You've fallen down a useful & informative rabbit hole. I have a 58 cm Atlantis that I bought from Rivendell in 2003 (now 20 yo!). I've used it extensively for loaded touring & it is everything everyone says. Good handling, versatile, able to carry loads front & rear, etc. I've done some off roading but mostly fire roads & easy trails. No technical single track. IMHO it would be the bike for the type of use as you describe it. The Atlantis 2 was 700c in 58 cm & larger, and 26" in 56 cm & smaller.
The newer versions have more wheel sizes, including some in 650B. There is a rare Waterford version that was a bridge between Toyo & Taiwan. They were only built for a year or so, and feature slightly longer chainstays than the 2s but not the noticeably longer ones of the MITs. I rode one of these at RBWHQ, not realizing there was any difference. I immediately noticed the ride quality was more cushy than mine. I couldn't figure out what had changed, & the person I talked to just said vaguely "Oh, we fiddled with the geometry a little bit" but didn't elaborate. Later, I rode a MIT version, 53 cm IIRC, and the ride was positively plush compared to mine. I got onto some easy trails for a few miles & it felt fine, even around fairly tight corners. No gnarly single track. One thing to be aware of is toe clip overlap. I have size 11 feet & sometimes hit the tire if making a tight, low speed turn. Not a major issue but it does bother some people. For many it's not a consideration. I believe the new geometries push the front wheel further out so this may no longer be an issue. I ride flat pedals so my feet can wander around. Regarding shipping, I have shipped my 58 cm quite a few times, including Europe. It's definitely a big bike to pack. Everything comes of (racks, etc.) to get it into a box. If shipping is in your plans, I'd definitely ask about packing a MIT Atlantis. Best of luck in your search. Doug Peterson, Irvine, CA On Monday, February 27, 2023 at 2:32:16 PM UTC-8 Bill Schairer wrote: > I've got an Atlantis2 I bought used in 2017. I've ridden it between Banff > and Helena on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route route fully loaded with > 700C 50mm tires and it did just fine. There isn't much single track and I > tipped over a couple times on that but attribute to my lack of experience, > confidence, and skill rather than the bike. Generally, I have zero > interest in technical single track. This past summer I rode it from > Missoula to Denali NP fully loaded with 30mm tires up front and 40mm in the > rear. Route included some 300 miles of gravel. Again, it performed > wonderfully. It is a very versatile bike that has done everything I've > asked of it. I've put just shy of 13,000 miles on in the past 5 years. > > The new Atlantis looks like a completely different animal to me, one in > which I have no interest. One of the guys on the Alaska trip said he had > an Atlantis but chose not to ride it on the trip because he couldn't get it > into a box. I therefore assumed it to be the new model. He rode a Surly > instead. > > Bill S > San Diego > > [image: Screenshot 2023-02-27 at 2.08.47 PM.png] > On Montana gravel - bicycle heaven. > > [image: Untitled.jpg] > Somewhere in BC or Yukon. We had a stretch in the Yukon where we carried > 5 days of food. Bike plus gear probably weighed in close to 100 lbs. the > first day of the carry. > > On Monday, February 27, 2023 at 12:18:16 PM UTC-8 bryan...@gmail.com > wrote: > >> I just picked up a late 2000's Toyo Atlantis and I've ridden some of the >> longer chainstay more modern Rivendell frames. The biggest difference I >> think would be the chainstays for sure. The ride quality will be in my >> opinion vastly different, as the older Riv's had shorter (still longer for >> the time) chainstays keeping the bike a bit more nimble and quick as >> opposed to being super stable albeit a bit more "clumsy". An Atlantis 2 >> with 26" wheels has plenty of possibilities. I'm sure you can clear real >> big tires if you wanted to, or go a more traditional tire with fenders and >> whatnot. >> >> On Monday, February 27, 2023 at 1:35:26 AM UTC-5 tylerj...@gmail.com >> wrote: >> >>> I am searching for a used Atlantis as my introductory first, Rivendell, >>> during my fall into the rabbit hole of the internet and bike opinions. I >>> have been steered toward the newer model Atlantis, but the Atlantis 2's are >>> cheaper and more readily available. I want to know whether anyone has ever >>> ridden the Atlantis 2 & 3? I am looking for honest opinions on the frame >>> geometry and ride feel. I like the idea of riding a long, old, vintage >>> Cadillac of a frame unless it is very limiting. The newest Atlantis has a >>> very long chain stay, and I am curious as to how this compares with the >>> older models. I have a large interest in loaded touring and riding fire >>> roads here in Montana, but I mostly ride roads and lazy gravel rides. I am >>> looking at an Atlantis 2 (not local at all) with 26" wheels. I have ridden >>> all wheel sizes and am not biased toward any particular size. >>> >> -- 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/fa302827-0af2-4a93-aca1-5811572c0bden%40googlegroups.com.
