I have a Sam H. in the 52 CM size with 650B wheels. It has the single top tube. I am 5 foot 11 with an inseam of about 33 inches and Rivendell would have probably sized me up to the next size (I bought the frame from Renaissance Cycles). At that time none of the Sam's had the double tubes but I was afraid of the really long top tube length. Anyway, with the expanded geometry used in the Sam's I have found the bike to be quite comfortable and I had no problem getting the saddle high enough using a standard 330 mm Mountain Bike seat post though I probably show more seat post than the Riv, people would think is appropriate
My observations on the Sam are that it is a great commuting bike, touring bike (I rode from Hong Kong to Shanghai on it three years ago) and just an excellent bike for general riding. I love it to death and can highly recommend it. That said it will never be confused with a sporty bike and even stripped down without racks, fenders and lights it is a fairly heavy machine. I don't think it climbs well and I find I need lower gears to negotiate hills than on other bikes. It also has a turning radius similar to a 1978 Buick Electra Station Wagon I can't make a 180 turn at least on the bike trails in Hong Kong without stopping, picking the bike up, turning it around and then remounting. I have found that I still like to have a lighter, less stretched out frame for faster, unloaded rides. If you are that type rider I'd look at the Soma San Macos frame. Lastly and this is true with any Rivendell design I think, plan on buying a shorter crank. They have very low bottom brackets which makes them really stable but being a centimeter (1/2 inch) or so closer to the ground means that you can easily get pedal strike through corners if you aren't careful At least that is my observation On Friday, February 15, 2013 8:19:36 AM UTC+10, markt...@gmail.com wrote: > > New member to the group here. Just retired last spring after teaching for > 38 yrs and am thinking that I deserve a new bike to ride during my > retirement. Seeing Keven's proto-Appaloosa on the Riv website, I noticed > the quote that the Appaloosa was a "bike to grow old with". Since the > Appaloosa isn't yet available, any recommendations for which other Riv > would be a "bike to grow old with". (My kids already think I'm old, but > nevermind!) I like the price of the Sam, but can't get used to the double > top tube. Last time I checked, my PBH was 86.5 cm. > Thoughts? Anyone have a Riv for sale that could work for me? > Thanks, > Mark Taintor > Chanhassen, MN > > -- 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 post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
