I got a MIT Atlantis

[Joe Bernard]

...from James and Candice at Analog Cycles, and it's cool as a cool thing!

53cm 650B

WI Mi5 rear hub, Schmidt SON dyno front, Cliffhanger rims with excellent black spokes and gold nipples, Paul gold with black center skewers, Simworks Homage tires.

Sugino cranks, XT and CX70 derailers, 12-36 9 Shimano cassette, Whipperman nickel chain.

Analog (w)Right O° stem, Nitto RM-3 bar, Cane Creek levers, Shimano 9-speed bar-ends on IRD mounts, cool black and gold Bombshell v-brakes, stock Riv (can't remember) post, ti B17.

Simworks by Honjo fenders, Nitto Mark's and R14 (?) racks, black. Herrmans headlight, B&M Secula taillight, both wired to the hub.

It looks weirdly different from how I picture an Atlantis should look, and I dig the weirdness. Rides like a Riv, they all ride amazing: That thing where there's no acclimation, you just pedal and go.

The cockpit is *definitely* weird and threw me off at first, but it was crazy comfortable on my first shortish ride. I need to drop the bars a smidge tomorrow, which is complicated by the wedge bolt being under the bars. Not awesome during the "make adjustments to the riding position" period of new bike ownership, but that's the only time it matters.

I've always wanted an Atlantis and have gone through just about every other Riv to get here. I like it!

Joe Bernard
Marin County CA.

[RDS]

Beautiful bike.  Thanks for all the info that you have provided me in email exchanges as it is so helpful.

[Patrick Moore]

Congrats. This is one of the new long wheelbase ones, right? I'll be interested to see what the final build and setup looks like.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique

[Joe Bernard]

Yes, long wheelbase. As the Riv copy states, it's pretty much the same bike as Appaloosa.

[Brett Callahan]

Joe, it's a beauty. I dig the mix of black and silver used in the build. I have the same fenders in silver on another bike and like them a lot. They look terrific with those tires and wheels. Let us know how you like that stem after you've put a few miles on it, please. Enjoy it!

Brett, pdx

[Mark Schneider]

Nice Joe, I really like the look of the build, will be interested in hearing your detailed review. 

Have fun

Mark

[REC (Roberta)]

Both unusual (the cockpit, now that I know what that group is called) and beautiful and the same time.  I hope you love it for a long while. 

My first ride on James' $4500 MUSA Atlantis 2 1/2  years ago was what let me know that a Rivendell is for me.  It's a great ride.

Roberta

On Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at 3:56:00 AM UTC-4, Joe Bernard wrote:

[Joe Bernard]

Thanks, Brett. The black/silver mix is a slightly unintentional surprise that came as a result of buying the bike as a built demo, then having them remove stuff I was replacing with my own parts. It originally had an all-black rear derailer and mostly-black, (gold pins) chain.

Now that I'm looking at the black/silver derailers and levers, and silver post and chain, I'm thinking my silver 50.4 V-O cranks (46-30) may look great here. I was sure it needed black cranks, but maybe not so much. Time to get to work, then get riding!

[Joe Bernard]

Shiny cranks with yellow-kinda- gold inlays, brass bell added, I think both pick up the other gold bits quite well. That fd needs to move up a bit.

I don't know why - I called it this on the first Instagram pic I saw - but this bike has a "Jeep Bike" vibe to me. I dig it!

[Todd Porter]

I love the look of that bike. Will be curious to see how you get on with those bars after the initial adjustment phase. I've always been curious about the really flared dirt drops, but not quite enough to give it a go. I think i may be past the drop bar days of my riding. Currently very happy with albas and billies on my two main bikes.

[Joe Bernard]

It'll be interesting to see, Todd. I spent most of my riding time fiddling today so only got another short "hard to say" pedal in, but the position on the hoods feels good so far. There's lots of surface area to rest on and the levers are super easy to reach and operate. I'm not much of a dropbar guy, either, so it's a bit of a surprise to me.

Hmm, nix on the silver with yellow. I just compared pics and the black cranks look MUCH better. Back to wrenching!

[Todd Porter]

Those new bike adjustment periods can be equal parts exciting and frustrating. I've had my Homer a little over a month now and was making a minor adjustment on the way home from work yesterday. Great riding bike though. Hope the bars work out, cause they look super cool.

[dougP]

"Hmm, nix on the silver with yellow."

