Re: [RBW] Help! Convince me to buy (or not buy) this Atlantis!

[Lyle Bogart]

All I'm going to say is that I really (really, really) love my Atlantis. . . wouldn't trade it for any other bike ;)

Good Luck!

lyle

On 27 June 2012 00:29, The Cripler <citrow...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ok. So here is the situation. I have been looking for an Atlantis for a while. Well I guess looking isn't the right word. Perhaps "dreaming" is a more appropriate descriptor. To be honest, I haven't really thought that an Atlantis was going to be in my price range at the current moment. Not without selling off a few of the bike I have, and as my wife has learned, selling off bikes isn't a strong point of mine. Anyway, now out of the blue I have stumbled upon an opportunity to purchase a complete Altantis for....wait for it.....$1000. Here are the specs:

Nitto Technomic Stem
Nitto Noodle handlebars with new tape
Front rim: Bontrager 36 spokes
Rear rim: Velocity Synergy 36 spokes
Hubs: Phil Wood hubs
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Plus (basically new)
Sugino XD crankset
Phil Wood BB
Rear derailleur: Shimano Deore XT
Shimano Cantis (couldnt tell what model)
Saddle: Brooks premium leather
SKS fenders

It seems like an amazing price. I have met the guy, he seems like a totally straight up person. Now here is the dilemma. First, the frame is a 58. I have a Surly LHT (which of course I'd sell...maybe) which is a 56cm. Fits me great. My PBH is 83.84, but lets call it 84. According to the sizing charts I've seen Rivendell would put me on a 56-58cm frame. But, this just seems big to me. I know this has been discussed countless time before, but I am really concerned that a 58  would be too big for me to ride comfortably. I took the bike on a test ride, and with the current stem and setup it definitely felt too large. But, I did have a fistful post showing with my legs extended - albeit barely. The other main issue with the bike is that both of the rear rack braze-ons have broken off. As the seller described it, one of the braze-ons was broken off when he purchased the bike, and the other broke off due to the undue stress on a cross country trip. I looked at the damage and it really doesn't seem to be an issue, or to be that diffucult to fix. I have a frame builder in town who would be able to make short work of it...although I'm not sure what it would cost. Finally, the paint has some wear. There are several chips. It actually looks way better than I thought it would considering the price. But, it does have "character". So given what I have laid out...am I an idiot for having second thoughts about jumping on this? If the bike didn't, do you think i would be able to get my money back if I had to sell it? Help a confused brother out here. Thanks All!

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lyle f bogart dpt

156 bradford rd

wiscasset, me 04578

207.882.6494

206.794.6937

[islaysteve]

Purely as a bystander, I'd say there's not too much risk for you in buying this bike, if you have the cash and are willing to mess with the adjustments (sounds like a shorter stem needed, at least).  If after that you find it doesn't work, I don't see how you would lose any money on a resale.  You know what they go for.  Fix the braze-ons or not, as you please.  My two cents.  Cheers, Steve

[Zack]

Seems to me like an Atlantis just fell into your lap.  Can't beat that!

I would get it, ride it for a while, confirm that you love it, then have the framebuilder fix the brazeons.  

[C.J. Filip]

Shameless plug: I have a 56cm Atlantis for sale. Frame + wheels. No
where near as good a deal however.

[charlie]

Where did you say this Atlantis was? I know a 58 cm would fit me.......and at $1000 I could buy it right now. If you don't end up with it, I'd be interested for sure.

[pam]

I know someone with an Atlantis and they love theirs.  I have a Betty Foy and wouldn't ride anything else.  You won't be sorry for that price.  As for the paint, Grant calls that beausage (rhymes with usage).  The frame is probably usually that amount by itself.  

[James Warren]

The following might involve a bit of gambling, but it is not uncommon for trades to occur on this list among people trying to modify their bike size a bit. Maybe there is someone out there with a 56 who wants to go up to a 58 through a trade. In that scenario, wheel size has to be factored in. The 56 uses 26 inch, and the 58 uses 700C. That could complicate things. 

-----Original Message-----
From: The Cripler
Sent: Jun 26, 2012 9:29 PM
To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [RBW] Help! Convince me to buy (or not buy) this Atlantis!

