DH's new bike is ready!

[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.

[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?

[Triskeliongirl]

I too bought a bike at Harris and they let me swap the bars, stem, and front derailleur, and would have swapped the casette if I desired. Their attitude is they take the build kit that is shipped with the bike, but since the parts are new they can also sell them to other customers so they'll customize the bike as you like, usually for no extra charge assuming you are substituting parts that are comparably priced. In my case I didn't need the ultegra crankset since I had a custom one, so they credited me for that. Most good bikes shops work this way on a $2000 plus bike.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

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.

A small correction- we did change the rear derailleur to accomodate the new rear cassette: we had Harris put on a (mountain bike typical) Deore LX SGS instead of the "stock" Ultegra road derailleur. We left the standard front derailleur (Shimano 105) alone.

[divingbiker]

Hope this answers your questions?

Yes, thanks very much. I looked for a place on their web site where they list dealers, but couldn't find it. I guess I'll have to call if I ever get serious about a new bike. Thanks again.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well, here are some photos of my darling DH all proud and happy with his new bike today!:
http://harmonias.com/Bikes.html
We went on a lovely 2 1/2 hour ride this morning at 30 degrees (got to be 45 at the end)...it was sunny and wonderful, riding on our two trusty Rambouillets past fields and woods where we ended at an organic food shop we like. I had some hot miso soup to feed my lingering cold.
What a great day!

[uforgot]

Lisa,
All I can say is wow! The bikes are absolutely beautiful! I am currently plunged into serious bike lust! I went to the Rivendell site and read their theories about bike fit. Very interesting and I noted that your seat sits even or slightly lower than your handlebars. Correct? I always thought mine were too low, it sits above the bars so I'm going to look into raising them. How did they initially fit you? Did they do measurements? Seems that they don't think that top tube length is all that, so I'm just curious. Thanks for the pics, terrific!

[Bad JuJu]

Oh, Lisa, what a gorgeous bike your DH has! I mean, yours is pretty in that cheerful blue, but that green just makes me swoon. There's just something about a green bike....
Enjoy your rides!

[mimitabby]

Lisa,
All I can say is wow! The bikes are absolutely beautiful! I am currently plunged into serious bike lust! I went to the Rivendell site and read their theories about bike fit. Very interesting and I noted that your seat sits even or slightly lower than your handlebars. Correct? I always thought mine were too low, it sits above the bars so I'm going to look into raising them. How did they initially fit you? Did they do measurements? Seems that they don't think that top tube length is all that, so I'm just curious. Thanks for the pics, terrific!

yeah, me too. And it's going to be even harder when MY dh gets HIS new custom bike.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lisa,
I went to the Rivendell site and read their theories about bike fit. Very interesting and I noted that your seat sits even or slightly lower than your handlebars. Correct? I always thought mine were too low, it sits above the bars so I'm going to look into raising them. How did they initially fit you? Did they do measurements? Seems that they don't think that top tube length is all that, so I'm just curious. Thanks for the pics, terrific!

Hi Claudia,
They first go by standover height (all their top tubes are straight horizontal, no "girl/boy" toptube bikes, and no women-specific frames.). According to Rivendell, you should get the largest frame that you can stand over, so you measure your pubic bone height. That put me on the 54cm Rambouillet. INcidentally, the Rambs of 52cm and smaller get 650B size wheels to avoid toe clip overlap. My 54 frame is the smallest Ramb size they typically put 700c wheels on. I probably would have fit the 52cm Ramb just fine too, but would have then had 650 wheels.
The only issue I had with fit on my bike was that after riding it a couple of months I felt the 9cm stem reach was just too long a reach for me, so we replaced the stem with a very short 5cm one. I am very comfortable with my bike fit now, despite the bad rap that short stems always seem to get.
Yes, the saddle-at-same-height-as-bars thing is something Riv emphasizes, because they don't believe people will be very comfortable or will enjoy riding around on a daily basis in an extreme Tour de France racing position. I guess plenty of folks like it and that's fine with me. But DH and I just like to ride through the countryside together having a good time, 2-5 hour rides, maybe a little light touring. We're not racing, we're riding just for pleasure and fitness. We also like to run errands on our bikes whenever we can instead of using our cars. We don't want heavy cruiser bikes or even hybrid upright bikes, however, because we hope to put in a lot of miles and we encounter a LOT of hills around here no matter what direction we head in.

[Bad JuJu]

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

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

Hah! I knew somebody would remember Andy and Froggy!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Hah! I knew somebody would remember Andy and Froggy!

Juju, I have changed my signature quote to properly honor Froggie & Andy.

And I think you are right about the French stuff.