The yellow is distracting, even in a small pic.  Plain silver would look great, and compliment the black components.  The black racks look understated & don't call attention to themselves.  It makes the whole bike look more muted & serious.  This is one of the more interesting Atlantis builds I've seen. 

dougP

[Joe Bernard]

Good point, Doug, I have a couple all-silver cranks on other bikes. I may do some swapping around among silvers cuz I'd like to use the black one on my Seven.

[Doug Van Cleve]

Silver cranks w/ black chainrings (or at least the outer) might look nice...

Doug

On Wed, Mar 27, 2019 at 7:25 PM Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:

Good point, Doug, I have a couple all-silver cranks on other bikes. I may do some swapping around among silvers cuz I'd like to use the black one on my Seven.

[Joe Bernard]

I'm back to the black Suginos for now. They fit, look nice, and I need to stop fiddling and ride the dang thing!

[Philip Williamson]

Congratulations, Joe!

My eyebrows literally kept going up as I read the build list. Great looking bike. 

As far as the stem adjustment, just drill a hole straight down through the stem and bars so you can access the bolt. You might need to slot the bars top and bottom to allow for 'roll.' What could go wrong? 

Philip

Santa Rosa, CA 

[Joe Bernard]

Hehe, what could go wrong is taking metal out of the clamp area and snapping the bars in half. This would probably be bad!

[Deacon Patrick]

Wow!

With abandon,
Patrick

[Ash]

What an eclectic build!  Never seen an Atlantis like this before.

The cockpit is weird, but seems very functional.   Which pedal is that?

Hope this bike stays weird!  

PS: I've got a black Shimano seat post if you'd like to go all black..

[Jonathan D.]

I really would love a ride report of the stem. The build looks great and thanks for sharing.

[Joe Bernard]

Hi Ash, isn't it cool?!

No decent ride report yet, my schedule filled up with all the things today.

Pedals are Deity Black Kat, they're huge!

Is your black post 26.8?

[Jesse]

Hey Joe. I'm a big fan of Analog's Riv builds. Yours is particularly nice.

Did you consider the Salsa Cowchipper at all? How do you like the drop position on the RM-3? 

I used to ride Midge bars and didn't care for the hooks being at an angle greater than, say, 20 degrees downward; then at which point rendered the hoods position mostly useless. With this style bar, it really seems like optimal lever set-up for hoods-centric use comes at the expense of access to the levers in the drops position, and vice versa. 

I think most dirt drops were designed to be run with the drop position as primary, so with low levers. Like how Matt Chester prescribed. Ran my Midges as per his suggestions and loved it, but did miss the hoods position, for which I kind of subbed the tops, which was fine, but not as ergonomically correct.

[DHans]

Joe, that is freaking awesome! The black looks so good with the frame color. The flared handlebars look cool too.

Doug

On Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at 3:56:00 AM UTC-4, Joe Bernard wrote:

[rab...@gmail.com]

Joe, that is greatness. A true  beauty

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

--

[Joe Bernard]

Jesse, with the caveat that I've hardly ridden the thing at all yet so (leaving shortly to fix this today):

The bike came to me set up this way, it was Candice's ride, we're about the same height. My impression is the cockpit was arranged to be ridden mostly on the tops with full access to hoods, braking and shifting from there. It's very unusual and I never would have thought of it myself, but I'm a hoods rider myself so I was really drawn to the idea. There's virtually no access to the brakes from the drops, that seems to be a position solely for getting down out of the wind and cranking on the pedals. I think of it like the P Touring bars on Bromptons where all the controls are up top and you have an "aero" bailout down low. This of course could be changed by simply rotating the drops down, but I don't think Candice designed it for that and I'm not interested, either.

I'll report back after I've actually ridden long enough to get sore and tired, and give feedback on the bar situation then.

[Joe Bernard]

DHans and Roberto: Thanks, I dig it!

[Joe Bernard]

Update after actual semi-decent time in the saddle: It's awesome!

The bars set dead level didn't work, they're in a more common dropbar position now and it felt great. My hands are a little sore, but I haven't been riding much and this is new, so that's going to happen no matter what.

The 0° stem has a bit of tiller effect at walking speed when gripping the flats, no doubt exacerbated by the front rack and bag. It was invisible after a half hour though, and not there at all at speed.

Wow I'm REALLY not into front derailers anymore. This will eventually be a 1x with a wide range cassette.

An older (my age) fellow at the post office seemed ready to buy this exact one on the spot. He wasn't a cyclist, but he moved from the paint to the gold bits to the dynohub like he'd just discovered beautiful bicycles for the first time. That was fun!

[Joe Bernard]

Pics from today, fully bebagged.

