CYCLE SENSE ROAD TEST: The Rivendell Atlantis Unparalleled beauty, and as rugged and versatile as it gets. by John Schubert In the last few years, a selection of rugged-and-reliable touring bikes has graced these pages. Many more such bikes are available but not (yet) reviewed here. Usually, small nuances separate these bikes from one another. In the case of today’s bike, the Rivendell Atlantis, that’s true of the function part. The Atlantis is a tough-as-nails go-anywhere bike which, by dint of its ability to mount very wide tires, joins the few bikes at the top of the list in versatility and ruggedness. In personality, though, the Atlantis stands apart in a most delight- ful way. It combines sensible, rugged current-production components with a lugged steel frame far prettier than any other you’ll find at twice the price. Every functional nuance of the frame has been well thought out, and three of the frame’s tubes were custom designed for the Atlantis. The ornate lugwork is highlighted by contrast- color paint panels, and if you buy the complete bike from Rivendell, you’ll get the similarly dressy Nitto handlebars and lugged steel handlebar stem. Rivendell likes to send these bikes out with brown cloth handlebar tape, secured at the center of the handlebars
with twine wrap and coated with shel- ULERY KREG BY ALL PLHOTOS lac. I recommend this highly. The shel- lac tape looks great and feels great. Three of the frame tubes used in the Atlantis were custom designed for Rivendell. These frames take about 20 hours of hand labor, many times longer than it takes to make a lugless the rarely seen 68 cm (26.8 inches). If you’re 6 feet 6 inches or so, TIG-welded frame. and in need of a good bike, your search is over. About 400 Atlantis frames are made each year by Toyo, a 10- So far, these are nice-but-believable facts. But the concept of person framebuilding shop in Osaka, Japan. (Osaka is the center custom tubing for such a small production run of frames is almost of Japan’s bike industry.) The average Toyo employee has worked unheard of. It also contributes substantially to the bike’s aesthet- there about 16 years, long enough to remember when the Atlantis ics and function. If you think this sounds like a lot of goings-on to wasn’t the only lugged frame they made. build a $2,250 bike (or a $950 frameset), I’m with you. Good-looking frames from small-production shops aren’t The custom tube list begins with the chainstays. I seldom unheard of. The overseas origin allows Rivendell to sell the labor- give chainstays a second glance on most bikes. But when seen at intensive lugwork at a price less than half of what U.S. builders just the right angle, the Atlantis chainstays’ sinewy S-shaped bend charge for such work. And the Atlantis comes in no fewer than is wonderfully artistic. It also has numerous functional benefits. eight frame sizes, ranging from the svelte 47 cm (18.5 inches) to Chainstays have to clear the small chainwheel, the crank arm, the
34 ADVENTURE CYCLIST AUGUST 2002 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG tire, and (on useful bikes) the fender. On even acknowledge small potholes. It most bikes, this is done by some combi- yawns at gravel roads, and performs like nation of limiting the tire size, splaying any unsuspended mountain bike (which the cranks wider apart, or bending or it essentially is, except for the dropped crimping the chainstays. Conventional handlebars) on trails. The word “versa- bending and crimping is functional, but tile” comes to mind. not as pretty as the Atlantis tubing. Undeniably, these huge tires are not Because Toyo has such exacting the tires of choice for speed and perform- requirements for dimensional accuracy in ance. Petersen, fearing I might take excep- tubing, I asked if it was difficult for tion to this simple fact, sent me alternate Touhoku, the Japanese tubing vendor tires, go-fast Panaracer 26 x 1.25s. They that makes the Atlantis tubeset, to make looked great, and they proved the point the chainstays. True artistry: the Atlantis chainstay. that the bike can assume a different per- “Not for those guys,” replied Grant sonality with much thinner tires, but I Petersen, Rivendell’s founder and moti- heavy front panniers. didn’t bother to test the bike with them. vating force. “They bend the chainstays Frame sizes 56 cm and below get the Petersen strongly believes that mid- first, then send them out to the heat 26-inch (559 mm bead seat diameter) dle-aged riders should not pretend to be treater. Their post-brazing strength is wheels and tires we normally associate contortionists. Thus, he raises the han- higher than the post brazing strength of with mountain bikes. Sizes 58 and above dlebar position higher than you see on Tange Prestige.” get 700C (622 mm bead seat diameter), conventional road racing frames (and Not as visually striking, but equally the size that dominates road bikes and “touring” frames that mimic the road rac- important for function, are the Atlantis’s hybrids. This is how it should be: the ers). On the Atlantis, this is done by slop- custom fork blades and seat tube. wheel diameter is keyed to the size of the ing the top tube up 2.5 degrees (some- Petersen wanted a seat tube built for rider, not to some fuzzy notion that some thing I would never have noticed on my rugged use, but not heavy where it didn’t numbers sound better on mountain bikes own, but Petersen told me) and adding need to be. And so he wanted an 0.4 mm and others on road bikes. Both of these spacers to the headset stack. differential between the butt wall thick- tire sizes can be had in a near-infinite vari- In the spirit of trying out the ness and the thin section wall thickness. ety of tire widths and tread patterns. Rivendell experience, and because I’m get- Ordinarily, only 0.3 mm differentials are I test-rode the Atlantis with the ting stiffer with advancing years myself, I available. And so the Atlantis’s custom mongo Avocet X-Country 26 x 1.85 tires set the handlebars in their highest posi- seat tube is 1.0 mm at the bottom brack- pictured. So equipped, the bike doesn’t tion for the photographs and test ride. et, tapering to 0.6 mm at the seat cluster. This is substantially higher than on my (In case you’d forgotten, as I almost had, own bikes, and I found it more comfort- the presence of an actual seat lug allows able, more practical and more realistic. the designer to have a thinner tube wall As befits the rigid frame, 2 1/2 inch- than on a lugless frame.) es of trail, and big-footprint tires, the Similarly, the Atlantis fork blades are Atlantis is stable and very easy to control, stout touring forks. In the pre-drawn, giving the rider no-hands confidence. It non-tapered condition, the fork blade is a doesn’t require an adjustment period. 24 mm diameter tube with a butt at the The Brooks B-17 saddle was not, repeat, top of 1.2 mm wall thickness, tapering to not rock-hard, and quite comfortable 0.7 mm at the point where the dropouts even before break-in began. will attach. After drawing and tapering, Rivendell equipped our test bike the outside diameter at the dropouts is quite sensibly, with components that are reduced to 13 mm, and the wall thickness current production, easily replaced, and increases accordingly. This is about 0.3 still in keeping with Rivendell’s “keep it mm thicker than your average light- simple” philosophy. The shellac-covered weight-obsessed road fork, and you’ll wel- handlebar tape, ornate lugged handlebar come the difference when you want to The Brooks B-17 saddle was comfortable stem and gorgeous Brooks B-17 saddle control the bike on a bumpy road with from the get-go, says the author. are charming visual highlights.
