Dear Jim,

First of all, thanks for the great site. (I noticed that one of my college roommates just submitted a bike here - Hi Luis! We must tour someday.) I'm happy to finally get some photos of my '03 Rambouillet that I've been enjoying with Jack Brown Greens for about a year now. I wiped off some dirt before photographing, because I do take this bike on fire trail climbs quite a bit. The Jack Browns with Tektro brake levers is a great way to go. It's an amazing bike. Road-fast (if I'm prepared) and dirt-ready all in a single ride.

The drivetrain is standard Shimano indexing: 9-speed Shimano bar-ends with a Ritchey Logic crank. Friction shifting in front so that I can take advantage of this great crank and its 46-34-24 rings. I have 11-34 in the rear, so my 34-34 gear is my usual bail-out gear, but then on those occasions (~3 times a year) when I take the bike on overnighters, my loaded bike bailout gears all involve the 24-tooth granny ring. The bike is so versatile. I'm guessing that there aren't many bikes (AHH being one) that beat it on that score.

I like riding the bike near my home on coastal rides and up near Palo Alto, CA with my brother. This bike was made to climb on Tunitas Creek Road! I've also done fun sub-72 hour overnighters in Santa Barbara/Solvang and San Diego with a friend. I also commute to work on it using a mid-size saddlebag. I've had the Ram since 2003, and recently, I added the Shimano A520 pedals, and they are great. Another recent addition is the old and beautiful Ritchey Logic road stem from the early 90's. It's an outstanding addition now that I've decided that I don't need handlebars above the saddle.

Thanks again,

James Warren
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

jimcwarren@earthlink.net