Rivendell Clementine - First Impressions

When the Clementine box arrived in mid August, I was at work. My son texted me the photo above, assuring me that the box was in top shape.

I was pleased that the Clementine arrived with every piece padded and well packed. This image is
more representative of the actual frame color. 

In spite of the overall excitement, I was still riddled with some anxiety - would this really turn out to be my dream bike? My plan was to wait until until the weather cooled off and slowly put the bike together, and lovingly get to know the Clementine piece by piece. Except my family wouldn't have it and decided to assemble the bicycle for me. I was especially tickled to watch my 14 year old dive in, with confidence gained from his bike mechanics' summer class.

The frame color is much darker than I expected. I was picturing a lighter, Celeste-type aqua color, but in reality it is a rich teal. There are some sweet touches, like the uniquely colored spoke nipples, each a different color, and "Clem" written on the hubs. Rivendell also included a bell and black handle bar grips, and while not top-notch quality, they are welcome items.

I jumped aboard the bike around dusk and rode it for five minutes in our neighborhood. I was a little beside myself because I had expected to immediately fall in love with the Clementine - pumped and assured by other Rivendell owners that I wouldn't regret the purchase - but unfortunately the upright stance reminded me of a cruiser. Over the next couple of days I moved the seat back and pushed the shift and brake levers forward, trying to buy a few inches of reach, which only minimally helped. The handle bars were pretty foreign, however I like the sideways thumbshifters, as I expected I would, which suit the stock handlebars.

Trying to decided which rack from out parts stash would fit the best - both would require a retrofit
because of the Clementine's longer wheel base.

Coming from more aggressive position on mountain bikes, I had quite a bit to absorb so I set the riding issue aside for a while and concentrated on other tasks. I transferred the lovely bird bottle cage from the little used Peugeot UO 14; I attached a mirror, and ordered nice SKS fenders. While I might skimp on some accessories I never buy cheap fenders.

I also had to figure out the rack problem. I'm very tired of black in general, especially because my commuter bike is all black, so this was my opportunity to decorate with chrome or aluminum. And while steel racks look nice, I'm not sold on their weight or hefty price. Blackburn racks have been our household standard for thirty years. Sadly the company no longer makes silver lightweight racks. I'd also like to use a lowrider front rack again, but with much internet searching, I cannot locate the simple style, low cost alternative. The front rack solution will have to come in time.

I used pieces of pipe insulation to protect the frame.

I waited an entire week before putting a rack on the Clementine, because Local Motion gave me the wonderful - and what would eventually become fortuitous - opportunity to try one of their cargo bikes, on loan for two weeks. I loved the metallic green Yuba Boda Boda, nicknamed  "Kermit" by Local Motion fans.  (There will be a separate post on the cargo bike.) It's low stepover height, it's easy handling, even with weight, and the bike's ride quality - as best as I can describe - floats over bumps, yet the handling of the elongated bike is spry and maneuvers with ease. I also adapted well to the Boda Boda's handle bars, I believe a type of Albatross bar.

Back to the Clementine. I installed an aluminum rear rack, but needed to add on an extra metal bracket to lengthen the rack over the rear wheel. Fortunately, the Clementine has braze-ons up the wazoo (one of the truly nice features that sold me on this model) and I had attachment options, depending upon rack size. With a way to carry items, I now considered the bicycle ride worthy, so I took the Clementine out for it's second spin, this time for 6 miles over the same terrain as the cargo bike.

And dang, it was really amazing to me that the Clementine rolled and floated and felt similar to the Boda Boda! I wondered how that could be until I lined up both bikes side by side. Both the Boda Boda and the 52cm Clementine are 72" long, exactly. One is aluminum frame, one is steel. One has a larger cockpit, one is smaller. Wheel size is different. So I presume the wheel base length is somewhat responsible for the floaty effect.

Excited and inspired, I painstakingly installed the fenders. My husband patiently sawzalled (if that isn't a word, it should be!) the fender supports to the proper length. I mentioned to my husband that I'd forgotten how difficult, and often exasperating, it can be to start from scratch and set up a new bike.

The Clementine is done for now. I can't say I love the feel of the bosco bars and I've lowered the bar as far as it will go. They are not as intuitive and comfortable as the Boda Bodas, which was a nice and worthwhile experiment. I also had to remind myself that the stock bar was the one thing about the Clementine that I visually disliked, even when I had ordered the bike, Handlebars can always be replaced. For now, I just need to get to know my Clementine. I am confident she has potential.