tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post4557278299348008180..comments2024-03-18T08:41:35.438-04:00Comments on Lovely Bicycle!: North Wind, Meet Dirt Roads: the Rawland Nordavinden 650BVelouriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-16195832220817951332013-05-08T09:14:19.219-04:002013-05-08T09:14:19.219-04:00That saddlebag looks really beatiful, where's ...That saddlebag looks really beatiful, where's it from?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12474261054038232963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-14559968336007816982012-10-29T16:43:31.754-04:002012-10-29T16:43:31.754-04:00its not a debate, its the laws of physics. telling...its not a debate, its the laws of physics. telling folks that one frame design has a higher top speed than another is simply wrong. youcancallmeAlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02578252140097961816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-56678417786789229342012-10-29T02:10:20.967-04:002012-10-29T02:10:20.967-04:001. The Seven is actually 7lb (3.18kg) lighter.
2....1. The Seven is actually 7lb (3.18kg) lighter.<br /><br />2. We can't assume the same tire size, considering the bikes are inherently built (and optimised) for different wheel and tire sizes.<br /><br />3. A bicycle's performance is determined by more than weight and tire size alone. <br /><br />Tony, this is not a debate where there can be a winner. This argument is a very old one. Respectfully, I bow out. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-60330101033719026912012-10-29T01:38:35.210-04:002012-10-29T01:38:35.210-04:00assume same tire size, same rider power, same posi...assume same tire size, same rider power, same position on bikes and use 0.001 slope to approximate a level road. assume your seven is say 1 or 1.5 kg lighter. plug in the numbers run the program and you sure wont get much of a time distance over 2000 meters. about 0.25 seconds!<br />http://www.analyticcycling.com/ForcesLessWeight_Page.htmlyoucancallmeAlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02578252140097961816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-6557604016726206132012-10-28T12:45:13.902-04:002012-10-28T12:45:13.902-04:00We may never know, Tony. Ultimately reviews are su...We may never know, Tony. Ultimately reviews are subjective and every reader can extract their own conclusion. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-50713419829487028832012-10-28T12:37:12.338-04:002012-10-28T12:37:12.338-04:00I suggest that can only be due to the tires, your ...I suggest that can only be due to the tires, your physical condition on a particular day or your imagination.youcancallmeAlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02578252140097961816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-85076485093622290662012-10-28T08:57:05.411-04:002012-10-28T08:57:05.411-04:00Yes and yes. Holding me as the rider constant, the...Yes and yes. Holding me as the rider constant, the 7 is generally a bit faster in every way (top, cruising, acceleration), except when riding on unpaved terrain. The difference in speed on paved roads is not dramatic, but it's there. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-39589454668541377682012-10-28T02:41:32.664-04:002012-10-28T02:41:32.664-04:00I'm not sure what you mean when you say your s...I'm not sure what you mean when you say your seven is faster. Do you mean it has a higher top speed? Or do you mean it accelerates quicker?youcancallmeAlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02578252140097961816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-20380122045976954592012-09-17T13:06:15.872-04:002012-09-17T13:06:15.872-04:00I don't know why you couldn't maintain the...I don't know why you couldn't maintain the same front-end geo with a shorter top tube and keep the same clearances. Even if you couldn't, varying angles with frame size doesn't mean you're making different models. At least none of the other manufacturers who have ever done this feel that way. Anyhow, why not keep the 54cm top tube and shorten the seat tube? Or steepen the seat tube and shorten the top tube. Hardly anybody who rides a frame with a 52cm c-t-t seat tube will be able to ride a 73 degree seat tube without a zero setback post anyway. If the trail is the same, and the rider can balance their weight between the wheels in the same way, then changing the geometry would not effect the ride characteristics or ride quality, and shouldn't be considered a change in design. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-61959400600670921602012-09-03T20:09:19.124-04:002012-09-03T20:09:19.124-04:00For anyone reading - Rawland is having a Labor Day...For anyone reading - Rawland is having a Labor Day weekend sale on the Nordavinden frame sets, $100 off the usual price!Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-40550180850985594852012-09-02T00:09:57.881-04:002012-09-02T00:09:57.881-04:00Yeah, the chainstays are the limiting factor. Even...Yeah, the chainstays are the limiting factor. Even with 700x35 it's unlikely there will be real broken spoke clearance. And that's OK because if you could run 700x40 and used all the capability of a 700x40 the frame would not last so long.<br /><br />Gavia Pass at the '88 Giro had dirt as rough as D2R2. After that mad race powers that be decided to keep the wilder roads out of racing or confine them to Paris-Roubaix. In earlier years a bike had to have a lot of capability. LeMond took '83 World Champs with 2 broken spokes in the front wheel, standard bikes could do that then. Nighttime criteriums on cobbles in the rain were a normal part of racing life well into the 70s. Widest tires anyone in the postwar era would likely have used would've been Campionatos at about 29mm. Although I saw Jim Ochowicz win the '73 Old Town Criterium in rain and sand on Elvezias. How big were they? Maybe 30 or 32? Any frame would take them back then.