[esoterica etc]

Hey Joe,

Glad to hear the shakedown ride went so well, and that you’re really enjoying the new wheels! I love my new-to-me Atlantis, but I’m in the process of figuring out a new drop bar cockpit (current is with Bosco bars on a 110mm stem), and because of the long top tube, I’ll need a pretty short stem too. I don’t think I’ll go 0mm stem, but am looking at a 30 or 50mm stem. The ultra-short reach stem goes against everything my brain says should work, so it’s encouraging to hear that your experience is so positive after a quick initial adjustment. Did you find that the handling with the short stem was the same with or without a load on the front?

~Mark

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> <IMG_20190329_142806.jpg>
> <IMG_20190329_142820.jpg>

[Joe Bernard]

Hi Mark,

Yes the handling is the same, there's hardly any weight in the bag. The 'walking speed tiller effect' is quite minimal, and possibly a result of the tire and slack angle as much as the stem. It's not there at all with hands forward where a short-reach stem clamp would be.

[Ash]

HI Joe,

Yes, it is 26.8 - I had used this with my MIT Atlantis frame for that blacked out build.

[jandrews]

Hey Joe
Congrats on the Atlantis
Regarding those bars, from my limited research, I seem to recall there being two versions in terms of sizing and it’s a bit misleading how wide they really are.
Can you give a sense of how wide these are at the drops and at the ends?
Can you compare to, say a 46 noodle?
Thinking of getting a 25.4 clamp version of this on a very short stem for my new Appaloosa build
Thanks

[Joe Bernard]

Jandrews: I get 46cm C-to-C at the midpoint of the curves, 60cm end-to-end.

I had a 46cm Noodle years ago which felt WIIIIDE for my short arms, this bar is nothing like that. You'll get the width in the drops - which I understand is where most folks ride these - but the inward angle is a markedly different sensation. Up top is reminiscent of a Nitto Randonneur bar I had: the flats/hoods situation feels narrow compared to the flared part.

The end result is if you're into 46 Noodles this will feel like a narrower bar, especially on the hoods.

[Joe Bernard]

Bars back up and level where Candice had them. Because she obviously knew what she was doing and I tried to "fix" it! The bar/levers is getting more comfortable, and I love the shifter location, but two things gotta go: The shellacked hard-as-rock tape that cuts right through my gloves, and that dang front shifter. I think I'm going to try the wide-range 1x Microshift Advent cassette/derailer..it'll be a step down in parts, but I've lost all interest in moving chains and derailers around up front.

Great bike!

[Ed Fausto]

Hi Joe,  how do you find the fender installed rear light?  Where did you mount the headlight?

[Joe Bernard]

Ed,

I love the fender light. I'm kinda surprised how much I like having dyno lights front and back; I rarely ride at night (the bike came like this) but it's been cloudy here, and I've quickly warmed up to the idea that daytime running lights are a good thing to have.

Here's a pic of the headlight, it's mounted to a Nitto Lampholder on a strut.

On Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 6:46:49 PM UTC-7, ed wrote:
> Hi Joe,  how do you find the fender installed rear light?  Where did you mount the headlight?
>
>
> On Wed, Apr 3, 2019 at 8:54 AM Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Bars back up and level where Candice had them. Because she obviously knew what she was doing and I tried to "fix" it! The bar/levers is getting more comfortable, and I love the shifter location, but two things gotta go: The shellacked hard-as-rock tape that cuts right through my gloves, and that dang front shifter. I think I'm going to try the wide-range 1x Microshift Advent cassette/derailer..it'll be a step down in parts, but I've lost all interest in moving chains and derailers around up front.
>
>
>
> Great bike!
>
>
>
> On Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 11:40:40 AM UTC-7, Joe Bernard wrote:
>
> > Jandrews: I get 46cm C-to-C at the midpoint of the curves, 60cm end-to-end.
>
> >
>
> > I had a 46cm Noodle years ago which felt WIIIIDE for my short arms, this bar is nothing like that. You'll get the width in the drops - which I understand is where most folks ride these - but the inward angle is a markedly different sensation. Up top is reminiscent of a Nitto Randonneur bar I had: the flats/hoods situation feels narrow compared to the flared part.
>
> >
>
> > The end result is if you're into 46 Noodles this will feel like a narrower bar, especially on the hoods.
>
>
>
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[Ed Fausto]

Thanks Joe for the feedback on the fender light.

I assume that its a B&M.

I recently removed my rear rack on my Hunqapillar and replaced it with my Carradice Original Bagman Support - Expedition.

This resulted to loosing my Dyno B&M Rack-mount (https://www.rivbike.com/collections/lights/products/dyno-rack-light).

