Product placement coup by Riv in Consumer Reports review of Ford Transit Connect van

[eflayer]

http://finance.yahoo.com/video/ford-transit-connect-2014-2015-154141113.html

Could not quite believe I was seeing an Atlantis? with mustache in the back of this van. Am I seeing things?

[Chris Chen]

That's kind of a rivvy kind of auto too. You know, no DVD player and all. :)

On Wed, Nov 26, 2014 at 4:43 PM, eflayer <eddie....@att.net> wrote:

http://finance.yahoo.com/video/ford-transit-connect-2014-2015-154141113.html

Could not quite believe I was seeing an Atlantis? with mustache in the back of this van. Am I seeing things?

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[Deacon Patrick]

Great find! So no one else need endure ads and the first while on the video, attached is the photo (if I have a clue what I'm doing):

With abandon,

Patrick

[Eric Norris]

A Rivendell with V brakes?!

Eric N

www.CampyOnly.com

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Twitter: @CampyOnlyGuy

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<Screen Shot 2014-11-26 at 5.59.47 PM.png>

[Chris Chen]

Curved chainstays too! :)

[Mike Williams]

Whoa!   Weird,  good spot

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 26, 2014, at 4:43 PM, eflayer <eddie....@att.net> wrote:

http://finance.yahoo.com/video/ford-transit-connect-2014-2015-154141113.html

Could not quite believe I was seeing an Atlantis? with mustache in the back of this van. Am I seeing things?

--

[Marcus80]

Not curved chainstays.....crank arm optical illusion.

[BSWP]

Any taller a frame, and it wouldn't fit so neatly up against the ceiling liner.

And yes, many's the Riv, though not Manny's Riv, that have Vee's and Mini-Vee's

- Andrew, Berkeley

[Anne Paulson]

I don't know why they say bikes can't stand up in a minivan.

When I bought our Honda Odyssey, my son was still a stoker kid. We
rode up on the tandem to the dealer for the test drive. The first
thing we did, before the test drive, was try putting the bike in the
van. It fit easily: I could pick up the bike and roll it into the
van. I put that tandem in the car often after we bought the car, when
my son and I would ride somewhere to meet my husband. Later I'd put my
single bike standing up in the van right next to my son's hockey
goalie gear when I took him to hockey practice.

Tandem riders sometimes think of a minivan as a tandem accessory.

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-- Anne Paulson

It isn't a contest. Enjoy the ride.

[Thomas Nezovich]

Look again Marcus:  there is an Atlantis head badge!  I carry my Rivs in a Honda Element in a similar fashion but I remove the front wheel and attach the fork  to a fork holder fastened to a piece of decking board.

I have been considering the Transit Connect for when I need to replace my Element.  I'm encouraged now.

My Atlantis occasionally wears  V brakes but usually Paul cantis.

Tom Nezovich in Cleveland

[Mark Adey]

No, I know it's an Atlantis the curved chain stay is the optical illusion

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[lungimsam]

If I remember right, Tony DeFillipo's Atlantis had curvy chainstays.

[jpp]

Well it makes sense someone at Consumer reports would be into Riv.  Based on quality and durability, etc....

[M D Smith]

I understand that the crank arm adds to the curvy-ness in that shot, but don't all Atlantii have curved chain stays? I remember that being a selling point ("to fit big tires"- remember when that was rare? How far we've come!) when they first started making them.

http://www.cyclofiend.com/rbw/atlantis/atlflyer/06.html

Upper right caption.

I don't own an Atlantis, but I had a talk with GP when he was drawing up my 26" Allrounder. I had requested room for 2 1/2" tires and a 46-42 half step setup. He explained to me (or at least this is how I remember it from 10 yrs ago) that the Atlantii could fit the big tires because of the curved stays, but the curves ate up too much space to fit a 42 middle ring while maintaining a decent chain line. We went with straight, "road dent" stays that allow for decent tire clearance and the half step.

Happy Thanksgiving all! Enjoy your canned fish and I will enjoy my stuffing!

Cheers- Mike in Htfd CT

[Bill Lindsay]

Mike is right.  The Atlantis definitely has curved chainstays.  I don't know if every frame size has them, but at least the 58 and 61 do.  I don't know if they've always been curved, but they do over the last few years at least.  

