{Part 2} Rivendell Betty Foy vs Sam Hillborne: Are They Interchangeable?

{If you would like to read the first post in this series, please click here}

After making the decision to buy the Betty Foy frame, I knew it would not be something we could build up immediately because the parts would more than double the cost of the bike, and it just wasn't in any way going to fit into the budget for awhile. Not horribly surprising, we had quite a few parts around the house that were for projects never completed, back up parts, wrong parts for other projects, and so on, so very little needed to be purchased to build up the complete bike. I suppose that is the "good" that comes from the never-ending bike search/builds, and also allowed for Betty to get built up quicker than I anticipated.

The infamous Betty Foy heart lugs

Before I get too far along in the process of sharing my opinion and/or comparison of the Betty and the Sam, I should point out that some size changes took place recently at Rivendell for the Betty Foy. She now comes in fewer sizes that are supposed to cover a wider range of riders' heights. I was a little unsure of what to do when I discovered that the newest shipments will come in 50cm, 55cm, and 60cm (for the record, the old sizes were 47cm, 52cm, 58cm, and 62cm), but after some discussion with the folks at Riv, I figured I would give the 50cm a go, particularly after my experience with the far too small 42cm Soma.
Quite honestly, the 52cm would likely have been just a tad large, and while it could be adjusted with stems and so on, I am actually grateful that I waited for the size in between the two former variations to actually commit to the purchase.

More of the Betty hearts

Part of my trepidation with the purchase of a Betty frame had to do with information I had read about the bikes, and the idea that it would ride and compare very similarly to the Sam Hillborne. Duplicate bikes isn't what I am after, but my curiosity simply got the best of me and I needed to know if I could truly sacrifice one for the other. My #1 reason for wanting the Betty was to have a frame that isn't a diamond shape. Particularly in the warmer months, I wear many more skirts/dresses and I wanted the option to wear them on my bike, especially when roaming around town. I know that some are capable of performing this task on a diamond frame, but I am not at all graceful and I know my limits, so having some kind of dip in the frame is a necessity unless I want to change before riding.

Side by side - Sam Hillborne and Betty Foy

The set up of each of these bikes is comparable, with the same or extremely similar components, however, there are differences. The Betty is an 8x3 (24 speed) and the Hillborne is a 9x3 (or 27 speed). To me, this is of little consequence as it doesn't affect my ability to get where I need to go, nor the speeds reachable on either bike. Betty has fenders, a rear rack, and the same handlebars (positioned the way they were intended or "right side up"), and the Hillborne has Grand Bois Hetre tires in cream, while the Betty has black Schwalbe Marathon's. The stems are different on each of these - the Hillborne has a Nitto stem, while the Betty has an Origin8 stem (more on that in a post at another time) that has a significantly greater reach than the Nitto. The saddle bags on each are different as well, and please note that the basket was just added to the Betty, so my thoughts are prior to that addition.

Betty and Sam - both gorgeous, but different

With that bit of background, I will say that while both bikes are comfortable and fun to ride, I find them to be quite dissimilar. Although the looks are undoubtedly Rivendell aesthetics, personally I could not imagine doing a long distance ride (let's say, greater than 15-20 miles) on the Betty, while I have completed many on the Hillborne. Take that information for what it is worth, particularly coming from a rather fussy rider, but there is definitely a different feel when changing from the Hillborne to the Betty or vice versa. I find the Betty to be more upright (not as upright as many European city bikes, but more so than the Hillborne), but while certainly usable for a longer distance ride, may cause discomfort to those more sensitive to positioning. While some might argue this sensation is due to lack of drop bars on the Betty, I will point out that I don't have drop bars on the Hillborne either, and have not experienced that feeling on that particular bike unless I have traveled some distance greater than would be a typical "long" ride for me, and that is due to my own wrist/hand sensitivities, I believe (though please feel free to argue otherwise, if you see it differently or think I am missing something in my thought process). I should also add that there are folks who own the Betty Foy and do use her as the long distance/road bike, as well as riding in the city with her, so while I think there are differences between the two models, it is also apparent to me that some find her perfectly capable and comfortable to take on longer rides. I wonder if this is just differences in rider comfort, size, set up of the bike, or simply that by comparison for any given individual, the Betty Foy may indeed ride like a road bike?

These two bikes are also equipped with the same saddle (although I've had the Hillborne Brooks B-72 laced in the past to help with spreading), so I don't think this is where the differences are coming into play. The reality is that they are simply different in my opinion, and even if one were to get each bike set up with the exact same components, it would be impossible for them to feel exactly the same, and improbable to feel/ride close to the same way. Is the Betty faster than most typical city bikes? I would say most certainly, but due to even very small changes in geometry, it simply feels different, and in my opinion, those differences make it more pleasant and more comfortable for me to use the Hillborne for longer and/or faster rides.

In many ways, I begin to feel as though I'm trying to find similarities in two completely different bikes, comparing an apple and an orange in some respects. Just as bikes from various manufacturers/designers are different, I have a difficult time understanding how these two bikes are interchangeable. While it is not an issue to me personally, I am curious as to how and why these are often viewed as equals, and even thought to be easily used for the same purposes. As I mentioned in the first of these posts, I was prepared to deal with the reality of possibly having two bikes that would ride the same, but I have yet to find that they could be used for the same riding tasks. I understand that I've only had them together to compare for a fairly brief time of a few months, but even prior to adding the heavier bag to the Betty, or the basket, the posture I use on her is simply different - not bad, but different. So, I am left to question whether I would be able to give the Hillborne up in exchange for the Betty, or vice versa.

It would be nearly impossible for me to know ultimately what will happen with these two bikes, but as it stands, it seems that they each have their own functionality, ride differently, and will work well for my personal purposes. So, for the time being I will ride them both and continue to evaluate whether they are interchangeable for me, or whether they can each hold their own spot in the bike fold.