Anyone ridden both 26"/700c Atlantis'?

[DarinM]

I have a 56cm, 26"-wheeled Toyo Atlantis that I've recently realized is too small for my 89cm PBH body (I know, way off). I've struggled with bike fit all 8-9 of my cycling years and didn't really think the "Riv fit" would work for me when I picked this frame up this summer. More recently, I bought a 61cm Bleriot on the list and it fits like a glove! I'm still happily riding the Atlantis, but can't help but feel like a 61cm frame would be even better.

I really love the Atlantis and have it build up exactly as I like it. I'm quite sure the fit would be an instant improvement but worry that the quickness I like about the smaller wheels would be lost with the 700c wheels. I know their not fashionable and tire options are limited, but I think the small wheels work really well on this bike.

Anyone ridden both wheel sizes and have thoughts on the difference? More likely to find someone who's ridden the 56 and 58, but maybe a 61, too?

Darin

[dougP]

Darin:

I have had a 58 cm / 700c wheeled Atlantis since '03, so that's my baseline.  I've ridden a couple of 56 cm / 26" wheeled & also a 56 cm / 650B wheeled one, and cannot recall any noticeable difference in quickness.  By quickness I assume you are talking about how fast it accelerates. 

My PBH is 85, so I'm in the overlap area between 56 & 58.  FWIW, before the Atlantis I'd had 56, 57, & 58 cm bikes, and got comfortable on all 3 sizes with minor adjustments, mostly stem changes. 

If your Bleriot is a good fit, that's the place to start comparing dimensions.  It's been said "can always make a smaller frame larger with stems & seat height" which may be true to an extent, but being two sizes too small sounds like a lot to correct. 

There's an active market for especially 56, 58 & 61 Atlantis.  Those sizes fit a huge number of riders so there always seems to something for sale. 

dougP

[Lum Gim Fong]

I had a 53 and 55 Bleriot.

The 53 was faster. Less fighting against it than the 55.

Don;t know about Altlantis, and there is no way to compare between the Toyo and Taiwan now.

[Lum Gim Fong]

I am going to also say that, based on what I have read, I am under the impression that 26" will spin up faster than 700c, but 700c is faster over the course of a ride. And that 650b can be fast, but not as fast as 700c (that part is according to Rene Herse bikes in Boulder Colorado).

[nathaniel nichols]

I've ridden that 56cm toyo Atlantis and converted in to 650b for a 300km brevet, it definitely felt faster with 650b, could just have been the faster compass tires though. I remember when I sold the 56 Atlantis I always thought that specific geo was too big for me back then, now I ride a "60cm" Rambouillet, a 60cm BDB Pelican, 59cm Black mountain cycles Road, and a Large Surly KM and couldn't be happier. I have an 86ish PBH

IIRC you now have the same Atlantis I sold to a list member in Portland ? The one from Harris Cyclery with the Bunyan velo sticker? If it goes up on the market I'm semi interested in buying it back. I'm looking for a strong frame to basket up and romp around Oakland and SF for work n other stuff. Lemmy know if that interests you! I'm not in a rush but I did love that bike and spent some pretty memorable tours on it.

Nate

[Eamon Nordquist]

If you look at the geometry charts, Grant does use slightly different geometry for different wheel sizes (especially noticeable is differing HTA and fork rake). I think he tries to tune the handling feel nearly the same regardless of wheel size. Obviously, acceleration might feel different with smaller wheels, but I bet they handle pretty similar otherwise.

Eamon

On Friday, October 26, 2018 at 1:23:32 PM UTC-7, DarinM wrote:

[William!]

I've ridden a 26" Atlantis, and I own a 61cm Toyo Atlantis. I also own a 26" vintage Stumpjumper which was set up similar to the Atlantis. There is a difference in feel, but as others have said it comes down mostly to inherent differences in the wheel size. I agree with others than 700c feels faster rolling on roads, but on rough stuff I like the feeling of being a bit lower. The 26"'ers take pot holes a little harder, but feels more sure footed in other situations.

But IMO, the 650b Atlantis hits the sweet spot.

William

[DarinM]

Thanks everyone for weighing in. I know the geometry is varied to keep the steering characteristics and bottom bracket height similar between the small and large frames, but still was curious if there are any  notable differences in the way they ride, aside from the influences of wheel diameter/weight. I do like the lower feeling that William noted in his comparison, but 700c Atlantii (and all Rivs, really) have pretty low BB's compared to other bikes so that's a plus.

Doug, thanks for the feedback. Pretty sums up what I'm starting to realize. If it was a 58, I probably wouldn't even think about it, but two sizes is hard to ignore. On the other hand, the 61 only has a 2cm longer top tube, the difference is mostly in stack.

Nate, yes this the one! The seller didn't post it on list but it was outed here by another member. Interesting that you remember this feeling large given the bikes you ride now. I kind of have that feeling too. What brakes did you use for the 650b conversion? I'm not interested in selling now but will let you know if that changes.

William, did you own a 26" Atlantis or just ride one? How does your 61 fit you? Did you feel noticeably cramped on the smaller size? It's odd to me that mine doesn't exactly feel small, but maybe part of that could be due to large tires and wide bars. 

Thanks for all the comments everyone. If there are any 61cm Atlantis riders in the Seattle area, I'd love to take yours for a spin. Will buy lunch/beer/etc!

Darin

[nathaniel nichols]

I used those cheap tektro oryx ones, they have a large enough slot to move the pad high enough for 584/650b wheels. it was an experiment so I wanted it to be cheap. and i sold it shortly after I received my boulder bicycles 650b.

Oh yea, I remember exactly how that bike rides. I rode it quite a bit and it was one of my more serious purchases back then, I got it around 2013, it was very influential and still is on every bike build I still ride today

[Drw]

I’ve owned a 700c/29er hunqapillar, 26in Atlantis and 650b Atlantis. I’ll second what a few have said. The main difference lies in the wheel size. 26-faster from stop, slower once going. 29-slower from stop, faster once going. 650b-happy middle (for me at least). The geometry matches and is essentially irrelevant...because it works on each size really well.
That said, I think you’re way too big for a 56cm bike, and moving up a size or several will be much more comfortable. I have an 85-86 pbh and feel like 56cm is on the small side for me.

[William Henderson]

Hi Darin,

I never owned a 26” Atlantis, just ridden one that is similarly setup to mine (noodles roughly even with saddle). I’m sort of in the middle of sizes on the Riv sizing chart (6’, 31” inseam, I forget my pbh), but I feel supremely comfortable on my 61cm and on the smaller bike I did indeed feel cramped. Perhaps that could probably be adjusted for with the right stem and saddle set back. That said, as I graduated to running bigger and bigger tires on my Atlantis, standover became somewhat of an issue for me. It was fine on roads but on rough stuff I often wondered if I should be on a smaller frame. That (and wanting to run even bigger tires without taking off my fenders) was what ultimately motivated me to convert it to 650b. And yes it does now roll just a touch slower on smooth roads. 🙂

William

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