Great to hear. Thinking Clem #2 makes sense at it would be one of the more different/complementary rides. Setting it up to serve well for occasional use in the city, and more of a sure footed option for trails.
On Mon, Feb 23, 2026 at 10:10 AM Gordon Stam <[email protected]> wrote: > So I have this speedometer app on my phone and for a while I was recording > my rides on my Clem. Usually they were in the 15 mile range, give or take, > and my average speed was around 8 mph. I got the Charlie with the intent of > having a lighter, faster, ride, but still with the comfort of the Clem, > more or less. Yesterday I recorded my first ride on Chuckie with the speedo > app and it was 14 miles with an average speed of 11 mph! So the Charlie > appears to be almost 30% faster! That fills the bill. > > It won't replace the Clem though but they sure do complement one another. > > On Monday, February 23, 2026 at 7:21:24 AM UTC-7 [email protected] > wrote: > >> Clem coming next >> On Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 7:50:21 PM UTC-6 Jared Golden wrote: >> >>> Even with front and rear racks, a front basket, swept back bars and an >>> only “slightly athletic” upright position, even with 40c tires (I’ve had >>> 35’s and 38’s on it as well, my Gallop feels light and quick, and is super >>> fun. >>> >>> >>> On Sun, Feb 22, 2026 at 7:23 PM Mike in BK <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Everything points to YES. Your desires describe what everyone says >>>> about the Charlie. >>>> >>>> On Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 8:05:48 PM UTC-5 [email protected] >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Many thanks Bill and Jason for your comments on the Gallop's ride >>>>> qualities. My San Marcos was the first bike I've owned that allowed me to >>>>> use swept back bars at the right height, and the first genuinely >>>>> comfortable road-ish bike that I've ridden. Nevertheless it's always had a >>>>> bit of a heavy, dead feeling. My goal is to find a roadish bike that will >>>>> handle swept backs well and have a bit more spring and liveliness than the >>>>> San Marcos. Trying to determine if the Gallop would fit the bill. >>>>> >>>>> Many thanks ~ >>>>> >>>>> On Sat, Feb 21, 2026 at 12:06 PM Bill Lindsay <[email protected]> >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> I think Jason touches on it correctly. The Soma San Marcos and the >>>>>> Rivendell Charlie H. Gallop are very different bicycles. The Soma San >>>>>> Marcos is a drop bar road bike. The Rivendell Charlie H. Gallop is an >>>>>> upright bar road bike. It is possible to run a Soma San Marcos or any >>>>>> other drop bar road bike with an upright handlebar, provided one wants a >>>>>> bolt upright "English Gentleman" fit -OR- runs a really long stem. It is >>>>>> possible to run a Charlie H. Gallop with a drop handlebar, provided one >>>>>> wants an unusually long and stretched out fit -OR- runs a really stubby >>>>>> stem. One could start to compare riding characteristics like comfort and >>>>>> stability and take it as a given that the fit stuff has been taken care >>>>>> of, >>>>>> but to me it all begins there. In other words, I don't see a Charlie H >>>>>> Gallop as an "upgrade" to a Soma San Marcos with Albatross bars unless >>>>>> one >>>>>> has concluded that the San Marcos with Albatross bars is the wrong bike, >>>>>> and they want a do-over with the right bike. If a Soma San Marcos with >>>>>> Albatross bars is the right bike, then a Charlie H Gallop is a lot >>>>>> different and could turn out to be a lot worse for that particular rider. >>>>>> >>>>>> In summary: it depends. Perhaps you could share photos and >>>>>> commentary on the Soma San Marcos with Albatross bars. Do you love it, >>>>>> but >>>>>> want to upgrade it? Are you tired of it and want something a lot >>>>>> different? Are you winter-bored and just thinking about potential >>>>>> projects? All are super common. I've got like six bike projects in >>>>>> different stages between concept and reality. >>>>>> >>>>>> Bill Lindsay >>>>>> El Cerrito, CA >>>>>> On Friday, February 20, 2026 at 3:13:10 PM UTC-8 Jason Fuller wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> I owned the proto-Gallop for about 1000 miles of riding with >>>>>>> Albatross, and have run the same bars for a few years on my Hillborne. >>>>>>> My >>>>>>> feedback would be that if the setup fits you well on the San Marcos, the >>>>>>> benefits would be purely related to the longer wheelbase. Chief among >>>>>>> these >>>>>>> benefits is comfort, but also it rides more sure-footed and climbs >>>>>>> better >>>>>>> in my opinion too. But running these bars on a bike whose geometry >>>>>>> accommodates a drop bar fit tends to mean you're either scrunched up >>>>>>> with >>>>>>> the bars too close, or you're running a super long stem and your hands >>>>>>> are >>>>>>> more over the front wheel. I like how my Hillborne rides with the >>>>>>> Albatross >>>>>>> + 13cm stem, it's more nimble at the expense of some comfort, so to me >>>>>>> it's >>>>>>> a matter of priorities. But no doubt the Gallop is more optimally >>>>>>> proportioned for a good fit without going extreme on stem length, and >>>>>>> probably it better distributes your weight too >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>> 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 >>>>>> [email protected]. >>>>>> >>>>> To view this discussion visit >>>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c191154c-7ddb-4149-b0de-f3f3aba01eaan%40googlegroups.com >>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c191154c-7ddb-4149-b0de-f3f3aba01eaan%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>>> . >>>>>> >>>>> -- >>>> 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 >>>> [email protected]. >>>> >>> To view this discussion visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1cef9753-9774-43f8-b943-e1384dbbb75fn%40googlegroups.com >>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1cef9753-9774-43f8-b943-e1384dbbb75fn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>> . >>>> >>> -- > 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 > [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/ecb5a772-9590-4ac3-91fe-5d187a6ca4bfn%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/ecb5a772-9590-4ac3-91fe-5d187a6ca4bfn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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