TRAIL: Honestly the biggest factor has been cockpit. You are correct the geo is almost identical. I’ve never made a 1:1 comparison between my two bikes with same cockpit, but the drop bars I had on Sam are now on Leo. When I had only one bike, it was Sam, and I would switch from drops to other bars too often, and thus decided to get a second bike. On technical trails with drop bars the Sam felt great, until descents get steep, then it’s sketchy. Now that it has Billie bars (I've also used Simworks getaround and ahearne MAP) those same descents are fun. The geometry of both bikes can handle trail riding if you are skilled and comfortable with that stuff. Biggest impact to the trail riding experience will be cockpit and wheel/tire choice. Also if you weigh 175lbs or more and only want one of these two bikes, I’d say Sam all day. Roadini flexes a lot for me. I don’t think I knew what flex was until pushing myself and my Roadini.
ROAD: I don’t have any carbon or aluminum road bike experience to compare to. Compared to 80s-90s steel road bikes with 25mm tires, both Sam and Leo are Cadillacs. Super comfy. Road manners are most affected by tires and cockpit. I’ve done centuries on both and they rule. Again I would stress that since the geo is the same, I’d consider the Roadini if you have a slimmer build, and if you’re closer to 200lbs I’d go Sam all day. The “road performance” of Roadini was negligible in comparison. I consider my Roadini 'faster' only because it has drops, lighter wheels, smoother tires, no racks, minimal baggage, just less weight overall. Never weighed either bike. OBVIOUS: The trails that felt sketchy on my Sam w/drop bars do not get ridden by me on the Roadini, at all. Yes the Roadini is way more trail capable than most dedicated road bikes, because the geo is chill and the tires (on mine) are fat (42 Cavas). The bike does have limits, though, and I don't need to push those limits because I have a Hillborne. Despite the matching geometry I would hastily rate the Sam [60/40 Road/Trail] and the Leo [80/20 Road/Trail] On Monday, March 3, 2025 at 2:22:13 PM UTC-8 fmri...@gmail.com wrote: > Interesting thread. I own a 57 Sam set up with drop bars / 42mm gravel > kings. I had the opportunity to build a lugged 54 roadini, I’m luckily on > the cusp of both sizes. What persuaded me to follow through despite the > quite obvious similarities, was the ability to size down. Looking forward > to a more road build. Will report back once I have some riding done, super > stoked. > > > Franco Rinaldi > c: 646.403.0661 <(646)%20403-0661> > > -Pardon any typos, Siri typed this message- > > On Mar 3, 2025, at 5:00 PM, John Bokman <jpbc...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I have more or less the same questions as Mike in BK. I ride a 2017 58cm > Sam, and the equivalent sized Roadini (a 57cm as it happens) has almost > identical numbers. The number I'm most interested in would be the front > center. But they don't list those stats anymore in the geo charts? From > email exchange with Will, the two frames will ride very similarly. I > wouldn't be surprised if the tubing is indeed slightly different - or not - > but I'm not sure if I'd notice it. What I would notice, however, is the > front center measurement; Ideally I would want more than I currently get > with my Sam (61.8cm, according to Bike Insights). > > > John > Oregon > > On Monday, March 3, 2025 at 8:17:38 AM UTC-8 Mike in BK wrote: > >> Hi Brenton, >> >> If you have a 57 Roadini and a 57 Sam from a recent MIT generation, their >> geos looks very similar (like, very). With the Sam being more stout and a >> little longer, how would you compare the rides? Interested in the feel on >> the road and capabilities on non-paved roads (which you've already >> described a bit here). >> >> Thanks! >> Mike >> >> On Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:39:25 AM UTC-5 brenton...@gmail.com >> wrote: >> >>> I ride my Roadini all over. I'm on a 57 as well. 6'1" and 185lbs. I have >>> 32H dyad hoops. Only used Ultradynamico Cava 42s on it so far. >>> >>> I have thrown the rear wheel out of true after getting "air" off some >>> roots on familiar trails. That's about as crazy as I get, and I've learned >>> not to beat on it the way I can do with my Sam. Sam has 36 hole Atlas >>> wheels. >>> >>> On Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 6:10:35 AM UTC-8 rmulc...