At the same time the Carradice Bagman will not allow me to move my rear light to my saddle so

the only solution is to purchase a fender mounted Dyno rear light.

Thanks again.

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[Joe Bernard]

Yes, B&M Secula.

[Ed Fausto]

If I keep on looking at your MIT Atlantis, I may end up buying a size 50 Atlantis instead of my planned small GWB :-)

Nice bike :-)

On Wed, Apr 3, 2019 at 11:37 AM Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes, B&M Secula.

[Joe Bernard]

Get the Atlantis now and GBW later! 😉

Personally I think the Atlantis looks better, but I didn't buy it for GBW-ish riding, either..it's mostly going to see road duty. If you want those newfangled "plus" tires for the dirt, Gus'll do ya.

[Joe Bernard]

Shoot, I don't think the Microshift idea is going to work. I assumed it would work with the Shimano 9-speed bar-end, but the Advent copy says I'd need an Advent shifter. No go!

[Joe Bernard]

New plan. It looks less wild (and more silver) now, but I gave in to the more familiar and comfy for my wrists V-O Milan cockpit with Ergon grips. That motorcycle-style position just works for me..I feel more in control. I'm going to pop the flared drops on my XO-1 and hit the trails they were designed for.

[sameness]

My favorite iteration. Looks like it was born that way.

Jeff Hagedorn
Los Angeles, CA USA

[Joe Bernard]

Thanks, Jeff! Yeah I think it looks better, and it sure feels better. On today's ride I was able to focus on the rest of the bike because I wasn't concentrating on finding comfortable hand positions. I'm a hoods rider and the RM-3 is clearly designed to be ridden in the drops.

[Ash]

Certain alt bars essentially offer an enhanced (more comfortable/ergonomic) hood position :)

[Hetchins52]

Looks great with the new stem and bars and glad to hear that they are more comfortable!

I always find raw steel stems to be jarring to look at. Kinda fingernails-on-a-blackboard.

And, I can't help but think, 'Rust Never Sleeps!"

David Lipsky 

Berkeley

[Joe Bernard]

It's better to burn out than it is to rust!

[Todd Porter]

I agree with Ash's take. I have billie bars on my Homer, and the position just in front of the brake levers feels like holding the bars just behind the hoods on drops-which is mostly where i kept my hands when i rode drops; however, if i want to sit up more, holding the grips is way more comfortable than the flats on drop bars. Back to the main topic, Joe's new bars look quite comfortable. Rivs do look great with a wide variety of bars.

[Ash]

Around where I live and the roads/trails I ride on, only once in several days do I see someone actually using the drops.  They all mostly use hoods, corners or the flats.  Many alt bars offer equivalent of those 3 positions, plus the upright position when I want to take it easy, see the world around and cruise.

[James / Analog Cycles]

It'll work if you friction shift it.  -james

[James / Analog Cycles]

Rust is a scab on steel.  With high quality steel, you'd have to really work at it to rust it out.  This stem has been treated with Ospho, and that neutralizes the rust.  Sure, in 100 years, it might be an issue.  But the tubing is 2mm thick, it's not going anywhere any time soon.  People ride scratched steel frames with tubes that are .5mm thick, and they're generally fine for years.  

New iterations of the stem will be black cerakoted or clear cerakoted.  Working on that now.  -james

[Joe Bernard]

"It'll work if you friction shift it."

True, and I'm already there. I swapped that cockpit out and ended up with an old 7-speed Suntour thumbie set to friction cuz that's what I had around. Turns out it shifts better than the 9-speed in index so I'm good to go!

[Joe Bernard]

Today's version. Jones Loop 710 I got in a trade and hoo boy does it feel nice on this frame. This is a test run with a threadless stem and quill adapter I had lying around, I'll be swapping a black V-O 31.8 stem and black seatpost (thanks Ash!) to finish the blackout treatment.

I ditched the big ring and fd, still gotta pull the left shifter
and add long Jones grips.

Observe my shiny new Sackville BaggaBond full o' groceries. As much as I love buying/selling/trading, this really is all the bike you need. As Bill says, it's perfect!

I ditched a chain

[Joe Bernard]

Oops, editing fail.

[Chris L]

The long Jones grips really make an already awesome bar even better.  I haven't used the black grips but the clear ones can get pretty slick when they are wet.  Something to keep in mind if this is an all-weather bike. 

[Joe Bernard]

Yes, I noticed it on the clear ones I had, but I'm not much of a rain rider. I ordered black this time because the clear looks terrible on black bars.