Ok. So here is the situation. I have been looking for an Atlantis for a while. Well I guess looking isn't the right word. Perhaps "dreaming" is a more appropriate descriptor. To be honest, I haven't really thought that an Atlantis was going to be in my price range at the current moment. Not without selling off a few of the bike I have, and as my wife has learned, selling off bikes isn't a strong point of mine. Anyway, now out of the blue I have stumbled upon an opportunity to purchase a complete Altantis for....wait for it.....$1000. Here are the specs:

Nitto Technomic Stem
Nitto Noodle handlebars with new tape
Front rim: Bontrager 36 spokes
Rear rim: Velocity Synergy 36 spokes
Hubs: Phil Wood hubs
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Plus (basically new)
Sugino XD crankset
Phil Wood BB
Rear derailleur: Shimano Deore XT
Shimano Cantis (couldnt tell what model)
Saddle: Brooks premium leather
SKS fenders

It seems like an amazing price. I have met the guy, he seems like a totally straight up person. Now here is the dilemma. First, the frame is a 58. I have a Surly LHT (which of course I'd sell...maybe) which is a 56cm. Fits me great. My PBH is 83.84, but lets call it 84. According to the sizing charts I've seen Rivendell would put me on a 56-58cm frame. But, this just seems big to me. I know this has been discussed countless time before, but I am really concerned that a 58  would be too big for me to ride comfortably. I took the bike on a test ride, and with the current stem and setup it definitely felt too large. But, I did have a fistful post showing with my legs extended - albeit barely. The other main issue with the bike is that both of the rear rack braze-ons have broken off. As the seller described it, one of the braze-ons was broken off when he purchased the bike, and the other broke off due to the undue stress on a cross country trip. I looked at the damage and it really doesn't seem to be an issue, or to be that diffucult to fix. I have a frame builder in town who would be able to make short work of it...although I'm not sure what it would cost. Finally, the paint has some wear. There are several chips. It actually looks way better than I thought it would considering the price. But, it does have "character". So given what I have laid out...am I an idiot for having second thoughts about jumping on this? If the bike didn't, do you think i would be able to get my money back if I had to sell it? Help a confused brother out here. Thanks All!

--

[Leslie]

Asking us is like saying, don't throw me in the briar patch....

I think, you'll get used to the size as-is, but sure, shorten the stem, lower the seatpost, and enjoy it...   But then, if not, you can easily pass it along step down a size.

Go for it....

:)

-L

On Wednesday, June 27, 2012 12:29:27 AM UTC-4, The Cripler wrote:

[René Sterental]

If you swapped the handlebars for Bosco or Albatross ones, I bet the length wouldn't be an issue at all. Or, as suggested, go for a shorter stem with the Noodles. 

Seems like a great opportunity, so just ask yourself what will you regret the most in the future... Getting it even I f you need to sell it later due to it's fit or passing on it at that price...

Usually that question makes the answer stand out among all the emotional clutter. 

René 

--
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[tdusky]

At that price you can't go wrong, if it is too big just find someone with a 56 cm frame and do a swap. I owned a 61cm Atlantis for 4 years and it always felt small for me, I found someone on this list with a 64 cm frame who wanted to swap, we did and are both happy.

Tom Dusky

Huntington Woods MI

[dougP]

At that price, my advice is grab it before someone else does.
Replicate your set-up on the LHT (distance to handlebars, seat height
& location) with a different stem, bars, etc. and ride it for a
while. Atlantis' in the middle sizes are a liquid asset, so if you
just can't make it work it'll be an easy trade or sale.

We had a similar situation a couple of years ago. My wife was
perfectly happy with her existing bike when a fellow list member
forwarded a CL listing for a 47 cm Atlantis. She's not a bike geek
but was moderately interested because the price was IIRC $1,300.
After 5 minutes in a parking lot she was so impressed she couldn't dig
her money out fast enough. Some days you get lucky.

As to the braze-ons, I had a local guy add some to mine (can't have
too many places to fasten things) for about $20 each, so that repair
should be fairly modest. A bit of Testors 2135 model paint will touch
up the paint damage well enough.

For a comparative value, see if Riv still has the typical Atlantis
build on the site. A while back it was IIRC $3,700 & this one looks a
fairly standard build. I don't think there's any way to lose on this
one.

dougP

[Greg J]

Wow, you guys are incorrigible.  Let me be the dissenting voice of reason here.  I would hesitate to buy a bike that doesn't fit right --- been there, done that.  While I agree it's a great deal, you just never know what will happen.  Sure, there are folks here who are volunteering to buy this from you if it doesn't work out, but until the money's in your hands, that's no guarantee.  And you need to deal with taking pictures, haggling over prices and parts, packing and shipping, paypal, etc., which all take a lot of time.

I've been down this path before--so sure that it's a great deal that I could flip if things don't work out--only to be stuck with it.

Of course, if I were in your shoes, I might not follow my own prudent advice either.

Greg

[Darin G.]

Get it.  I have a 58 Atlantis.  My wife has a 56 LHT.  My PBH is 87 and I'm equally comfortable, fit wise, on either bike.  I don't think you can lose for 1K.  

D.G.

[Lyle Bogart]

Congratulations! Hope you put many miles on it!

