DH's new bike is ready!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I'm so happy for him! After 5-6 months of really dumb errors, delays, and disappointments...his new Rivendell Rambouillet (in French Green) is finally ready! He'll be driving 6 1/2 hours round trip tomorrow to pick it up near Boston at Harris Cyclery. Happy day! Knock on wood that all goes well tomorrow... he SO much deserves this beautiful bike.
Me, I'll be staying home sick and trying to do some work at my computer. Wish I could go with him, but I better stay home.
As per our new "tradition"- the first night bike gets to sleep in the bedroom with us. (but not actually IN the bed!)

[Triskeliongirl]

I'm so happy for him! After 5-6 months of really dumb errors, delays, and disappointments...his new Rivendell Rambouillet (in French Green) is finally ready! He'll be driving 6 1/2 hours round trip tomorrow to pick it up near Boston at Harris Cyclery. Happy day! Knock on wood that all goes well tomorrow... he SO much deserves this beautiful bike.
Me, I'll be staying home sick and trying to do some work at my computer. Wish I could go with him, but I better stay home.
As per our new "tradition"- the first night bike gets to sleep in the bedroom with us. (but not actually IN the bed!)

Well if he is working with Harris I am sure it will be great! I bought my 2005 terry titanium isis there and they were a superb shop to work with. I had unusual fit issues and they were great about substituting exactly what I needed and the build was very high quality. Tell him to ENJOY!

[Bad JuJu]

Oooh, send photos whenever you feel better.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Thanks you guys!

He is on his way there now to get it!- and all day round trip, he'll be home this evening.
I hope to feel well enough for us to go for a frosty breakfast ride tomorrow- I'm psyching myself into recovery. Hopefully on Sunday I may be able to get him to pose with his new bike and put some photos up.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed right now that all is well and the bike will be all he hoped it would be.

[massbikebabe]

Lisa,

I go to Harris all the time and next to my LBS, it is my FAVORITE!!! The folks there are so helpful and go the extra mile for all of their cutomers. I give them 10 stars. To bad you are not coming with DH, all us Massachusettes girls are getting together tomorrow.


karen

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

DH and bike have arrived home save and happy!!!

It's a beauty! The custom green looks a bit different from what we envisioned (don't they always? you get so you expect that) but it is gorgeous and dh is thrilled. It's like the Rivendell pea-sage green but a bit darker. He's excitedly tinkering about with the bike in the living room right now, adjusting brakes, seat... I'm so happy for him, he's deserved a nice bike for so long.
It "might" be possible to ride to breakfast tomorrow morning with a short spin -if it's at least 25 degrees maybe and no winds. Today was WAY too cold to ride anyway. There will still some rideable days left though. I can't wait for us both to be riding our little brace of Rambouillets around town!
I'll see if I can take a few photos on sunday. Too much to do tomorrow, with a bunch of friends coming over in the afternoon for sweet potato soup and music playing in front of the fire. I feel very lucky and blessed right now.

P.S. Elton at Harris was great. He's the one we dealt with when I got MY Rambouillet 5 months ago.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lisa,
To bad you are not coming with DH, all us Massachusettes girls are getting together tomorrow.
karen

I know, I seem to miss all the action "out west" here near the western MA border. Maybe I should open a western cowgirl saloon to attract more TE'ers out here. (remember "Miss Kitty"?)

[Bad JuJu]

I wish I had one of those bikes just so I could say "Rambouillet" over and over again, or "brace of Rambouillets"--I love the way it rolls off the tongue.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I wish I had one of those bikes just so I could say "Rambouillet" over and over again, or "brace of Rambouillets"--I love the way it rolls off the tongue.

I wasn't sure whether the plural of Rambouillet should have an s at the end or not- what do you think? Rambouillet is a French town(city?), they also breed famous sheep there called ramouillet sheep, named after the town.
For those who may wonder- Rambouillet is pronounced sort of like:
ram-boo-YAY!
(I believe one should always say it with a certain joie de vivre.)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

P.S. To Bad JuJu.....

Hiya kids! Hiya hiya!...BOING!!!! (Yes! I remember!)

[divingbiker]

Lisa, I have a couple of questions about the Rambouillet for you.

On the Rivendell web site at http://www.rivbike.com/bikes/rambouillet it says "The Rambouillet’s stock gearing is 48×36×26 in front, and 11×32 in back."

