Agreed. But for me at least, "go fast" is purely a feel, as nothing with me aboard will be going "fast" by any objective measure! It's more about a lively and responsive quality that I don't think is purely related to weight or anything in particular. My Sam just never felt anything but stout, even with brifters and light-ish wheels and tires. In contrast, my QB always felt noodly with luggage on it. I know from the specs that there's is relatively little difference in the frames, and many people have successfully loaded their Q's with all sorts of luggage. It was a just a feel thing for me. (Though i do think the forks are quite different, which may contribute to my perceptions)
It does seem to be rare to find a road-oriented, caliper brake, frame with clearance for wider (than 28) tires and fenders. That's what is pretty unique about the Roadeo. -Pete in CT On Sunday, December 2, 2012 12:01:49 PM UTC-5, Jeremy Till wrote: > > It should be pointed out that a whole lot more goes into making a bike a > "go fast" than just the frame and fork. Roadeo's are fast because they are > often built with fairly lightweight parts, especially wheels. If you end > up going for for the San Marcos, especially in a smaller size like your, I > should think you would be able to make a pretty zippy little bike if you > choose the right parts. Get some lightweight wheels built (how light are > those new Pacenti 650b rims?), use something like Pari Motos or the GB > Cypres for tires, some of the lighter weight Nitto bars, a Thomson > seatpost, etc.... Maybe forgo the brooks (gasp!) or spring for one of the > Ti-railed ones. > > On Saturday, December 1, 2012 4:20:43 PM UTC-8, RJM wrote: >> >> I have been trying to get the funds together for a Riv go fast bike. >> Right now I have been using my Sam Hillborne for it, but I would really >> like to change that into an albatrossed townie commuter bike and get a >> dedicated lighter bike using little to no baggage so I can ride with the >> local club and to do charity centuries on. The Roadeo seems like the >> perfect bike for it, really. BUT..... I was pondering though, instead of >> dropping two grand on a Roadeo frame, what about building a Soma San >> Marcos. If I went the San Marcos route, I would save 1100 bucks on the >> frame, which is not chump change, and be able to put some of the extra >> money towards the parts to switch the Hillborne over to the townie and get >> a good build on the Soma. Both the Sam and the Soma would be 650b in my >> size (51cm), but the Roadeo would be 700 wheels. I would guess that the >> Roadeo would be a lighter bike, all in all. >> >> My question are these: would the San Marcos be a good dedicated "go >> fast" bike, is it any faster feeling than the Sam in that regard? Any >> owners want to share their opinions of the bike? Do you think I should >> just bite the bullet and save for the Roadeo (which sounds like is perfect >> for what I want) and stop thinking of saving money? Anyway, thanks for >> your help. >> >> Ryan >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/3bEqZ4tn0-MJ. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
