Hi Jeff, That's all super helpful, and I really like hearing that you prefer the Atlantis over the KM. I can see why with the size frames you are riding. I know nothing about designing a bike, but it's always struck me as odd that the CS length stays the same across sizes. For me it might be the other direction, as I would be getting a 53 or 54 (Atlantis or Appaloosa, at least that's today's idea) so my bike would have longer CS relative to the size of the bike. But by the sounds of it it would probably be just fine. Thanks again. -- Dave
On Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 10:44:00 PM UTC-7 [email protected] wrote: > Hi Dave, > > I have a 64 AHH, rainbow top tube and a 62 Atlantis latest geometry. So > not quite an apples to apples comparison but also not apples to oranges. I > have both cockpits setup similarly with a long stem and Ron's Ortho bars > which sweep back pretty far. AHH has 42?? Ultradynamico Cava (not a slick > but not a knobby) and Atlantis has 2.2 knobbies. On the same single track > the Atlantis is way more stable and I feel a lot more confident on descents > and cornering. I think this is due to the tires but also the slacker > frontend. I did go endo on the AHH while riding single track. I was on a > slight descent and hit a tree root that was hidden under some leaves while > turning. After that I decided to stick with the Atlantis on single track > when there are leaves on the ground. > > Unfortunately I can not comment on the chainstays since the AHH is almost > as long as the Atlantis. I would also be interested in hearing other's > experiences with the Sam and Appaloosa/Atlantis. I can say that I prefer > the Atlantis over my Karate Monkey on single track and just in general. The > Karate Monkey has such short chainstays and at my height, where my saddle > is at, I'm just about over the rear axle. To be honest, I haven't ridden > the KM since I got my Atlantis. Might be time to let it go. > > Hope that helps. > > Jeff > > On Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at 1:55:51 PM UTC-5 [email protected] wrote: > >> Hi Dave, >> >> I ride a romanceur with drops, an appaloosa with drops and an atlantis >> with flat bars. I have not ridden a Sam. >> >> Romanceur works fine on singletrack with both 650b with 2.1 tires >> (before) and 700c with 38mm tires (currently). >> >> Appaloosa is on 48mm knobbies. It does feel a little more smooth and >> stable on the same singletrack, but the romanceur is still fun to ride. I >> guess I feel a little less "confident" on the romanceur but not to the >> point where I don't ride those trails. >> >> The atlantis (2005 or so) has 38mm knobbies on front and 38mm file tread >> on back with 800mm mtb handlebars. Does the same single track and feels >> great. >> >> The sub 40mm tires bury in the sand sometimes. >> >> But all three bikes can do smooth single track and pick through rocks. >> Caveat: I mostly ride in ft ord which is smooth packed sand with very few >> roots or rock gardens. >> >> Point is, any of these bikes work fine and you would get used to any of >> them. Maybe just think about what riding you're doing most of the ride and >> most of the time. >> >> And a mtb would work better on single track than any of these, if you're >> really keen on trails!!! >> >> - gabe >> >> Sent from my BlackBerry, the smartphone with the little keyboard and a >> big heart. >> >> >> >> On Wed, Apr 29, 2026, 10:36 'Dave White' via RBW Owners Bunch < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I would love to hear from people who have ridden fairly recent versions >>> of both the Sam and Appaloosa/Atlantis on trails (lumping those together >>> because they seem interchangeable). Besides the difference in tire >>> clearance, how much more trail worthy is the Appaloosa than the Sam? I have >>> to say I like the appearance of the shorter chain-stays on the Sam better. >>> But do the long stays of the Appaloosa make the ride that much smoother? >>> The slightly slacker head angle seems like it might matter even more than >>> the rear of the bike. I find myself changing my mind every other day as to >>> which of these I should pursue, so any info would be appreciated. >>> Thanks, >>> Dave White >>> Nevada City, CA >>> >>> -- >>> 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 [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/8ca37d3d-5772-46c7-b8f2-a3e99c9f4519n%40googlegroups.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/8ca37d3d-5772-46c7-b8f2-a3e99c9f4519n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> -- 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 [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/00fa9a2d-129b-4656-b8cd-f4ce22959e84n%40googlegroups.com.
