Great bike and story...thanks for it. I like the latest iteration quite a bit. A nice lugged seatpost or a Paul Component seatpost might give you enough setback for your desired saddle positioning.
On Friday, August 3, 2018 at 1:03:14 PM UTC-5, Gabriel Bruguier wrote: > > > For its 10th mensiversary with me > <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rbw-owners-bunch/gabriel$20bruguier%7Csort:date/rbw-owners-bunch/2W8PgId-VIs/4OBITP4cBwAJ>, > > I wanted to do something special for the bike that has become my favorite > bike ever, my first genuine "forever" bike. I also wanted to post on its > progression, and my impressions of it, to give back a little to the group > from whom I've learned so much. > > The special thing I did was that I had a Chris King 2nut headset and Paul > brake levers installed. Previous parts were Ritchey and Shimano, > respectively. By 'special' I don't just mean higher quality, but also > something like that I'm ready to commit. I'm in it for the long run. Both > upgrades add to the experience. The Ritchey consistently came loose after > any rough riding and so psychologically I felt unease about certain riding. > And the Paul levers mesh perfectly with the touring cantis on the bike. > > The photo of it propped up with a branch is the current setup. > > In this setup, it is the first bike I've ever had that "disappears under > me". I've come very close with one other bike, a Ross Signature 292s, but > that is a story for another day. I luckily hit upon a saddle/bar combo > that fits me perfectly and works seamlessly with my wheel/tire combo. > > I installed a B17 when I first built it up. I also had 44cm Noodle bars > on it. See this thread for a photo > <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rbw-owners-bunch/gabriel$20bruguier%7Csort:date/rbw-owners-bunch/akwd_oWPSBY/pvRp5FhlDgAJ> > > of that setup, and the attached photo with a wheel/tire upgrade (more on > that below). The B17 felt almost right, but just didn't have enough rail > space to get it set back to that point where it would be perfect. I kept > pushing myself to the back of the saddle, which was annoying. I looked > into several seatposts with more setback, but never pulled the trigger on > one, and so rode the Atlantis less. > > In early June I tried an upright setup with a set of VO Klunker bars, > thinking that the upright position would work better with the saddle > position. It did, kind of, but I didn't like being so upright on the bike. > I need some "lean" with my bars. > > Somewhere around this time I got myself a C17 cut out saddle for the Ross, > and loved it. It has a little more rail space than the B17, and so I > thought, why not try it on the Atlantis? I hadn't yet given up on the idea > of an upright bar, and was intrigued by the upcoming Wavie bar. > <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rbw-owners-bunch/wavie$20bar%7Csort:date/rbw-owners-bunch/XVVO7ezOGjQ/zDUbizpZBgAJ> > > In that thread, Clayton mentioned a "Simworks bar", so I began > investigating and that turned up the Simworks Getaround Bar > <http://sim-works.com/en/nitto/getaround-bar>. (Also shown in one of the > pics looking down, with me waving :)) I got the last one that MashSF had > in stock! When it showed up at my door, the C17 came off the Ross (since > replaced by another), I got the longest stem I could find in my parts stash > (a 130mm Thomson Elite with 5 degrees of rise), and built it up. > > The results: bliss! I was gleaming within the first pedal strokes, and > was so excited that I rode halfway across town to show a buddy, leaving > behind wallet/keys & an unlocked door. Oops. Finally my body position > felt perfect on the bike. > > The wheels & tires also contributed to the bliss felt on that ride. I > started out with 42 Soma Cazaderos. Great tires. But last spring there > was a thread about Schwalbe G-ones > <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rbw-owners-bunch/gabriel$20bruguier%7Csort:date/rbw-owners-bunch/fw9wQ4HsIK8/HIGJp26CBAAJ>and > > whether they would fit on an Atlantis. As seen in the photos, that > prompted me to install some 2.1 29er tires. I was hooked. I sold a frame > and some other stuff here to fund my first hand built set of wheels (shout > out to Eric @ Monkey Wrench Cycles! <http://monkeywrenchcycles.com>!!!) > and in late March, came into possession of a set of Velocity A23s laced to > XT hubs, shod in 2.1 Thunder Burts, all tubeless ready. The photo of the > bike leaning against the wall was from the maiden voyage. > > The Thunder Burts are fantastic tires on this bike! They are supple and > grippy. Not to mention super fast rolling. I'm so impressed by this > frame's versatility as I reflect on how flawlessly it performs regardless > of tire size. In either iteration I can always count on hands free > stability, steady straight rolling while descending, and intuitive > steering. And it always goads you to go keep pedaling. > > Looping back to the beginning of this narrative, the other special thing I > did for its 10th was to have it converted to tubeless (shout out to Nate @ > Monkey Wrench!!!) What a game changer! It improved the performance > slightly with the reduced weight, but more importantly for me, it > eliminates another psychological unease--flatting. I lucked out in that I > never flatted even though I consistently ride off road and on paths with > thorns growing on the side. However, after a brief foray off road > yesterday, I came out with 5 goat heads stuck in my tires. I pulled them > out, spun the tires, and was off. I couldn't believe it, I had started to > panic based on previous experiences, but what a relief. > > So that has been my experience with my Atlantis. From the start I knew it > was a special bike, and sensed its potential. I've been able to optimize > and appreciate that over the last 10 months, and look forward to continuing > with that into the future. > > Thank you to everyone here for helping me find this bike and for the > inspiration to try out new things. Special thanks to Reed & everyone who > contributed to the Rivendell Readers Archive. I've come to appreciate the > history of the Atlantis & Rivendell so much more as a result of it. And > I've used it so help so many others learn about these fantastic bikes. > Thanks, > -Gabe > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. 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