Rivendell customer service is very good

If I want a drop bar I can put one on for about $20.

"kituyjkm" fchg wrote in message
...
If I want a drop bar I can put one on for about $20.

Just putting on a drop bar doesn't make it a touring bike. It's still a
hybrid, not meant for riding long distances.

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 16:45:36 -0600, kituyjkm fchg wrote:

If I want a drop bar I can put one on for about $20.

To expand on what gooserider adds:

First, the drop bar doesn't do much good by itself. You'll likely
want to add shifters and brake levers, or integrated brifters, for the
drops. Figure that adds about $150 to the project.

Second, while you may be able to duplicate the geometry of a different
bike, that doesn't mean they're identical. I don't know what your
gearing is like; most of the hybrids I've seen have gears that are too
high. (The same is unfortunately true of many bikes sold today as
touring bikes, alas.) If I were going to use a hybrid as a touring
bike, I'd probably change at least the cluster, probably the rear
derailer, and possibly the front chainwheel, crank, and derailer.
Likewise, if you have a nice comfy plush seat on your hybrid, you may
find it painful after 25 miles. I'd plan on changing out the saddle
to something more comfortable for longer rides.

Third, while I haven't seen your bike, I don't know if it has eyelets
for racks or fenders. Yes, you can work around them. If you live in
a semi-arid region you may not need fenders. Maybe if you're going
credit card touring, you don't need racks. But if you do, it's easier
if the bike is set up for your intended use to begin with.

Without knowing your bike, finances, or intentions, I can't really
offer any advice or recommendations. My own experience is that, when
I was looking for a bike to use as a commuter and occasional touring
bike, one LBS tried to sell me a $600 hybrid and customize it. It
didn't take long to figure out I could buy a more expensive ($1000)
touring bike and a half of another one, for what the "cheaper" hybrid
would cost me when it was finished.

Pat

Email address works as is.

referring to bikes as art......

came across this link for the "Handmade Bicycle Show 2005 - Tokyo, Japan"

pretty stuff if one is interested

http://www.popdan.com/hmbs05/

pardon my redundancy.


"JP" wrote in message
news:j7hXd.100889$QS5.11493@trndny06...
referring to bikes as art......

came across this link for the "Handmade Bicycle Show 2005 - Tokyo, Japan"

pretty stuff if one is interested

"kituyjkm" fchg wrote in message
...
I used to ride a Raleigh 10 speed when I was in high school, until it
was stolen. Lugged frame, down-tube shifters, the whole nine
yards... I didn't think it was anything special and still don't. I
really hated the down-tube shifters.

These days I ride a Cannondale mass market aluminum frame bike with
welds so smooth it looks like the frame was molded. Now THAT'S art!
It has a beautiful pearlescent blue/purple paint job (factory issue)
the likes of which I have never seen on another bike.

6 months after you get the $4k Rivendell, the paint will be scratched
and chipped (as is the paint on my Cannondale, and every other bike
that actually gets ridden). Parts that wear will wear out and require
replacement.

I hear a lot of this crap about leaving bikes to your kids as a way to
justify the ridiculous price. The Rivendell marketing guys came up
with a great line there! Why not ride an equivalent performing bike
and leave your kid the $3k difference instead- they may not want your
old, beat-up $4k bike- they may have other interests... I'll bet they
can find a use for the $3k.

Find a use for 3K? If you blink too long it's history.


Mortgage 2K/mo
Electric 0.25K/mo
Phone 0.40K/mo
Oil 0.30K/mo
Gasoline 0.30K/mo
Auto leases 0.90K/mo
Auto ins 0.50K/mo
Music lessons 0.70K/mo
Allowances,etc 0.20K/mo
Health Ins 1K/mo
Food (3 teen boys) 0.50K/mo
Clothing( " " + wife) ???
Laptops, ipods, TV's, DVD's, VCR's, XBoxes, skateboards, longboards,
gameboys,
school trips, allergists, contact lenses, Rx sunglasses, SAT's, PSAT's,
AP's,
College application fees, (tuition to come)
omigod where does it end????????????????????

Getting something I want (finally)...................PRICELESS!!!!!

Getting something I want (finally)...................PRICELESS!!!!!

More power to ya if getting your dad's old, beat-up bike is getting
something you want!

"JP" wrote:

Find a use for 3K? If you blink too long it's history.

Mortgage 2K/mo
Electric 0.25K/mo
Phone 0.40K/mo

Ouch. Time to get those three teenage boys off the phone. Do they
all have girlfriends in Europe or something?

Oil 0.30K/mo
Gasoline 0.30K/mo

I'm tryin' to figure out what kind of vehicles use as much oil as gas.
Then it hits me - the family all ride Harleys!

Auto leases 0.90K/mo

Ouch again. Time for a trip to the used car lot!

Auto ins 0.50K/mo
Music lessons 0.70K/mo
Allowances,etc 0.20K/mo
Health Ins 1K/mo
Food (3 teen boys) 0.50K/mo
Clothing( " " + wife) ???
Laptops, ipods, TV's, DVD's, VCR's, XBoxes, skateboards, longboards,
gameboys,
school trips, allergists, contact lenses, Rx sunglasses, SAT's, PSAT's,
AP's,
College application fees, (tuition to come)
omigod where does it end????????????????????

When you die?

Getting something I want (finally)...................PRICELESS!!!!!

If you're paying $900 a month on car leases, one would presume either
you have a lot of cars, or have upgraded to something you "want"...

A bike isn't the goal - riding the bike is the goal. You can do that
on just about anything, though a nice bike is, well, nice. It's all
just a matter of priorities - I've lived in places that necessitated
many of my rides happening on bikes that were basically in the
"dumpster diving" category (since I had to leave them in a place a
good bike would be stolen almost immediately).

In the end, we all end up creating a budget for unnecessary things.
It's just a matter of priorities. A bike is a pretty good place to do
that since once the extra money is amortized over the many hundreds
(or thousands) of hours you'll spend on it, it's downright "cheap".

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame