I've had my new Atlantis for one week now, and have taken it on one 4 hour ride and one quick overnight trip. It's my first Rivendell, and I'm very happy with it. It's the quintessential "All-Rounder", and I plan to use it for anything and everything, for a very long time. Photos <https://bikefamily.tumblr.com/post/614256047904948224/first-overnight-tour-and-second-crash> .
My original order was for a Susie Longbolts, the "Hillibike". In fantasy land I ride my bike on high alpine singletrack all day long. The Hillibike would be great for that. In reality, I have little time for those kinds of grand adventures. My day to day adventures are more modest in scale. I tow my kids, ride my bike on bike paths, smooth urban singletrack, gravel roads, with at least 50% pavement. The terrain is similar to Walnut Creek. I know that if I got something with big knobby tires, then I would not be so happy on the pavement. Will at Rivendell changed my order over to the Atlantis. He's a nice guy. The frame is a 59cm, with the rainbow double top tube. It's unique and beautiful. I had some nitpicks about details on the Susie Longbolts, but the Atlantis is Rivendell design and details at its finest. I'm 6'1", and my PBH is 89 cm, which puts me right on the edge of fitting this bike. It's a big bike. I noticed it more when I had it fully loaded, because I have to do a roundhouse kick like Chuck Norris to get my leg over my sleeping pad that's on top of the saddle bag. This is my first time using the saddle bag, and it has been great. I thought the thigh rubbing would bother me, but it doesn't. I do need a kickstand to tour with it though. It's no fun to dig through everything in the saddlebag while the bike is laid on it's side in the dark. The ride is smooth and stable. I passed a group of hikers while climbing some steep singletrack, and got some comments like, "I can't believe you're riding this hill on that bike." Don't let the non racy looks deceive you, this bike climbs better than any bike I've been on, both loaded and unloaded. It reminds me of a tractor on the steep hills. Just put it in low gear, sit down, and spin. After the 4 hour ride my body felt fine, which surprised me, given that I haven't been on a long ride in months. On any of my other bikes I've owned I would be hurting after a ride that long. I credit the relaxed position. It invites one to unwind, take in the sights, and see where those side trails lead to. -- 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. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/407d097a-2aa9-48cf-a27c-ef5c123937b3%40googlegroups.com.