 

lyle

On 28 June 2012 15:01, The Cripler <citrow...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hey everbody! So I pulled the trigger this morning and am now an owner of a Rivendell Atlantis! My wife thanks you...well, those weren't her exact words but...we won't go ther :)

 

I tried to post some pictures earlier of the bike prior to purchase. I seem to be falling victim to the post moderation lag being that I am fairly new here. Anyway, I will post more pictures soon. I don't think fit is going to be a problem on this bike at all. Oh did I mention that the bike came with a Brooks B17 special? Iti is well broken in but doesnt seem to have been tensioned ever...double score....

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[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Obviously it's too late for this guidance, but I owned a 58 Atlantis for several years and it was my main bike. Fit was good. Now I own a 56 Cross-check and a 56 Disc Trucker, both of which also fit well.

[cyclotourist]

EXCELLENT purchase! The flaws you pointed out in the pictures look 100% cosmetic and only give the bike character. I hope you can nail the height and reach on it and it works great for you! You can easily re-sell it here, so other than having some money tied up in it, there's no down-side to it!

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Cheers,
David
Redlands, CA

**
“I believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America that’s the America millions of Americans believe in. That’s the America I love.”

[James Warren]

Cool! I'm glad you got it. It's a great bike, and 700C could be a reason for you to prefer the 58 cm over the 56 cm (unless you absolutely prefer 26 in wheels, as some do.)

 

Anyway, I can answer a question for you. The Atlantis's that came out from 1999 until oh, about 6 years ago did not come standard with mid-fork rack mounts. In 2005 or 2006 or so, the Salukis, and then the AHH's cam along, and these did have the midstay and midfork mounts for the "mini-racks" which fit their country bike designation. It seems that soon after this, the mid-fork and mid-seatstay mounts spread to the stock Atlantis's. So the lack of the midfork mounts on yours dates it, but it is not a flaw.

 

And also, regarding your broken-off rack braze-on on the rear dropout: This means that you have one working pair of fender/rack mounts on the rear dropout as opposed to two. I would like to point out that I've been riding an Atlantis for 10 years, and I have still never used both pairs of these dropout braze-ons at the same time. It helps that I live in a place where it doesn't rain a lot.

 

I hope you get the fit set up right, because if so, you will love the bike.

 

-Jim W.

 

-----Original Message-----
From: The Cripler
Sent: Jun 28, 2012 12:01 PM
To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com

Subject: [RBW] Re: Help! Convince me to buy (or not buy) this Atlantis!

Hey everbody! So I pulled the trigger this morning and am now an owner of a Rivendell Atlantis! My wife thanks you...well, those weren't her exact words but...we won't go ther :)

 

I tried to post some pictures earlier of the bike prior to purchase. I seem to be falling victim to the post moderation lag being that I am fairly new here. Anyway, I will post more pictures soon. I don't think fit is going to be a problem on this bike at all. Oh did I mention that the bike came with a Brooks B17 special? Iti is well broken in but doesnt seem to have been tensioned ever...double score....

 

On Tuesday, June 26, 2012 9:29:27 PM UTC-7, The Cripler wrote:

Ok. So here is the situation. I have been looking for an Atlantis for a while. Well I guess looking isn't the right word. Perhaps "dreaming" is a more appropriate descriptor. To be honest, I haven't really thought that an Atlantis was going to be in my price range at the current moment. Not without selling off a few of the bike I have, and as my wife has learned, selling off bikes isn't a strong point of mine. Anyway, now out of the blue I have stumbled upon an opportunity to purchase a complete Altantis for....wait for it.....$1000. Here are the specs:

Nitto Technomic Stem
Nitto Noodle handlebars with new tape
Front rim: Bontrager 36 spokes
Rear rim: Velocity Synergy 36 spokes
Hubs: Phil Wood hubs
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Plus (basically new)
Sugino XD crankset
Phil Wood BB
Rear derailleur: Shimano Deore XT
Shimano Cantis (couldnt tell what model)
Saddle: Brooks premium leather
SKS fenders

It seems like an amazing price. I have met the guy, he seems like a totally straight up person. Now here is the dilemma. First, the frame is a 58. I have a Surly LHT (which of course I'd sell...maybe) which is a 56cm. Fits me great. My PBH is 83.84, but lets call it 84. According to the sizing charts I've seen Rivendell would put me on a 56-58cm frame. But, this just seems big to me. I know this has been discussed countless time before, but I am really concerned that a 58  would be too big for me to ride comfortably. I took the bike on a test ride, and with the current stem and setup it definitely felt too large. But, I did have a fistful post showing with my legs extended - albeit barely. The other main issue with the bike is that both of the rear rack braze-ons have broken off. As the seller described it, one of the braze-ons was broken off when he purchased the bike, and the other broke off due to the undue stress on a cross country trip. I looked at the damage and it really doesn't seem to be an issue, or to be that diffucult to fix. I have a frame builder in town who would be able to make short work of it...although I'm not sure what it would cost. Finally, the paint has some wear. There are several chips. It actually looks way better than I thought it would considering the price. But, it does have "character". So given what I have laid out...am I an idiot for having second thoughts about jumping on this? If the bike didn't, do you think i would be able to get my money back if I had to sell it? Help a confused brother out here. Thanks All!