On the Harris Cyclery web site at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/rambouillet.html it says "The Rambouillet comes stock with a 12x27 9-speed cassette..."

I assume the Rivendell folks are right, since they should know what they build. Can you confirm? (My 50 year old overweight legs really need more low gears than I've got, so if I'm going to dream about a new bike I might as well make it one that will take me up hills more easily.)

Also, what do you think of the bar end shifters? I think I fall into the camp of people mentioned on the Rivendell web site who shift too often because the STI shifters are just too handy.

And can you get the Rambouillet in any of their colors? I've decided I'm never going to have another bike that isn't red.

Thanks in advance...

[bambu101]

"I know, I seem to miss all the action "out west" here near the western MA border. Maybe I should open a western cowgirl saloon to attract more TE'ers out here. (remember "Miss Kitty"?)"

There are a few of us out here in the boonies of Western Massachsetts. Miss Lisa! A cowgirl saloon sounds like a great idea.

[Bad JuJu]

P.S. To Bad JuJu.....

Hiya kids! Hiya hiya!...BOING!!!! (Yes! I remember!)

Hah! I knew somebody would remember Andy and Froggy!

[Bad JuJu]

For those who may wonder- Rambouillet is pronounced sort of like:
ram-boo-YAY!
(I believe one should always say it with a certain joie de vivre.)

Not to mention a certain je ne sais quoi!

I think the plural should end in -s when written, but not when spoken, since final consonants are generally silent en Francais, if I remember my undergrad French correctly (and it's entirely possible that I don't).

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lisa, I have a couple of questions about the Rambouillet for you.
On the Rivendell web site at http://www.rivbike.com/bikes/rambouillet it says "The Rambouillet’s stock gearing is 48×36×26 in front, and 11×32 in back."
On the Harris Cyclery web site at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/rambouillet.html it says "The Rambouillet comes stock with a 12x27 9-speed cassette..."
I assume the Rivendell folks are right, since they should know what they build. Can you confirm? (My 50 year old overweight legs really need more low gears than I've got, so if I'm going to dream about a new bike I might as well make it one that will take me up hills more easily.)

I never saw what came on my Ramb, neither did my husband see what came "stock" on his. We both opted for different gears than what might have come, so when we picked our rambs up at Harris they had already bee swapped out.
There IS a limit to the numbe rof low gears you can put on any bike. I think we put the limit on mine, because I was a new rider trying to keep up with my DH and we live surrounded by lots of hills and we want to do touring in VT and NH, etc. Anyway...on mine we put a 24t 74bcd ring on one of the 3 rings up front, and we put a different cassette on the back: 9speed 13-34 Cyclotouriste. This was the lowest gearing we could put on without having to make chain/derailleur changes. It is working GREAT for me. The highest gear is wonderful on level, and most steep hills I can pull up in my next-to-lowest gear combo. (the first 4 months of riding I had to always go into my very lowest gear for steep hills, before I got a few leg muscles!) I get up some really steep hills on these gears, any steeper and I think "most" people would walk.

Also, what do you think of the bar end shifters? I think I fall into the camp of people mentioned on the Rivendell web site who shift too often because the STI shifters are just too handy.

I shift pretty often. I think it's a combination of my ENJOYING shifting and my being not as experienced a rider as some others. I was willing to give the bar ends a try because as a new rider I was not too deeply entrenched in any particuler type of shifter yet. Both Harris' and my wise DH suggested I might like them. I did not find them too difficult to learn and I like them very much now. If they are smoothly adjusted, it doesn't take much effort or motion at all to slip a hand down and shift quickly. Also, if you start rding in the drops alot, you can actually shift with your pinkies without moving your hands at all! (I'm working on this skill now)

And can you get the Rambouillet in any of their colors? I've decided I'm never going to have another bike that isn't red.

I got the blue because they had one in my size right there in stock at Harris', and I didn't object to the bright blue for myself. The orange color is older now and usually only obtainable used, and now they have stopped making them blue and are only making them in a metallic darkish green. If you pay and extra $200 or so and are willing to wait an extra month or two, you can order a frame from Riv in CA painted one of their custom colors (their Legolas red is lovely) and then after they paint it they can either finish the bike too for you or send the painted frame to your builder along with some parts (in my DH's case Harris cyclery) to build up. MY DH's new bike is a custom green. It took a little longer than it probably should have for various reasons.
Hope this answers your questions?