Clem Again

Regular reader(s) may recall that I journeyed up to Ann Arbor to buy a Rivendell Clem Smith Jr last summer. That particular bike ride didn't end particularly well--I didn't care for the Clem's bars, hated the tires, found the saddle too painful to ride, and was frustrated by the poor shifting. At the end of a summer of biking and tinkering, I was too fatigued to deal with rebuilding the Clem to my specs, so I shipped it off to the distant land of my birth (Oregon).

I still had a thing for Clem, though. After selling my Stache, my bike fund was again flush. I was half heartedly looking at a Chinese carbon frame (again), but couldn't find the motivation to order anything. But when a Clem frame popped up on ebay, my bidding finger flew into action without hesitation. And that's how I ended up with Clem #2, in a color not as nice as my previous Clem's mustard gold, in paint that is significantly more beat up... but with part picks that are my own.

The key part is the handlebar. I found the previous Bosco bar a mix of too many mediocre hand positions, while my Jones H bar give me a range of usable, comfortable grips. And I like the way it looks, after some admitted acclimation time:

My drivetrain is a 2x1x9, 40/34 rings up front with an 11-36 nine speed cassette in the rear. Indexed, even. The twist shifters groove well with the Jones bars.

I tried these Shimano pedals for a while, SPDs with a plastic cage, under the idea that they would be good for everything. They're fine when clipped in, but really no better than regular SPDs when riding in normal shoes. I lately swapped them for my Grip Kings. The SPDs will go back on for dedicated trail rides.

In place of the Kenda Kwik Nines (a tire that still causes me to wake up in a cold sweat some nights, until I remember they're long gone), I have some light knobbies. The Vee Mission 2.4 up front buzzes a bit on pavement, while the rear WTB Vulpine is quieter and even less grippy. I would be better off with a set of real knobbies and a set of fat slicks, but I'm trying to wear these enough that I can justify getting rid of them. I'm trying to hold to my tire buying moratorium while I work through my large pile of tires.

Even shod with compromised tires (but oh so much better than the Kwik Nines!), the Clem moves out smartly. Holding on the grip area of the Jones bar puts me up and in command, while leaning forward onto the cross piece gives me a good power position.

I'll try the Clem on my real mtb trails, but a quick ride to Wellington Woods shows there is real merit to the idea of long chainstays on a trail bike. On the road, the long stays are pretty transparent, but off road, I could climb up steep hills, even with the lousy traction offered by the Vulpine. I'm curious how this will play out with real knobby tires.

It's a new bike, sure, but I still find myself grabbing the Clem for every ride that comes up. A slow, short spin through the park? Perfect. 20 miles to drop off some books? Sure thing.

"A tough bike to love." Has any bike come with a better slogan?