Charlie H. Gallop wasn’t what I expected
Hi, it’s Tani from the Kamiuma store.
We’ve got a completely brand new model from Rivendell, and it’s called the “Charlie H. Gallop”.
Available in “Dark Gold” and,
their iconic “RBW Blue”. Now you can check the both at any of our stores.
I’ve heard the name “Charlie H. Gallop” in their blog posts and newsletters for a couple of these years. But they hadn’t released it for a long time so we didn’t know much about it.
What kind of bike is it then? I’m gonna unravel some mysteries for this bike.
・・・
2023. Watch this video from 44:22. It was the first time for us to have a look of the “Charlie H. Gallop” when we visited the Riv HQ. Will told us about the bike.
.
“Step-over road bike”, Will said. I could’t help but to be excited when I heard the words “Step-thru styled Roadini”.
(Since it’s got a top tube in a bit higher area compared to “Step-thru”, it’s called “Step-over”.)
It is actually Rivendell’s road bike that rides smoothly on the pavement with 40mm-ish tires.
(The lime olive one in the video is a prototype.)
I did a test ride and thought it was light and smooth. I was immediately hooked by how it felt.
To be honest, It didn’t feel like a Roadini to me. It felt more like an “A. Homer Hilsen” which I always ride.
My initial thoughts were, “Is this A. Homer Hilsen with more angled head tube?”.
At that time, I was on a hunt for a light-ish Rivendell bike that is suitable for a drop bars ( “Noodle Bars” to be specific.), and I’ve already begun choosing parts for the Roadini. I had been riding Rivendell bikes with big tires on trails for so long, so I thought it was time to get a Riv to ride on pavement.
I even started to imagine my days off with the bike. I thought about building it in a Rinko-ready build, meaning no racks and fenders. Hop on the train from Kyodo station, go far out to the country side, ride along the road with less car, maybe hit some rindos here and there, climb a big hill and smoke a ciggy or something.
After looking at the proto Charlie, I thought this was it. This is going to be my drop bar Riv.
The first impression I got and the unique style of the bike was stuck to my mind.
However, I was wrong.
・・・
Let’s break down this bike a little bit.
They announced the build pack of the Charlie. Of course, you don’t have to build like this, but this is the display bike which Rivendell prepared for a test ride.
Hmm, no Noodle bar.
(Grant chose the parts for the yellow one)
I found these descriptions in their newsletter.
-By ditching drop bar specific design, we were able to lengthen the front center (the distance from the crank axle to the front wheel axle) which makes room for bars that sweep back, improves the handling of the bike, and stretches out the wheelbase for a smoother ride.
-In general, longer front centers do good things for bicycles, and those benefits extend to drop bar set-ups too, but you’ll have to use a shorty stem: a 5 to 7cm extension should do the trick.
I also found this in the release news written by Will.
-Back then, the working title was “the Rachel bike”, and the concept was for riders like Rachel, my then-girlfriend now-wife, who like light, roadish bikes but have little to zero interest in using drop bars. The Charlies have longer top tubes and slacker headtube angles than basically all other road bikes out there, which make it ideal for swept back bars, but we kept it on the bleeding edge of drop bar-able, so it’ll work with our entire bar line-up.
Ok, now I get it.
I realized that I misunderstood what kind of bike this is.
I completely thought it’s “a step-thru version of the Roadini”.
However, it is actually “a road bike originally designed for swept-back handlebars, but still you can ride with a drop bar.”
I think the prototypes which I rode at their HQ are probably for testing the combination of “short stem and a drop bar”.
・・・
I was a bit bummed at first, since it’s not what I had imagined, but “the Rachel Bike” totally makes sense for me and I was very impressed with the concept.
“A road bike for those who doesn’t need a drop bar.”
Flat-bar road bikes are pretty common among cyclists and it’s certainly needed, but the manufacturers doesn’t really make them.
In the concrete jungle, 99% of our bike rides are on pavement. I wondered if there has ever been “a road bike designed for people who have little interested in drop bars or racing. We have “cross bikes” or “MTBs for city riding” here, but I think those are some made up BS genre created by the Tokyo locals and I also feel like we had tricked all the Rachels here to ride a bike that really doesn’t suite their needs for a bike.
A non-drop light, fast bike with a basket and a kickstand. Sounds like an incredible bike to me.
———————-
Let’s move on to the frame details with Grant’s descriptions.
(The head badge is a design of galloping horse legs.)
-Like all Rivendells, it fits racks, too, but it’s not a touring bike. YES you can tour on it, but we designed it for road riding with minimal loads—say, up to ten pounds. Easily fendered, so you can ride it all year long.
I see. Not a camping bike with racks and panniers.
-It’s not a trail bike, hillibike, touring-camping bike. It’s a super versatile road bike or Country Bike. Of course you can carry light loads with it, but if your plan is to put the biggest racks and panniers and loads wherever the bike seems to allow it, then get a Clem, Atlantis, or Appaloosa. Maybe a Sam.
Product descriptions in general tend to be too “salesy”, but they’re so honest with their models.
-45mm with fender, so a hair bigger without fenders. BUT it’s still a road bike, so don’t put fat knobbies on it and thrash it on trails. It’s a practical, fun, all around, commuting, shopping, group-riding, road bike for upright handlebars.
-130mm. Again, to emphasize that it’s a road bike.
-If you weigh over 207 pounds, get a Roadini, Sam, or Homer. They’re plenty zippy, too. It’s doubtful that a 240 pounder would break the Charlie, but it’s just not the right bike.
-A notch lighter than Sam tubes, a lot like Homer’s. But the 49cm and 53cm have an inch-and-an-eighth (28.6mm) downtubes. The 57cm and 61cm downtubes are our standard inch-and-a-quarter (31.8mm).
-Minimum 32mm, and that skinny only if you’re on them now and know they work for you. But an all-aroundy bike like the Charlie is at its most versatile with tires 40mm and up. You might think, what’s the point in getting a light bike, then adding bigger tires? But the Charlie rides light with any tire, so unless you’re hauling it up stairs and concerned about ounces, we recommend 40mm+.
Do you now know what the Charlie H. Gallop is?
It’s suitable for those who wants to ride a Rivendell bike, but for a pavement. Not on trail. And someone who prefers lightish bikes to heavy ones.
・・・・
I couldn’t help it. I bought the frame and built it up. (I already told Will that I was gonna buy it anyways)
My Charlie. It rides smoothly on a pavement. I absolutely love it.
I picked up the smaller size (49) from the two that fit me.
You might think “oh, Tani didn’t get a swept-back bar on it!”, but I’ll tell you more about the sizing and details in the next blog.
Here’s the size range as usual.
-49cm: 74-83cm PBH
-53cm: 78-87cm PBH
-57cm: 82-91cm PBH
-61cm: 86-96.5cm PBH
As always, we choose the size with your PBH (inseam), not your height.
(You can check how to measure it from here. It’s really useful to remember your PBH.)
We can measure your PBH for free anytime, so feel free to visit us for it. Don’t forget to take a note on your phone.
Here’s a pic of Grant’s Charlie.
Light build with no racks. Fendered all-weather bike. He seemed to have chosen a 61 even though his PBH is 85cm. I’m going to write about the trick of this step-over in the next blog.
<Build Notes>
49 takes a 650b wheel.
from 53 and larger, they take a 700c wheel.
26.8mm seat post included. (of course you can replace it with NITTO posts.)
130mm rear spacing.
・・・・・
Rivendell’s road bike for “pavement”. It’s a brand new model with full of “Grant’s latest ideas”.
Come and check the details of the frame.
Thank you so much for reading till the end!
Bye.
