slim Grips >>>> >>>> Pedals – Blue Lug Panda Pedals >>>> >>>> Front rack – Soma Porteur + Wald 139 >>>> >>>> Front Bag – Framework Designs Haul All >>>> >>>> Mudguards - Velo Orange 700c x 63mm Fluted Fenders >>>> >>>> Mudflaps – Brooks Mudflap (front not currently mounted) >>>> >>>> Bottle Cages – PDW Otter Cage >>>> >>>> Front light – Axa Luxx 70 Plus >>>> >>>> *To be Continued* >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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