As the photo Mike links above shows, the chainstays bulge OUT for tire clearance, and what the product placement shot in the Ford video shows, they also bulge IN to provide a bit more crankarm clearance.  True S-bend chainstays.  I've been obsessing over the Atlantis for years.  I don't know for sure if the used 58cm Atlantis I just bought from Gabe will have the S-bend chainstays.  I'll find out soon!

Bill Lindsay

[James Warren]

About the bike standing up in the car with no wheel removal (something I am interested in and struggle with since I ride tall 700C bikes)...

... Do you think that Atlantis in the review is 700C or 26". Because if it is 26", I wonder if someone chose the Atlantis for the review specifically because of the 26" wheels. These do two things:

- Make it easier to stand it up inside the car.

- Give the illusion of the bike looking like a bigger frame than it really is if you subconsciously assume you are looking at a 700C like I tend to do. So you might say, "hey a tall bike can fit in there!" I'll explain below:

I don't know if others have had this happen, but when I see a fully built 56 cm Atlantis in photos without being told the size, I have often instinctively assumed it was a model in the 60's of cm. I think this is because I use the wheels as my reference point for scaling. If the wheels are truly 26", but my brain erroneously assumes they are 700C, then that causes me to perceive the frame as a big one when it is really just a medium. In fact when I look at the Ford review still shot of that Atlantis, I think it does look like a 700C, but I'm not sure; maybe I'm being fooled.

If it is 700C in the review, then dang, that car's roomy, because head tube length indicates it's a 64 cm 700C Atlantis (like mine). But my guess is that it's a 56 cm 26-incher, because I just don't see my big bike fitting on top of those folded up seats. (And for record, I have brought my Atlantis to car dealerships when car-shopping. It's a big factor in the deciding.) 

- Jim W.

On Nov 26, 2014, at 4:43 PM, eflayer wrote:

http://finance.yahoo.com/video/ford-transit-connect-2014-2015-154141113.html

Could not quite believe I was seeing an Atlantis? with mustache in the back of this van. Am I seeing things?

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James Warren

jimcw...@earthlink.net

- 700x55

[Steve Palincsar]

On 11/27/2014 12:00 PM, James Warren wrote:

About the bike standing up in the car with no wheel removal (something I am interested in and struggle with since I ride tall 700C bikes)...

... Do you think that Atlantis in the review is 700C or 26". Because if it is 26", I wonder if someone chose the Atlantis for the review specifically because of the 26" wheels. These do two things:

- Make it easier to stand it up inside the car.

- Give the illusion of the bike looking like a bigger frame than it really is if you subconsciously assume you are looking at a 700C like I tend to do. So you might say, "hey a tall bike can fit in there!" I'll explain below:

I don't know if others have had this happen, but when I see a fully built 56 cm Atlantis in photos without being told the size, I have often instinctively assumed it was a model in the 60's of cm. I think this is because I use the wheels as my reference point for scaling. If the wheels are truly 26", but my brain erroneously assumes they are 700C, then that causes me to perceive the frame as a big one when it is really just a medium. In fact when I look at the Ford review still shot of that Atlantis, I think it does look like a 700C, but I'm not sure; maybe I'm being fooled.

If it is 700C in the review, then dang, that car's roomy, because head tube length indicates it's a 64 cm 700C Atlantis (like mine). But my guess is that it's a 56 cm 26-incher, because I just don't see my big bike fitting on top of those folded up seats. (And for record, I have brought my Atlantis to car dealerships when car-shopping. It's a big factor in the deciding.) 

The Ford Transit Connect isn't really a "car," it's a panel van.

[Garth]

      I remember seeing this somewhat odd review a couple of months ago when researching the van/car and noticed the frame . It's definitely not a large Atlantis frame at all. The van in the vid is the long wheelbase version with 2 rear rows of seats that fold down(seating 7). The seats are not removable though in any way .  In the short WB version(seating 5), it has just one rear row of seats that not only fold down, but up and forward behind the front seats giving you use of the full height of the inside from floor to roof.  I don't think a bike would fit lengthwise however ;( .   So I can't yet think of a way to get the full inside height on the LWB versions.

 The new Transit Connect comes in 2 versions, the commercial panel and a passenger with full windows , even a panoramic roof option (it's awesome !)  It's based on Ford Focus platform, so it's got the body style and capacity of a small van, but the handling of the Focus, albeit one with a higher center of gravity and more curb weight and stronger suspension :)

[Bill]

The Transit Connect Rivendell Edition comes equipped with a twined and shellaced steering wheel and a coffee press built in to the dashboard. Fabric seating panels are made of strips of Newbaums tape sewn together. Schwalbe makes the wide low pressure all season flat-free tires that ride on Velocity rims. Door handles and other hardware is by Nitto. The nine speed automatic transmission is driven by Sugino gears with Silver friction shifters. If you try to put a MCFRB such as a Trekaliziant in the back the secuirty system sounds the alarm.