ADVENTURE CYCLIST AUGUST 2002 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 35 While many of us are smitten by the Rivendell web site. old-time components that come and go No doubt about it: the Atlantis is from Rivendell’s catalog, and take great both a rational purchase (for someone pleasure in so-equipping our personal seeking a top-quality touring bike) and a bikes, old-time components don’t make fashion statement (for someone who loves the most practical standard parts packages fine metalwork, done the old-fashioned for volume sales. However, parts packages way just because it looks cool). I’m smitten are negotiable, and if you want your bike by it, and I’m sure many of you will be too. equipped to show, uh, additional levels of individual idiosyncrasy, I’m sure they’ll Technical Editor John Schubert lurks in the shadows accommodate you. Just be considerate of at
peg. Slotted bosses for rear bag eyelets. Seatpost: Nitto Specs: Rivendell Atlantis brake cable and slotted chain- Tokyo Forged; one-bolt saddle stay boss for rear derailleur clamp; 300 mm long, 27.2 mm Frame, fork & headset, $950. cable. Vertical rear dropouts. diameter Brakes: Shimano Complete bike as pictured, Tange Levin headset. Rims: STX Cantilever with Shimano including shellac-treated cloth Bontrager-Design 559 hand levers and Kool Stop handlebar tape with twined Mustang A Sym (asymmetrical) pads. Pedals: Not included trim, $2250. Rear rack, $115. Rear & Maverick Front; meas- (bike photographed with MKS Fenders, $40. Water bottle ured width, 22.5 mm Spokes: Touring “rattrap” style). cages, $10 each. Mud flaps, 32, 14 gauge cross-three front Handlebars: Nitto Noodle Bar $5/pair. Shipping, about $35 and rear. Hubs: Shimano (modified MAES bend), 44 cm, extra. Price may vary. Deore sealed large barrel rear, with Nitto chrome-moly steel SunTour XC-9000 front, with lugged handlebar stem. Sizes available: 47, 51, 53, 56 Shimano quick release skew- cm with 26-inch wheels; 58, ers. Tires: Avocet Mountain Gearing in inches: 61, 64, & 68 with 700C wheels. Product Division (AMPD) X- 24 36 46 Size tested: 53 cm Country HP 26 x 1.85 (65-85 11 57 85 109 13 48 72 92 Frame dimensions: psi). Measured width, 1.78 inches (44.8 mm). Crank: 15 42 62 80 Seat tube: 53 cm or 20 7/8“ 18 35 52 66 (center to top), Top tube: 21 Sugino XD 170 mm forged with 24/36/46 chainrings. 21 30 45 60 1/4“ (54 cm), Head angle: 72o, The Atlantis head badge looks good Front Derailleur: Shimano 24 26 39 50 Seat angle: 72 1/2o, Chainstays: enough to put on a belt buckle! 105 triple Rear Derailleur: 28 22 33 43 17 1/4“ (44 cm), BB height: 10 ing with lugged & brazed con- Shimano Deore Shift levers: 32 20 29 37 7/8“, Front center: 23 1/8“, Fork struction. Threaded bosses for Shimano Bar-end index/fric- rake: 1 5/8“ (40 mm), Trail: three water bottles & front and tion style Cog cassette: Sun Sold through authorized retail- 2 1/2“, Wheelbase: 40 1/8“, rear cantilever brakes. Double Race Eight-speed Chain: Sun ers and also direct by Rivendell Standover height: 31 1/8“ rack/fender eyelets front and Race SRCN92 Bicycle Works, 2040 N. Main rear; fender mounting holes on Saddle: Brooks B-17 Champion St. #19, Walnut Creek, CA, Frame & fork: Handbuilt by fork crown, seatstay and Special tan leather with cop- phone 925/933-7304. Toyo, Osaka, Japan from chainstay. Head tube pump www.RivendellBicycles.com butted chormoly Touhoku tub- per rails & rivets, and saddle-
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