[Ash]

Joe, thanks for posting the pictures.  

It is fun to see the evolution of this bike.  It is a true sport utility vehicle!

I think it is a very practical drive train.  Right size chainring.  That RD is fantastic.  Had it on my 51cm Appa.

Question - what do you mean by ditched a chain?

[Joe Bernard]

Oh, "ditched a chain" was my editing mistake, it was going to be "ditched a chainring" which turned into a different sentence in the post. Somehow the original attempt ended up at the bottom 🤦

The gearing makes great sense for my generally hilly area. The loop I rode today (and most days) had plenty of range for up and flat, and I just coasted at my normal coasting point on the descents. I used to "pedal through" more on downhills and needed the big ring, but riding singlespeeds killed that habit. If I need to go faster than the bike is rolling down the hill, well..why do I need that?!

[Joe Bernard]

The blackout is complete. Origin8 stem (I wimped out on the V-O over fear the length wouldn't work out after spending all that cash), Ritchey post, Paul Chainkeeper and Jones grips. Next is a Microshift wide range 1x drivetrain, but it'll look the same as this and I've posted enough photos. Best bike I've ever owned!

[REC (Roberta)]

Joe,

It's a great looking and great bike.  I'm surprised how much I like the black fenders--very understated.  One of the first bikes I tested was James's MUSA Atlantis and just LOVED it.  It was the bike to convince me to buy a Rivendell. 

Enjoy for  years!  And, should you ever want to get rid of it, years down the way, this is my size.  :)  I hope though that you'll retire with the bike.

Roberta

[Joe Bernard]

Thanks Roberta, I'll give you a call when I sell in 2025! 😁

The black fenders and racks were a surprise to me, too. It's a motif which has spread throughout the bike now, but I wouldn't have thought of it myself. James and Candice have excellent taste 👍

[Ash]

Hiey Joe,

I've been enjoying following the evolution of your Atlantis.  Keep those pictures coming!

That loop bag is so perfect for nuts/candies/blueberries/snack bar/or any stuff one keeps reaching for on a cruise.

[Joe Bernard]

I love the bag. I keep all the permanents - tools, patch kit, mini pump, tube - in the front Trunksack and use the Jones bag for phone, wallet, readers, keys and snacks. It's super handy, plus I love the bars.

[Tim Baldwin]

Will the Microshift drivetrain give you a black cassette and chain? Then you could have a sweet stealth drive train.

[Joseph Bernard]

Almost. The cassette and derailer will be black, but I'm running a shiny new nickel Wipperman Connex chain so it'll be a good while before I can pop a black one in there. It was supposed to look good with the silver/black XT derailer..oops! 😁

On Wed, Apr 17, 2019, 8:29 AM Tim Baldwin <tbald...@gmail.com> wrote:

Will the Microshift drivetrain give you a black cassette and chain? Then you could have a sweet stealth drive train.

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[Tim Baldwin]

Close enough! That's too nice of a chain to toss for color coordinatation.

[Joe Bernard]

New pics! I wanted to show something that may be obvious to other Sackville users, but was news to me. I had the BaggaBond snugged up tight against the saddle and seatpost, which had the dual effects of some leg rub and the capacity being a bit squished into the available space.

Then it dawned me..Hey! I don't have to do that! I stretched the saddle and post straps out to the last hole at the buckle, which moved the bag back, then used some velcro straps from Roadrunner bags on the bottom of THIS bag (zip-ties work, too) to strap it down to the rack. They're not super-tight to the rack, Grant is right that the need to stabilize saddlebags is largely overrated: It's either empty and sways a bit, or full o' stuff and pressing down on the rack. Great bag!

[Ed Fausto]

Good feedback!  Will try with my medium size which is challenge to use because of my small size Riv frames.

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[Philip Williamson]

Cerakote. Hashtag #hundredbucks.
Agree on the friction, agree on the #dontworryaboutit.

Philip
Santa Rosa, CA

[Joe Bernard]

Microshift Advent rd and 9-speed 11-42 cassette. The shifter showed up broken so it's on the way back, I'm faking it with an old Suntour thumbie in friction at the moment. The lever throw with this derailer is long so I'm getting 8-of-9..close enough 'til the indexer gets here.

[dougP]

Whooee, that's one big cog!  What front ring are you using?  I'm loving the evolution of this bike.  Thanks, Joe, for keeping us updated. 

dougP

[Ed Fausto]

Same question, how many teeth is your front Sugino ring?

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[Joe Bernard]

Front is currently 34t, which the big rear cog has now rendered rather silly for road riding. I'm going to try a 36.