[Patrick Moore]

This is my kind of vehicle. F**** the amenities -- power sliding doors, entertainment systems, etc. I want a workman's van with a removable rear bench seat, rubber mats, wind-up windows, AM radio -- or, better, none. Save the electronics for the ignition and engine management systems. I want to be able to hose it out, or use a leaf blower (as I did in my former '90 Plymouth Voyager, where I had stripped out all the carpeting, the 3d row of seats, the A/C and so forth.

Like that, the Transit would be as close as a modern vehicle can come to my regrettably sold Acadiane which could carry at least 3 bikes upright with front wheels (medium sizes) and even a full assembled British Racing Trike in 58 c-c. 

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[Lynne Fitz]

my now-gone Dodge Caravan had a long life as a kid hauler (ours, scouts, soccer...), and then morphed into its second life as a bike hauler. It had the captain's chairs in the middle row (so small children couldn't poke easily at each other), and the back bench seat became a permanent addition to our garage.

While it mostly hauled single bikes, fully assembled, plus stuff for a week's supported tour for three people and their bikes, the Cannondale tandem ("Clifford") was often in residence. Once we hauled two tandems and four people, but the second tandem had S&S couplers.

If it hadn't been getting more and more expensive to maintain, I'd still have it.

I have since moved on to a Honda Element, purchased SPECFICALLY for its bicycle carrying capacity. I can fit two people and their bikes, with the rear seat folded up, or three people and three bikes (granted, we are all not very tall), with a wheel or two removed.

RivContent: I have many pictures of my Riv in the Caravan.

[Matthew J]

I do not know about the review, but can say ~58cm bikes (both customs so not exactly standard 58) 700c with fairly large tires can be transported upright in the commercial version of the Transit.

The advantage of using Carshare program over car ownership is I can select from a number of vehicles, including the Transit depending on my needs.  I moved my bikes up to my father's home for a few weeks last summer while I stayed there to assist with some mobility upgrades to his house.  Was able to move the bikes standing up no problem.

[Garth]

Just for clarification Mathew, there is the Transit Connect, which for 2014 is completely new(based on Focus platform), completely unrelated to the prior TC vans .  These both are compact vans.

Then there is the new for 2015 Transit full size van, called the T-Series which replaces the E series full size vans. These may or may not be in use yet, I'm not positive but I'm sure there are some already rolling.

So when you say "Transit" van, I''m unsure which you mean, the full size of compact, and if compact , which version(year) ?

 Yes, Ford could have chosen another name for one or the other to prevent any confusion , coulda woulda mighta but didn't . . .  lol.  :)

[Montclair BobbyB]

Hah... Eddie Bauer move over!! I'm on my second Honda Element, holding out hope that Honda will bring the Element back to market... But in the mean time I have been carefully watching the Transit for the past few years. If Ford ever decides to go after the outdoor/adventurer market (and not limit their sights on just the commercial or family segments), there's so much potential with the Transit platform. Someone soon will make a big splash and introduce a really cool conversion of this. BB

[Matthew J]

So when you say "Transit" van, I''m unsure which you mean, the full size of compact, and if compact , which version(year) ?

Consider me confused ;O.  

The cars share Transits are definitely the original version.  Did not realize Ford had redesigned.  So maybe my big tire 58s will not stand  in the new.

[stevef]

I took a pretty hard look at the commercial (no back seats) version of this for bike hauling duties last spring.  It's a really practical package for such things.  But it was terribly noisy with that big, unfinished box right behind you, and not very comfortable or luxurious.  I'm approaching retirement and I want my next vehicle (which may well be my last new vehicle) to be both a good bike hauler and luxurious and comfortable and, well, nice.  So I decided to pass on the Transit Connect Van in favor of a 2015 luxed-up GMC Canyon with a camper shell.  It's a bit more money and not quite as economical but I sure like the ones I've test driven!

...Tom, the guy in this CR video review is a cyclist for sure.  He's mentioned mountain biking several times in other videos, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if that Atlantis were his...

Steve Frederick, East Lansing, MI