dt - Congrats on the purchase of the orange 53! That's why I bought the Charlie, to complement the Clem as a speedier and lighter alternative. I thought my old Romulus would do the trick with a swap to flat bars but the frame is just too tight. While the stem to seat distance is okay I get some pretty good toe overlap with the flat pedals, size 11 shoes, and the 40C tires I'm wanting to run. Back in the day with clipless pedals and 33c tires - and drop bars - it was no problem but times, and my body, have changed.
Everything from the Rom ought to swap over to the Charlie including my long cherished Mavic Open Pro rims on Dura Ace hubs (130mm rear dropout spacing!). I'll probably need to fiddle with stem lengths and try a handlebar or two, and I know I'll need another one of the Rivendell universal shifter adapters because I intend to mount the shifters to the stem like on the Clem, but other than that I should be able to build up Sir Charle (or Madame Charlie) without going broke. But you know how that is - I always spend more than I originally anticipated on a bike build. But what are hobbies for? On Mon, Oct 6, 2025, 3:24 PM '[email protected]' via RBW Owners Bunch < [email protected]> wrote: > Just ordered a 53 cm Orange Charlie on Saturday. I'm going to have RBW > build it. They did such a great job with my Sam from last year that I > couldn't see doing it myself! I chose the "you pick the fun stuff" build > with Choco bars. I requested one of their blue Newbaum tapes for the bars, > thinking it would match the blue Charlie signature and the horses on the > chainstay, but now I'm wondering if it's going to be too garish (at least > for me!) in contrast with the orange. Thinking now one of the brown, orange > or copper colors with amber shellac might tone down the orange a bit. Of > course, it's going to be a couple months before they get to the build > though, so I've got some time to make up my mind. > > Like I mentioned, I bought a Sam last year, and though I'm very happy with > it, I kind of miss a lightish road bike. The Sam's frame is a bit stouter > than I need, especially at my weight (about 145 lbs), and I'm not really > ready to go back to drop bars (if ever!). The lighter tubes and from all > that I've been reading about it here and on RBW's website makes it seem > like will fit my needs pretty well. Hope to get it in time for some good > rides before winter really sets in around here! > > On Friday, October 3, 2025 at 5:47:37 PM UTC-4 [email protected] wrote: > >> I too scored me a 61 CM in Mermaid, which color I may be calling Sea Foam >> Green after an old Cannondale frame that was advertised to be that color. >> The colors are similar but of course the Charlie is quite a bit more >> elegant. On a recent (and enjoyable!) trip out to Rivendell World >> Headquarters in Walnut Creek I had a chance to ride Will's 61 CM Charlie >> that sealed the deal. >> >> My sister, brother in law, and nephew joined me on the visit and we had a >> good time talking bicycles and baseball. >> >> On Monday, September 29, 2025 at 4:16:00 PM UTC-6 Mike Gillespie wrote: >> >>> I ordered a 61cm in mermaid. Looking forward to building up what >>> appears to be a pretty unique bike. I’m on the low end of the recommended >>> size range for the 61, which pretty much restricts me to an alt style bar. >>> I guess I’ve finally come to the conclusion that drop bars aren’t what they >>> used to be for me. It will replace one of my last two drop bar bikes, so >>> we’ll see how much use that last one actually gets. Anyone want to buy a >>> set of drops? >>> >>> Mike >>> >>> On Monday, September 29, 2025 at 2:24:15 AM UTC-7 Bicycle Belle Ding >>> Ding! wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> Alright, who are the new lucky owners of the ‘25 Charlies? I’m still >>>> quite taken with mine! >>>> >>>> On Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 1:09:18 PM UTC-4 Drew Saunders wrote: >>>> >>>>> If you're curious about Muybridge, I just got this book and can >>>>> recommend it: https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/muybridge/ >>>>> >>>>> There is a historical marker for the "Birth of Motion Pictures" near >>>>> the Stanford Equestrian Center. >>>>> >>>>> On Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at 5:21:35 PM UTC-7 Jason Fuller wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> To add further background to the horses on the chainstay, as I >>>>>> understand these are referencing a historically important moment in >>>>>> photography: >>>>>> >>>>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Horse_in_Motion >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -- > 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 visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c0f43439-1a3a-414c-a90d-df0b58e5f4d3n%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c0f43439-1a3a-414c-a90d-df0b58e5f4d3n%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 [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAA7%3DnpPtE7SaJTuiPR3abh6Nn151jFbtVT_TB_tpUKa_NW85PQ%40mail.gmail.com.
