I've been primarily riding my MTB and am looking to expand my boundries with either a Cyclocross type bike or a pure road bike. If I decide to go the road bike direction I am considering a Rambouillet Blue. I saw it on Sheldon Browns site and immediately fell in love. They seem to be in limited supply and I haven't seen any discussions on them here.

Can anyone provide me with some insight into these great looking bikes?

TIA!

are words that come to mind.

The home of the ramboulliet is http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/

I think they are possibly the best buy around. The bike can do it all and if you follow your heart you're in for a treat for many years to come. It's very crossable too. Many options for how to set it up and the folks at Rivendell have good stuff in their catalogue. Truly leaves most road bikes for dead when it comes to design versatility and is the one frame where i would say that you can have your cake and eat it too. Every thing about it is smart and well thought out.

For me their Sugino XD triple crank is where the money's at but I would drop the granny ring and keep something like a 36/48 double together with a 12-27 cassette and there ain't nowhere I couldn't go. Plenty room for nice & comfy 27c Rolly Polly tires -and- fenders. Shimano long reach sidepull calipers are easy to set up ..... sheet I'm already planning my build specs. I'll shut up and leave it to you as the options are aplenty.

Tour with it, ride fast on the roads, explore single tracks and some dirt, swap a wheel out and strip some parts for a fixie, use it to commute, hang it on a wall as art ..... love it and save yourself years of drama and much $'s with such a versatile and sound bike to start off with - in fact you will probably never need buy another bike.

ciao

They sure are sweet lookin. I'm a little confused about their sizing, though. They claim to have a lower BB and "less vertical" seat tube angle thereby allowing the rider to use a larger sized frame than normal. At my overall height (6 1) and PB height (34.5) I come up with a size 60 bike. Seems large. Given that I would need to order this over the phone I really want to get it right the first time. Anyway, good luck with your project, you got me jonezin' (more then before) for this bike!

Check the Riv site to see if they have a dealer nearby where you can be fitted. Otherwise, call the gang at Rivendell, they are pretty good at recommending sizes based on some simple measurements.

Also, you might want to check the FAQ page on our website as we provide a short comparison between our Heron models and the Rivendell models (since many Frequently Ask). All of these frames are pretty smart for the type of road riding that most folks actually do.

Another option which is a great value, maybe not quite as nice of paint or workmanship but a great value is the Kogswell. Look to http://www.kogswell.com/ the current model is green and looks quite nice. http://www.kogswell.com/p.html I am considering this frame as well to replace my Cyclocross frame which I don't race at all. Look here for some pictures of past and current models http://www.kogswellowners.com/pics2/albums.php the Kustard colored ones are the original model that was available. Good luck on what ever you get the Rambouillet is also a great bike just not quite as affordable.

Nice bike, as long as it fits you and you're not a weight weenie. There are lots of bikes in the same price range that weigh 5 pounds less.

They are lovely bikes -- I saw a blue one in person fairly recently. You should
check out the RBW mailing list, an unofficial forum for Riv fans. I don't know where
you are in the country, but you could probably arrange to see a Rambouillet in the
appropriate size and maybe take a test ride. They are a friendly bunch.

http://www.bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/rbw

--Will

They sure are sweet lookin. I'm a little confused about their sizing, though. They claim to have a lower BB and "less vertical" seat tube angle thereby allowing the rider to use a larger sized frame than normal. At my overall height (6 1) and PB height (34.5) I come up with a size 60 bike. Seems large. Given that I would need to order this over the phone I really want to get it right the first time. Anyway, good luck with your project, you got me jonezin' (more then before) for this bike!

As a Ram owner I would caution you to think carefully about the fit. I opted to go with a "normal' (for me) sizing and have been very satisfied. I know of at least two other friends who were persuaded to use Riv's approach to sizing and wished they hadn't. Both ended up with bikes they felt were too large. The other thing to keep in mind is that the Ram geometry is really a compact frame design. The top tube slopes more than is obvious from the photos I've seen. This contributes to the sizing issue.

I have written several messages on RBR concerning my Rambouillet. For example, go back into the General Board a few pages to see my Lunchtime Ride /pics thread....which ends with a photo of my Rambo with the Hollywood Sign in the background. I can tell you in short, that I'm not quite as flush in love with the bicycle as everybody else seems to be. But then again, I'm a neurotic, super-picky guy in my fifties. I find flaws in the Mona Lisa. And I still do enjoy my Rambo very much. As a matter of fact, in about an hour I'm going to head off for a little joyride on the thing.

As for the sizing issues, my dealer PACIFIC CYCLES in Oceanside CA scandalously recommended that I get a frame one size smaller than the one that Rivendell would have recommended for my height. I'm glad I went with the dealer recommendaton, as even with the smaller size the bicycle still feels quite massive beneath me. I especially appreciate the smaller size when I'm stuck waiting at a stoplight. Even in my quote-unquote too small size, the top tube still sits paranoically close to my crotch when I'm straddling the bike, both feet on the pavement.

In any event, good luck with your road bike search. Don't be afraid to follow your lusts, but don't be afraid to investigate other bicycles, either. When I was shopping for the Ramboullet, I spent plenty of time drooling over Heron Todd's bikes, and also over the bikes at the Vanilla Cycles site.

Ramboullet is a pretty frame, but I didn't like the geometry. Co-motion nor'wester or americano are similar types of touring/cross bikes, have a different geometry, or you can order them custom...it won't be the same classic lugged look, but they are nice frames.
http://www.co-motion.com/

The other thing to keep in mind is that the Ram geometry is really a compact frame design. The top tube slopes more than is obvious from the photos I've seen. This contributes to the sizing issue.

Just to clarify, the Rambouillet is not really a compact design as most folks consider it. On a compact frame, the top tube slopes downward from the head tube. So, the junction of the top tube and seat tube is lower than on a "normal" frame of the same size.

On the Rambouillet (and the Herons), the top tube slopes upward from the seat tube (on the Herons, the slope is 2 degrees). So, the junction of the top tube and head tube is higher than on a "normal" frame.

As for the sizing issues, my dealer PACIFIC CYCLES in Oceanside CA scandalously recommended that I get a frame one size smaller than the one that Rivendell would have recommended for my height. I'm glad I went with the dealer recommendaton, as even with the smaller size the bicycle still feels quite massive beneath me. I especially appreciate the smaller size when I'm stuck waiting at a stoplight. Even in my quote-unquote too small size, the top tube still sits paranoically close to my crotch when I'm straddling the bike, both feet on the pavement.

It seems to me that Rivendell is currently recommending a larger size than they used to. For our Herons, we do recommend a larger size than you would ride on a "normal" bike but not as large as I have seen Rivendell recommend lately.

Regarding your standover issue while waiting at stoplights, the correct position is to have one foot on the pavement, one on the pedal or on tiptoe on the ground, and the bike leaned to the side. Under most circumstances, there is no need to straddle the frame with both feet flat on the ground.

Ramboullet is a pretty frame, but I didn't like the geometry. Co-motion nor'wester or americano are similar types of touring/cross bikes, have a different geometry, or you can order them custom...it won't be the same classic lugged look, but they are nice frames.

The Co-Motions are *outstanding* frames. However, can I ask what you didn't like about the Rambouillet geometry?