Question on Atlantis and Appaloosa Sizing

[Jay K]

Hey all, I'm deciding between the 55 and 59cm Atlantis and 57cm Appaloosa frames, and am interested in your sizing experiences.

My PBH is 89.5cm which is on the border between the Atlantis 55cm and 59cm recommended ranges, and in the middle of the 57cm Appaloosa range.

My hesitations are that the 59cm Atlantis frame has a 88cm standover, which might be too large for trail riding and limit handlebar choice, whereas the 55cm might be too small.

I'm also considering a 57cm Appaloosa, as I feel that would fit me better, and give more standover clearance. However, I didn't love either of the current colors and I'm waiting to see what colors come out in 2027.

Adding to this confusion is that when I see builds with the Atlantis/Appaloosa, it seems like people will intentionally undersize the frames with a ton of seat post showing. These include the sample builds on the Riv website.

I'm curious if any of you have been in a similar position, what you did, and how that turned out for you?

Other context that might be relevant, I prefer sweptback bars, (e.g., Billie, Albatross), but would like to have the flexibility to try out Bosco bars + Noodles.

For reference, I currently ride a 58cm 1983 Bianchi Randonneur with a standover of a 84cm, and top tube of 58cm, and that feels pretty comfortable with a 100cm stem and Albatross Bars.

[J]

The sample builds on the site are not undersized. They leave the seat post and stem at the highest setting so to not put scratches on them before the customer takes receipt of the bike. I'm 6'2" with a 90cm PBH. I had a double top tube 60 Sam H. and a double top tube 58 Appaloosa but could have ridden a 62. I'd never consider a size 55 unless Rivs sizing has dramatically changed in the last 5 years.

[Dan]

I have more or less the same PBH as you and the 57cm Appaloosa is perfect. The fit is great and I have what I consider an aesthetically pleasing amount of seat post showing. Standover is just enough for trail riding. It's close, but fine for me, and I wouldn't want it any higher. Remember that this is a touring bike that can go on singletrack and you'll be in the right frame of mind for the riding the bike can do. In other words, it can go anywhere, just don't be silly.

Colours for the next batch (late next year) are Periwinkle and General Use Green:

https://www.rivbike.com/pages/production-schedule-how-do-i-get-one

[AppaLanta]

Hi Jay, I have a 88cm PBH (and typical leg/torso proportions) and the 57cm 2024 Appaloosa fits me perfectly, on 48mm tires. I run a Nitto Choco-Moose bar (which I think has an effective ~120mm extension) and the reach is right, with easy use of all parts of the handlebar. Any larger tires or larger frame and I might bottom out on the top tube, or need a shorter stem… Hope that helps. What color Appa are you looking for?

[der_amerikanische_freund]

I have a 88.5cm PBH and am 185cm tall (6'1" according to Google) and ride a 55cm 2025 Atlantis. Like you, I spent a lot of time deciding between a 59cm Atlantis and 57cm Appaloosa. Like you, I also didn't like the Appaloosa colorways for that year. Also, for the type of riding I do (off-road) and almost maxed out tire size, the 55cm Atlantis seemed the more obvious choice.  In fact, looking at the geo chart, my PBH falls right in the middle of the recommended one for the 55cm Atlantis so I guess that is a confirmation that the sizing is right. I even asked Will about it and he kindly replied the following:

"The answer is: get a 55cm Atlantis. Between the bars you like and our generously long quill stems, it'll be a cinch to get the bars level with the saddle and that way you can have some standover too. You'll be showing some seatpost, but that's good on the six degree upsloping bikes. The old fist-full of post thing works on level top tube bikes, but on the current geometries it just looks too big. f that visually looks like too much to you, you can wait for a 57cm Appaloosa, but I think you'll appreciate the standover the of the 55cm Atlantis.

Also to clarify: The 59cm has enough standover for you on level ground, but if you're on trail-y terrain headed up hill, it might get uncomfortably tight. That's fine for road bikes, but it's no fun on trail bikes."

A 59cm Atlantis would have been too big for the kind of riding I do, mainly off-road. Actually, I'm really happy with the standover my 55cm Atlantis provides as I end up dismounting a lot either due to rough terrain or impossible climbs or a combination of the two. So a 59cm Atlantis would not have been a suitable candidate for me.

However I often wonder if a 57cm Appaloosa would have been a better fit as I sometimes feel like I need a bit extra reach. I run a 120 stem and Ortho bars, which sweep back a lot. I'd like to try a 130mm stem but can't find any at the moment.  However I'm also not sure the Ortho bars are that ideal and there are other upright bars with less sweep which would make up for that lack of reach.

In terms of amount of seat post showing on my 55cm Atlantis please take a look at the photo below:

A 57cm Appaloosa would have meant less seat post showing which most of us associate with a more aesthetically pleasing setup, however I don't think mine looks too bad either, as Will suggests in his message. Also, this blog post from the 2022 pre-sale shows Grant's own Atlantis, and it literally says:

"Here's Grant's 55cm with the saddle height set at 77cm.  If you have an 88cm PBH, this is how much seatpost you'll be showing on a 55cm frame."

So if it's good enough for Grant, it surely is good enough for me.

I hope this helps although I don't have a definite answer.

[Dave White]

I'm 5'8" with a 85.25 PBH (longer legs/shorter torso), so on the sizing chart I'm pretty well in between the 53 and 55 Atlantis (breaks at 85.5), and the 54 Appaloosa would seem to be a better fit (84-88). But after going to Rivendell and riding a 51 and 54 Appaloosa (there was no Atlantis to ride) I ended up buying a 51 actually. But my plan was to ride bigger tires, and to ride the bike a fair amount off-road. With the 54 the stand-over would be a problem with bigger tires I think. My bike is setup with barely swept back mountain bike type bars and a100mm stem, I think with bars like an Albatross it would feel too cramped. So for me I if I wanted more of a road oriented bike with swept back bars the 54 would be good, for a trail bike the 51feels great. The 53 Atlantis might've been even better, but on the specs sheet they look really close (and I actually preferred the Lime Olive, and I could have it immediately).

[Dan]

I think that your Atlantis looks perfect! 

[Nick A.]

Hey there!

I'm 6"3 with a ~92cm+ pbh, and am perfectly happy on my '22 59cm Atlantis. That said, it is a  huge bike. But, being a huge dude, it worked out. I talked with Vince back when I was trying to figure out best sizing, and for my height the 55 ended up looking pretty wacky (He was nice enough to mock one up and send pics). The above image looks like a fantastic setup imo.

Hope you find your dream size!

Nick in Falls Church VA

[Josh C]

I agree. 6'2" & 93 PBH on a 59 Atlantis, and it's a big bike. I've got a stubby stem and not a ton of post sticking out. That said, I think with an 89 PBH you'd be fine, depending on the setup, but a 57 might fit you better if you want it set up as a drop-bar bike.