Can we talk about the this Rivendell Hillibike thing?
#126
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I have a lot of thoughts on GP and RBW and wanted to respond to so many of these posts, so I'll limit myself to a few observations and statements:
1) I noticed that the Gus Boots Willsen came about AFTER one of RBW's employees brought his Jones Plus LWB into the RBW riding world. The Gus is a huge departure from other Rivs and in some ways, similar to the Jones. I will always wonder if Grant "borrowed" from the Jones when he designed the Gus. The "Hillibike" label got attached, retroactively, to more conventional, already existing RBW bikes.
2) I was shocked when Grant admitted that he strongly prefers V-brakes to all other brakes. I figured he would be a canti-guy to his core.
3) Grant influenced my move to fatter tires and back to steel (from aluminum) but the biggest reason I follow him and RBW is because their riding philosophy fit mine and they were (are?) the only company offering what I want in a bike.
4) Jan Heine has credited Grant with influencing him toward fatter tires.
5) The whole long chainstay thing seems to be gaining momentum, as Grant predicted. Jones' latest LWB frameset for e-biking has 50cm chainstays! That's approaching Riv territory.
6) I'm very curious to try the longer chainstays. I have a Hunqapillar with 46cm stays and I'm experiencing a little bit of toe overlap. The same size Atlantis has a really raked out front end, plus an extra 10mm in ett length AND it has long chainstays. They will be back in stock in early 2022 and I may have to bite the bullet and order one.
I believe this is a 55 cm Atlantis, which is the size I would buy
1) I noticed that the Gus Boots Willsen came about AFTER one of RBW's employees brought his Jones Plus LWB into the RBW riding world. The Gus is a huge departure from other Rivs and in some ways, similar to the Jones. I will always wonder if Grant "borrowed" from the Jones when he designed the Gus. The "Hillibike" label got attached, retroactively, to more conventional, already existing RBW bikes.
2) I was shocked when Grant admitted that he strongly prefers V-brakes to all other brakes. I figured he would be a canti-guy to his core.
3) Grant influenced my move to fatter tires and back to steel (from aluminum) but the biggest reason I follow him and RBW is because their riding philosophy fit mine and they were (are?) the only company offering what I want in a bike.
4) Jan Heine has credited Grant with influencing him toward fatter tires.
5) The whole long chainstay thing seems to be gaining momentum, as Grant predicted. Jones' latest LWB frameset for e-biking has 50cm chainstays! That's approaching Riv territory.
6) I'm very curious to try the longer chainstays. I have a Hunqapillar with 46cm stays and I'm experiencing a little bit of toe overlap. The same size Atlantis has a really raked out front end, plus an extra 10mm in ett length AND it has long chainstays. They will be back in stock in early 2022 and I may have to bite the bullet and order one.
I believe this is a 55 cm Atlantis, which is the size I would buy
Last edited by corwin1968; 04-03-21 at 10:03 AM.
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#127
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Found this thread on a search. It’s been fun to appreciate long chainstay/wheel base bikes. Way back I visited Roger Durham of Bullseye bike parts when he lived in a house in Hollywood with fabrication down in the basement. He had a custom aluminum bike made up with 19” or so chainstays and upright bars. He said the wb was around 45”. Fast forward 40 yrs and I’m in Maine getting a bike at LLBean to ride around and I get a Felt Cafe 7 that has 19” chainstays and lax angles. It felt surprisingly responsive, although not nimble, for it’s length. It has an aluminum frame and fork. A couple years ago I got a Rivendell Clem Smith H with 650b x 62 mm tires and really like it although my fitness has fallen off significantly. Seems to me these dimensions are ideally suited for hydroformed aluminum over steel.
#128
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old thread - but the 2018 catalogue pic
…is priceless. Given thread title Hillibikes.
camping in the hilli
camping in the hilli
Last edited by Wildwood; 10-28-23 at 03:49 PM.