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[René Sterental]

I'm pretty sure that I will end up selling my standard Hunqapillar and Atlantis forks once I get the Atlantis back from the painter with its new fork. My forks, being of recent vintage have the full set of braze-ons including the screws on the top of the crown to allow the mounting of a rear rack on the front. They have some expected paint chips in the expected places. The steerer tubes are cut for a 58 Hunqapillar and a 61 Atlantis respectively so I'd imagine you can use them on smaller frames after trimming them appropriately, but I don't know about larger frames.

 

The Atlantis one is Waterford made and the Hunqapillar one is Toyo made, I believe. Am not fully commited to selling them, but cannot see the point of keeping them if I really end up preferring the ride of the bikes with the new forks.

 

If you are going to be interested in acquiring either of them, please contact me off-list and make an offer; I haven't yet decided on a price point but my reference is the amount I paid for the new forks. Orthie251atgmaildotcom.

 

To the OP, congratulations on your new Atlantis!!! Now do something nice for your wife... :-D

 

René

[ted]

Looks like an early Toyo version (cast in cable guide on the bb).
There are some nice touches on those frames. I think that the mid fork
and mid seat stay rack mounts were a later addition to RBWs standard
collection of mounts. If the stand over seems a tad tall try riding in
Keens. Thick soles => more room.

> To view this discussion on the web visithttps://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/bjcZcKVPFaUJ.

[jimD]

Nice Bike! 

Great Deal!

-JimD

On Jun 28, 2012, at 12:42 PM, The Cripler wrote:

Here she is! Now I just need to get off work and take her for a nice long ride. The saddle height is about where I want it...fit doesnt seem as if it should be an issue. I thin if I swap out the 120 stem for the technomic 90 I have laying around, I should be well on my way!

 

 

 

On Tuesday, June 26, 2012 9:29:27 PM UTC-7, The Cripler wrote:

Ok. So here is the situation. I have been looking for an Atlantis for a while. Well I guess looking isn't the right word. Perhaps "dreaming" is a more appropriate descriptor. To be honest, I haven't really thought that an Atlantis was going to be in my price range at the current moment. Not without selling off a few of the bike I have, and as my wife has learned, selling off bikes isn't a strong point of mine. Anyway, now out of the blue I have stumbled upon an opportunity to purchase a complete Altantis for....wait for it.....$1000. Here are the specs:

Nitto Technomic Stem
Nitto Noodle handlebars with new tape
Front rim: Bontrager 36 spokes
Rear rim: Velocity Synergy 36 spokes
Hubs: Phil Wood hubs
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Plus (basically new)
Sugino XD crankset
Phil Wood BB
Rear derailleur: Shimano Deore XT
Shimano Cantis (couldnt tell what model)
Saddle: Brooks premium leather
SKS fenders

It seems like an amazing price. I have met the guy, he seems like a totally straight up person. Now here is the dilemma. First, the frame is a 58. I have a Surly LHT (which of course I'd sell...maybe) which is a 56cm. Fits me great. My PBH is 83.84, but lets call it 84. According to the sizing charts I've seen Rivendell would put me on a 56-58cm frame. But, this just seems big to me. I know this has been discussed countless time before, but I am really concerned that a 58  would be too big for me to ride comfortably. I took the bike on a test ride, and with the current stem and setup it definitely felt too large. But, I did have a fistful post showing with my legs extended - albeit barely. The other main issue with the bike is that both of the rear rack braze-ons have broken off. As the seller described it, one of the braze-ons was broken off when he purchased the bike, and the other broke off due to the undue stress on a cross country trip. I looked at the damage and it really doesn't seem to be an issue, or to be that diffucult to fix. I have a frame builder in town who would be able to make short work of it...although I'm not sure what it would cost. Finally, the paint has some wear. There are several chips. It actually looks way better than I thought it would considering the price. But, it does have "character". So given what I have laid out...am I an idiot for having second thoughts about jumping on this? If the bike didn't, do you think i would be able to get my money back if I had to sell it? Help a confused brother out here. Thanks All!

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[charlie]

Wow ! Looks like a perfect fit if your saddle is that high. The 90mm stem should dial you right in.....and with a little new cloth (maybe green) bar tape you'll be all set.