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-61942704962443799792012-09-01T17:33:57.843-04:002012-09-01T17:33:57.843-04:00I'm wondering if the larger sizes could run 65...I'm wondering if the larger sizes could run 650B wheels by using longer-reach brakes (i.e., the ones spec'd on the test bike).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-36987665442085979282012-08-29T12:12:39.888-04:002012-08-29T12:12:39.888-04:00Agree with Anon about the old stuff. Had a very ni...Agree with Anon about the old stuff. Had a very nice '73 Motobecane Grand Record for a few years, built up as a fixed grocery getter and all rounder: fenders, dynamo, 30 mm tires, 67" gear. Despite the toute 531 legere frame, it handled 40 lb of groceries in the rear better than my current Rivendells and as well as the current Fargo. (Heh: I once cranked it up a 2/5 mile tres steep hill once at 4 mph/20 rpm with a total rear load including Packers of 45 lb.) Earlier, had a nice Fuji Royale UJB converted with 42 mm Avocets to a nice firm dirt road bike; oddly, this handled better with a rear load than unladen, and with a Boxy Bag in front was downright scary. The biggest challenge with old road steel is that, generally, the rear chainstays crowd anything bigger than about 37-40 mm.Bertin753https://www.blogger.com/profile/02860648732848589740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-44820795659220750182012-08-29T12:04:23.600-04:002012-08-29T12:04:23.600-04:00Curious: why this preference? I've ridden vari...Curious: why this preference? I've ridden various tire diameter/width combinations for years, including road bikes with 559 or 571 wheels and 1" tires and off road bikes with 622 wheels and fat tires, and conclude that, while there is noticeable difference in the way a 29", 2.5" tire handles washboard and sand compared to ditto on a 26" tire, on the road, not so much. I have never ridden 584/650B.<br /><br />Note: just asking, not criticising.Bertin753https://www.blogger.com/profile/02860648732848589740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-4096758638543778322012-08-28T16:28:37.864-04:002012-08-28T16:28:37.864-04:00Cool. I missed the 'where your bike is made...Cool. I missed the 'where your bike is made' post. Insightful and well put. <br /><br />--RollyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-70431888302020231562012-08-28T15:28:05.314-04:002012-08-28T15:28:05.314-04:00Low trail bikes are designed for a front load. Som...Low trail bikes are designed for a front load. Some assume this means they cannot be ridden without one, let alone with the weight exclusively in the rear. This bike however did fine even with the latter, which is worth noting.Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-21692888884849809722012-08-28T15:25:22.434-04:002012-08-28T15:25:22.434-04:00It doesn't come in 650B so much as one frame h...It doesn't come in 650B so much as one frame has been built in 650B. Any of the larger sizes could just as well be built 650B. All will suffer from excess fork blade length, approximate clearances, and make-do brake calipers. Yes, 650 conversions often work extremely well. At least with this one the conversion has been tested and shown to be successful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-1146804040778469742012-08-28T14:44:18.746-04:002012-08-28T14:44:18.746-04:00It comes down to personal preference. I would rath...It comes down to personal preference. I would rather ride 650Bx42 than 700Cx35 for sure, so I am very happy the small size comes in 650B.Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-73252328078907953042012-08-28T09:53:21.762-04:002012-08-28T09:53:21.762-04:00I find it very comfortable to carry things in a je...I find it very comfortable to carry things in a jersey's rear pockets. In a leaned-over roadbike position I cannot feel the weight at all, and it allows me to keep items within easy reach, without having to unfasten anything to get to them. I like to keep my phone, money, and a snack in my jersey pockets even when a bag is attached to the bike. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-75711275050316385582012-08-28T09:48:07.701-04:002012-08-28T09:48:07.701-04:00As I tried to explain in the post addressing this ...As I tried to explain in <a href="http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2011/11/where-was-your-bicycle-made-and-does-it.html" rel="nofollow">the post addressing this issue specifically</a>, it's not about Taiwan vs China vs Japan vs Poland vs Italy - it's not about the location. Goods can be made well, and ethically in a developing country. Goods can be made poorly and unethically in a developed one. <br /><br />Sentimental attachment to a specific location because it's meaningful to us is totally understandable. Preferences for things to be made domestically/locally is as well. But if you are okay with outsourcing work in general, than to complain about a specific country of manufacture makes no sense, unless you have reason to believe that the conditions of the company's manufacturing process there are somehow inadequate. On their website, I think Rawland presents evidence to the contrary.Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-89353505593306280782012-08-28T09:05:08.619-04:002012-08-28T09:05:08.619-04:00THank you, Harry. I agree.
