Steve Heywood wrote and asked that I share the list of parts that are hanging off my Atlantis. I am glad he did. One reason I love to ride Brevets is that I often find others with an Atlantis there, and compare our set-ups. I have never seen another one that looks quite like it.
Like many Rivendell owners, I admired this bike for quite a while before I put the money down. I had recently built-up a Litespeed so cash was tight. But then, I found an Atlantis for sale on Craig’s List. It was my size, and it was in perfect condition; the seller had used it primarily as a townie that could handle the trails in Portland’s Forest Park. The components were not ideal for the ultra distances I intended to ride; but I was able to buy a complete bike for the cost of a new frame and fork. I figured I could change-out the parts slowly as budget allowed.
That is exactly what I have done. This past weekend, I made the final upgrade. I rebuilt the front end with a new headset, stem and bars. The only components left on the bike that are original equipment are the seat post and saddle, the brakes, and the fenders.
My Rivendell Atlantis (from bow to stern):
- Shimano Ultegra Headset
- Nitto Technomic Deluxe Stem
- Nitto Noodle Handlebars
- Cane Creek SCR-5 Aero Levers
- Shimano UN-73 Bottom Bracket
- Sugino XD Triple Crank
- Chainrings: 46-34-24
- Time Attack Pedals
- Nitto Crystal Fellow Seat Post
- Brooks B-17 Saddle (Honey)
- Shimano 8-speed Ultegra Bar-end Shifters
- Shimano 105 Triple Front Derailleur
- Shimano XTR Rapid Rise Rear Derailleur
- Shimano Cogset: 12-28
- Paul Neo Retro Cantilever Brakes
- Avid Rim Wrangler2 Brake Pads
- Front Wheel: Schmidt Dynamo Hub, Sun CR-18 Rim
- Rear Wheel: Shimano Deore XT Hub, Bontrager Maverick, Asymetrical Rim
- Panaracer Pasela Tourgard 26 x 1.5 tires
- Lumotec Oval Plus Front Headlight
- Busch & Muller D Toplight Plus Tail Light
- Spanninga SPXb Tail Light (battery powered)
- Nitto Mini-Rear Rack
- Honjo Hammered Turtleback Fenders
- Carradice Rack Top (waterproof) Trunk Bag
- Ortlieb Ultralight 4 (waterproof) Handlebar Bag
- Polar 720i Computer
Despite all these changes, and the 10,000 miles I have ridden her, she looks every bit as beautiful as the day I found her in the city, just a little tougher and more able to handle the pounding she gets on the backroads of Oregon and Washington.
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10 Responses to
“My Rivendell Atlantis randonneuring bike”
mike
November 7th, 2006 at 3:21 pmThat’s a fine steed David. A few questions:
I see you have a mix of Carradice and Ortlieb luggage. I’ve been using Ortlieb most of my cycling life – how does the Carradice compare for waterproofness and durability?
Are you happy with the Lumotec Headlight? Are you using only 1 light up front – do you feel you have enough light on the road at higher speeds? Does the Lumotec have a standlight?
Are you using the Ortlieb map case for cue / map reading? (I’ve yet to use my handlebar bag on a brevet – I went with a cue sheet holder last season on aerobars) Does this work well at night with a headlamp?
Thanks,
Mike
(PS – I posted my steed last week (http://littlecircles.blogspot.com/2006/11/bike-part-1.html) – I also plan to detail most of the gear I use – including wet weather and night riding gear. I’m glad to see you posted – I like comparing notes!)
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Re: the Carradice luggage:: I love the trunk bag. It’s compact, spacious inside, waterproof, and bullet-proof. If you look closely at the photo, though, you will see I have a Carradice handlebar bag, too. I went through two of those. Great luggage, poorly engineered mounting hardware. Peter White recommended I make the switch to the Ortlieb. It is a great little bag – not as many interior compartments, but very light weight.
Re: the Lumotec light:: I like the beam pattern better than the E6, which is brighter, but more focused. It throws plenty of light, and I have done a lot of night riding. I typically ride with others at night, so the road is lit pretty well when two or three bikes combe their beams. I have solo’d at 20> 30 mph at night and it does quite well.