@gmail.com >>> wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> Looking forward to answers to this. I have a Hilsen set up for road >>>> riding, with slicks and a dark-boston-winter-inspired dynamo, and I love >>>> it >>>> -- it's fast and so comfortable -- and have no plans to make any big >>>> changes. >>>> (Except maybe to Paul brakes -- big for the wallet.) >>>> Thinking of getting a Roadini or an Atlantis next, for trail riding but >>>> also, sometimes, commuting. On first glance, it seems like the Atlantis >>>> would be the smart choice, but I like the geo of the roadini better, like >>>> that it's a little lighter, like that the lugged version seems more rack >>>> friendly, and I'm just not convinced that a somewhat experienced (def not >>>> expert) rider needs anything bigger than a 43/45 tired unless he/she is >>>> hitting mountain trails. (For which a mountain bike will always be >>>> better.) >>>> I have a crust bombora, which I would gift to my son, and on all kinds of >>>> trails I've never felt any ride-feel difference between a 42 tire and a >>>> 50. >>>> So curious about others' experiences. >>>> Jay, thanks for asking this questions, and as far as tire advice, I >>>> really love the soma cazaderos for what you're describing. >>>> Cheers! >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 7:50:23 AM UTC-5 Jay wrote: >>>> >>>>> I have the 2023 Roadini, size 57. I LOVE the bike and how it feels, >>>>> every time I get on it after a long break (riding another bike on >>>>> snowy/salty roads) I'm reminded of just how good it fits, handles, and >>>>> feels. >>>>> >>>>> I'm thinking of adding a third wheel set, for mainly unpaved riding >>>>> (more below). *I'm curious as to your experience with this bike on >>>>> gravel roads, trails, etc.* I realize bike configs will differ, as >>>>> to the specific riding conditions, but to me this is not a road bike like >>>>> the ones I've had previously, so I want to push the envelope and see what >>>>> terrain I can ride, somewhat comfortably. >>>>> >>>>> *Recap*: Bought it a year ago and had two wheel sets from the start, >>>>> one with Dura-Ace wheels I already had, and 30mm tires for road rides >>>>> with >>>>> a friend, who is faster than me (me and the bike can keep up! so it has >>>>> replaced my road bike); the other with new 105 hubs and H plus son >>>>> archetype rims with 43mm GKSS tires for every other ride, which includes >>>>> rail trails, short sections of gravel paths connecting roads, and 100% >>>>> paved rides when on my own (I like the added comfort and versatility over >>>>> the 30mm tires). Swapping wheels is so easy, pop the quick release on >>>>> the >>>>> TRP levers and on the other one on the brake callipers, swap wheels, >>>>> barrel >>>>> adjuster on the calliper to adjust pads to rim, done. I'm always playing >>>>> records when messing around with the bike, and this is a "one song" >>>>> adjustment lol >>>>> >>>>> If I was to add a third wheel set, I think I would want go tubeless, >>>>> with supple 43-45mm tires with an aggressive tread. I want to maximize >>>>> comfort and also have a tire that can corner on loose gravel, and ride >>>>> comfortably over choppy gravel roads (on longer mixed surface rides). >>>>> The >>>>> 43mm GKSS tires are great, and I run that at 30psi if mixed surface, but >>>>> they lack comfort on chunky terrain and don't handle my twisty gravel >>>>> trails very well (where as my Salsa Fargo with 2.2" tubeless tires, >>>>> smooth >>>>> centre / knobby corners, is great). >>>>> >>>>> Looking for your input about this bike's capability unpaved/off-road, >>>>> our experience, and recommendations for TLR rims, and tires as described >>>>> above. Thanks! >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- > 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-bun...@googlegroups.com. > > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/ef0bac3b-ec32-47cb-9d83-f15ca5bf02c0n%40googlegroups.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/ef0bac3b-ec32-47cb-9d83-f15ca5bf02c0n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- 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 visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/3752cf39-df36-4f0b-b729-95a83246b116n%40googlegroups.com.