There are good logical...THank you, Harry. I agree.<br /><br />There are good logical reasons that Japan revolutionized the bicycle industry and put the British motorcycle industry out of business. Then there's electronics, heavy equipment, automotive etc, etc etc. Yet not too long ago there was a popular nationalist/redneck notion in Western nations that anything made in japan was crap. Now it's Taiwan that is the target, at least in the bicycle industry. Taiwan is massively abundant in highly skilled tradespeople (eg welders that can weld anything on any given day from high end titanium products to low end aluminum bike frames). Add good engineering and low production costs and - boomba, a manufacturing powerhouse that the West can't compete with.<br /><br />That being said, did anyone read that article from last Winter in Bicycling about Campagnolo perservereing despite the fact they've never sourced to Asia and that they continue to employ a union workforce? It's an interesting article (sorry no link, lazy bastard I am).<br /><br />I think it's natural that people will be partial to, and proud of, things that are made in their own countries. Being Canadian I have a huge soft spot for Mariposa, Marinoni, vintage CCM Flyers (1930s CCM track bikes with Major Taylor stems... whoa! Pride and sorrow that CCM left bicycles behind for skates and now put their name on some of THE WORST bikes made). Swedes go nuts over Crescents, and on and on -- but to dis everything made in the far East is just plain ethnocentric.<br /><br />-- Rolly<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-33278655428259940222012-08-28T02:09:03.229-04:002012-08-28T02:09:03.229-04:00I think it looks well balanced. I find a bike (fra...I think it looks well balanced. I find a bike (frame) this size often look silly with 622 wheels. Guess it is all about what you are used to look at. Nothing wrong with a 650B conversion by the way. Lots of great old roadbikes out there that can be made much more useful that way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-9325458791705774952012-08-28T00:24:35.171-04:002012-08-28T00:24:35.171-04:00I purchased a used Drakkar this spring (actuall fo...I purchased a used Drakkar this spring (actuall found it right after reading the review of the rSogn. I had never heard of Rawland before) and love it! I have been switching between 42mm Hetres and Pacenti Neo Motos. I have done road/gravel rides with the Hetres. <br /><br />This summer while doing some pretty gnarly off-road touring on the Lost Coast in No. California I switched to the Neo's and they haven't come off since. I have even been exploring some single track and trail riding back in Portland, and have to say it is an absolute blast. <br /><br />Cheers to such a fun and versatile bike!Japhy Rydernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-69737281391190102832012-08-27T21:41:48.208-04:002012-08-27T21:41:48.208-04:00I'm not either of the Anonymous posters above,...I'm not either of the Anonymous posters above, but calling someone a racist because they dislike 'designed here, produced there' is uncalled for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-9488259786671168122012-08-27T21:39:25.296-04:002012-08-27T21:39:25.296-04:00Trail is the distance from where the tire meets th...Trail is the distance from where the tire meets the pavement forward to where the headtube/fork would intersect the ground (if it went straight all the way to the ground). A more pronounced curve of the fork (rake) moves the tire further forward, moving it closer to the spot where the fork would hit the ground. Conversely, steepening the angle of the headtube/fork moves the imaginary spot backwards towards the tire.<br /><br />The effect "lightens" the steering, which means a bike with this geometry will handle well with a front load, whereas a bike with standard "trail" number would feel sluggish and difficult to control. Reduced toe-overlap is merely a pleasant side effect. Doug in Seattlenoreply@blogger.com