Re: the map case:: I used the waterproof map case on both handlebar bags. And you are right – a headlamp is very effective at lighting the map at night. I swear I am going to carry less so I can dump the trunk bag on the shorter Brevets and rely on the handlebar bag only. My only concern is I wouldn’t want my spare tire, tubes, and tools to get in the way of its primary purpose. I call it “the feedbag” so now you know how I use it. But to be totally honest, the way I eat on long rides is kinduva running joke.
-dr
Steve Heywood
November 8th, 2006 at 9:19 pmThanks for answering my original question (concerning your Atlantis). I love the fact that you went with 8-speed instead of 9 or 10. Now of course I have a few more.
How are the Panaracer Paselas holding up? How wide are your Honjo fenders? Any problems mounting the Honjos? Does your handlebar bag affect the bike’s handling at all? Have you ever wished that you had a taller high gear?
Thanks,
Steve
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I went with an 8-speed mostly because of chain width. The 9 and 10 speed chains use a narrower chain, and I heard stories about breaking chains, and then I actually saw it happen on the Cascade 1200. The folding Panaracer Pasela Tourguards are wonderful tires. I do not know if it is the Kevlar belts, but I find that I do not get the flats that others get, even from those pesky steel threads left behind when steel-belted-truck-tires break up on the road. I recently increased tire width from 1.25 inches to 1.50 inches and am riding on about 60 pounds of air. My new mantra is, chip seal, what chip seal?
The Honjo fenders are probably the main feature that makes my Atlantis look so distinct. They were hard to get for a long time, but now that Velo Orange is carrying them, we will see more on the road. They are super light – at least as light as the SKS laminates. Mine are the 43mm hammered. And I just ordered a pair of 43mm smooth for a Raleigh Super Course that I am retrofitting. They did tear away from the original mounts, but I replaced those with 3/4-inch washers (top and bottom) and they have been fine for thousands of miles.
The handlebar bag – as I said, I have cycled through a few. I have a Baggins Candy Bar bag that I use on shorter rides. I loved the Carradice but the mounting bolts sheared off twice. I toyed with the idea of drilling them out and replacing them but Peter White suggested I give the Ortlieb Ultimate 4 Plus a try. It is much lighter and has a great map case. The bag does affect the stability of the ride, for sure. I cannot ride no-hands above 16mph with the bag up front. I wish I could because I would prefer to keep rolling, rather than stop, to pull off or put on clothes. I have traded email with Grant Peterson about this issue. It could be the bike. But it could also be me – the way I ride.
Regarding the chain ring, I spin out at 28-30 mph and I am OK with that. I am not a downhill bomber so it suits me. I have a big 53T chain ring on the Litespeed so I can always get a speed fix if I need it!
dr
Steve Heywood
November 9th, 2006 at 7:45 amI’m running an 8-speed XT casette along with a mid-90s XT rear derailer and an XT front on my Surly LHT. With bar-end shifters it all works perfectly.
Handlebar mounted bags frequently cause handling problems. I’m planning to try a Nitto mini rack (if I can find one) with a bag that doesn’t attach directly to the handlebars.
Now if I can just find a 54.5 cm Atlantis to replace my LHT!
Steve Heywood
November 10th, 2006 at 5:32 pmWhy did you decide on a bike with 26″ wheels instead of 700c?
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Rivendell specs its smaller frames (<55CM) with 26-inch wheels. Mine is a 53cm. The idea behind it is to eliminate toe-clip overlap. It works for me!
dr
mike
November 13th, 2006 at 7:24 pmSteve, David,
I’ve found similar issues with the handlebar bag and riding no hands – I have the older version of the Ortlieb. I love – I’ve ridden in downpours and so long I keep that lid snapped shut everything inside stays dry. (I’m still king of the ziplock bags on Brevets though – you can never be too sure!). I don’t feel comfortable above 12 mph going no hands unless I’m hitting a steady flat or slight incline and am turning a larger gear – something about applying pressure to the pedals keeps me in balance. Last season I used (gasp) aerobars – I had the same issues at speed – with lights, a bento box and a small saddleabag strapped to the aerobars I could not ride and take off a jacket or open a food package. I’m considering a frame bag this year – something Jandd makes. Not sure if I’ll like it though – I’ve hear issues of people rubbing their knees on it when climbing.
