Re: [RBW] Re: The Charlie Gallop Thread

[Lawrence Marcus]

Looks beautiful, Gordon! I imagine you’ve considered this, but maybe the Albatross would be the ideal bar? More flare than Choco and much less backsweep (and potential for knee interference) than Billie.  How do you find it handles with weight on the back? I’m currently considering a front or back rack + basket on my own Charlie. On Feb 17, 2026, at 11:45 AM, Gordon Stam <gds...@gmail.com> wrote: The Charlie is now built out and on the road, thanks to our unusually dry winter out here in the West. At first I thought that it was a bit of an odd duck - I felt sort of perched on it and my choice of Choco bars at first felt like it left something to be desired. They seemed a little too narrow but I did like their "tucked in" feel, especially on fast downhills where they reminded me of clip-on motorcycle bars. And the curve up front felt pretty good. I tried some Billie Bars to get a little more flair but being longer they interfered with my knees on tight turns (especially on the left where I have a mirror mounted) and the curve in front of the brakes was not as friendly as the Chocos. So the Chocos have got the final (or at least current) nod, flipped over, and with those long Jones grips. I'm liking the setup. I also got some fenders installed and a rack for the back and it now feels pretty good, and appropriately functional. I think it will do exactly what will do exactly what I wanted it for and that is to provide a faster and longer range alternative to the Clem - though the Clem rules when things get rough and squirrelly, or for general farting around with no particular destination in mind - which describes my best rides. The Charlie ought to do that just fine as well, only a bit faster and a bit further, and with no mud or snow involved Here's the current iteration: <Feb 16 2026.jpg> And here is a link to pictures of the evolution of the build, so far: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1mgicFKOyMn9XFgsYRyrDr036-TS__txs?usp=sharing -- You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/0NEP_PxVtP8/unsubscribe. To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/4140a2b6-2954-400c-921a-35f3f048c4bdn%40googlegroups.com. <Feb 16 2026.jpg> -- 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/7D1EA80C-8651-4F94-A1C2-1F3E7266FF34%40gmail.com.