I like the fact that both of you went 8 speed. I went Campy 10 speed – but with a double and a crank that will let me mount smaller rings. At some point cycling is a comprise – something I learned from fixed gear cyclists who completed the brevet series I did this past season. Ideally we’d have inifinite gears for every condition – but reality says we have a limited number of gears to deal with terrain – so I chose what I felt would work – and limited myself to about 16 workable combinations – probalby similar to both of your set-ups. I’m currently running a Campy 13-29 rear cassette and just today switched to 48,32 chainrings. I’m debating ditching the Ergolever on the front derailer and going bar end to smooth things out a bit.
John
May 31st, 2007 at 2:21 pmLove the Honjo fenders on your bike. I just tried to order some for my (soon to arrive) Atlantis, and was told they they don’t fit the Atlantis frame — only the fenders they make in the 700c size would fit. This came directly from Jitensha, as Velo Orange doesn’t have the 26″ fenders.
But I see you have 26″ wheels, as I do. Did you have to modify anything or buy special hardware (other than the 3/4″ washers)? The part number I tried to order is H451-26CN (26″, 43mm wide, hammered). Any idea which part # you used?
Thanks,
John
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I love them, too. When I got my Atlantis, they were still hard to get. Now, they are readily available through Jitensha and Velo Orange. Problem with mounting them to bikes that take smaller tires, like a 26-inch or 650b is that you need some way to suspend the fender closer to the tire, since the smaller wheels will won’t fill a fork or a rear triangle. I shot some photos and sent them to another reader, but now that you have written asking the same question about using Honjo’s on the same bike, I thought I would just publish them with installation instructions. Hope this new post, which I’ve titled, “Small wheels, big fenders,” will do the trick for you!
dr
John
June 1st, 2007 at 11:59 pmSweet, thanks!
Kevin
June 25th, 2007 at 9:15 pmMy ride is an Atlantis too; a 61cm. I ride w/ an old Carradice boxy bag-type of front bag on a little Nitto rack attached to my Noodle bars. I love the convenience, but I too get speed wobbles around 12-ish mph. Quite aggravating. Reading some recent list posts on the subject of trail and catching some comments about it in the Bicycle Quarterly, I suspect it has to do w/ the bike’s high trail. BTW, I only tote about 5lbs. in it. I’m considering lowering the load to a front rack, a la Berthoud. Also, I’ve read two accounts of folks re-raking their forks to produce a lower trail to gain some stability. That’s too extreme for me at this stage.
Kevin
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Boy, are we singing from the same page, or what? Though, I admit to have gone to extremes… I re-raked the front fork, attached a Nitto mini front rack, and mounted a Bertould front bag. I will share the process here, soon.
dr
Kevin
June 26th, 2007 at 12:50 pmSo you re-raked ‘em too?! Wow, I’m eager to hear about that. I guess I’ll follow your lead w/ the front rack and Berthoud too. Then maybe I’ll consider the forks.
An interesting note…in the winter I ride my Atlantis w/ SnowCat rims (45mm) and WTB Exiwolf tires. I also install the Nitto front rack, upon which I carry my bivy sack and down parka. I’ve never had any problems w/ wobbles w/ that setup. Then again, except for the occasional downhill, I don’t often exceed 12mph during the season!
Kevin
CHenry
October 15th, 2007 at 4:33 pmIf you like to experiment a little, the 26-in Atlantis frames will take a 650B wheel and tire, with fenders, and ride very nicely that way. I don’t get toe overlap (the fenders don’t need to be moved as I have been using painted SKS both with 26/559 wheels and now with 650B. The low BB is very forgiving of the taller wheel, and the ride is a nice combination of large tire (and low pressure) dampening and road-bike wheel performance.
I have been running the 650Bs I built with Rivendell (Panaracer) Nifty Swifties, which is a near-slick with Kevlar reinforcement and the rolling resistance is low.