roseskunk

So after a couple of years with my Surly LHT- a fine bike btw, I finally bought myself an Atlantis. Been wanting one forever, and one of my good friends had one in a box, never built up. It was a good price... Help me build it up.

The easy and least expensive solution is to strip the Surly: Sugino crank, Paul brakes, Shimano pieces, moustache bars, nitto racks, honjo's, etc. then I'd sell the Surly frame to offset the Atlantis. But, hell, that's not nearly as much fun as building it up from scratch. So I'm looking for suggestions... I'm plenty partial to vintage and could go vintage campy drivetrain but I do have NR on two of my bikes now... but what about everything else? I want to set it up as a light tourer... should I get Phil hubs or a dynamo? I love the idea of a dynamo, but which? Pretend for a moment that money is no object- though it is... most likely I'll put nitto racks front and rear, honjo fenders, maybe I should have Peter White build a set of wheels for me... anyway, I'm open to any and all suggestions! Help! (What a terrific problem to have!)

Sirrus Rider

I'd say hang on to the Surley "As is" then do something a little different with the Atlantis. My vote is to do the light tourer with a SON dynohub and maybe later Campy from the '80's like Chorus: Triple on the front (If available) and 7 -to 10 speed on the rear. Silver Sun CR-18 rims.

NormanF

Go 650B on the Atlantis.... although IF Grant Petersen has ANY 603 wheels and tires in stock... grab 'em and they'll be talking about YOUR Riv for a long time for sure!

Grand Bois

The Rivindell Atlantis is an old man's bike.



I'm just kidding.

bigwoo

I would go Phil (or a nice smooth set of vintage Shimano 600 hubs if you'd like to offset some costs towards racks/fenders)

Phil, 600, or Superbe..... I'd rather see a Japanese drivetrain, but that's just me...

robatsu

You will never regret throwing down for Schmidt Dynohub. Works perfect, looks great, bulletproof. Then, you can buy some real primo rear hub, you'll get a better deal since matched sets, at least if you are buying vintage, bring a premium, that will offset the dynohub cost a smidge.

Really, in all the years of buying and using bike parts, the single most impressive piece of equipment I've ever bought has been the SON.

Here are a few pics of my sister finishing her transcontinental ride on her Atlantis last summer in Washington D.C - my son and I rode out the C&O trail to meet up with her and escort her for the last thirty miles or so:

Here she comes, all the way from Seattle:


Comparing wheels:


Post-ride clean up:

USAZorro

If you're going dynohub, check on the Schmidt that they make for recumbents. Peter Weigle (who knows a bit about setting up bikes), was overheard explaining that the recumbent version of the hub has less drag and puts out good light at a lower speed than the regular one.

roseskunk

Damn! I love that pic! And I AM an old man!!

roseskunk

Robatsu, I'm totally inspired by your sister's ride. Damn. Did she do that solo? and I love the idea of a SON hub. I hate the cost, but I figure what the hell, I'll have it forever. I love the idea of them too.
I've got CR-18 rims on a few of my other bikes and like them well enough, I just thought they were the low cost leaders... I mean should I be lacing up 40 spokes? Man, after collecting bikes I feel as though this one will be it for me. (Well, I won't be selling too many of the others just yet...) but I really feel as though I want to get out and ride.

do you guys think a Phil BB is worth the cost? what kind of crank? I have a sugino right now, but it just seems, well, ordinary. Am I being silly? I think I'm just excited about my new Atlantis!

robatsu

My sister did part of it w/a group, part of it solo, about 50/50. The whole way was self-supported. She's pretty amazing, once rode across Australia, another time from Israel or Jordan (I forget) up to UK.

Putting together a build to me is always this sort of tradeoff between ordinary and exotic - each bike is different and it is like constructing a symphony or a meal or some other coordinated ensemble. The key is that all the pieces work together uniformly for what are the goals of the final product, whether it is speed, durability, comfort, good looks, economy, etc, or, usually, some combination of these type of factors, the degree of each being are specific to the goals you have for the bike.

I have no problem using a quite ordinary part in the context of a larger build that uses exotic stuff. To your Sugino crank, for instance, my wife's bike, which I build for her, is somewhat exotic in many regards. It is a 1985 Trek 720 frame, some 32h Campy Croce D'Aune hubs laced to Campy Omega rims (she can use these for general riding since she is an extreme lightweight), NOS Suntour Cyclone 1st gen front/rear derailleurs, C-Record shifters, Honjo fenders, VO Grenouille cantis, etc, . But plain old Sugino XD crank. Why? Well, I had it around, it worked with the bottom bracket I had, a Shimano XT loose bearing one, looked good with some of the other silver parts, was a triple, etc, etc. She is also fixed up w/pretty humdrum MKS Touring pedals as well for the same reason.

So if you've got it and it works w/the machine and the theme, don't worry about ordinary. I like to have some parts in a build that are a particular point of interest, but seems burdensome to have a regime where everything has to be exotic or unusual.

As for Phil bb, folks swear by them. However, I have no personal experience.

roseskunk

You're right about ordinary robatsu, and if it works well, well, why not? there are some interesting cranks out there, and I just figured why not find something really nice... It's funny though, when you're out riding, as long as everything works, you never consider much else. I have Paul's on my Surly, and sure they're nice, but I never even think about them while I'm riding. I've just got to figure out what's right for me, that's all. I do think I'll go with the SON- that didn't take much persuading... and I'll get the Phil bb just to know that I have one. I'm tired of compromising on everything... This will certainly be a fun process, thanks for being part of it. and tell your sister she's got a fan!

RalphP

I think the plain Honjo fenders look great on my Atlantis. If you go for them, remember that the AL is incredibly soft. Once they are on, of course, it's not such an issue. But while you are going through the install project, try not letting them touch anything. Think tissue paper. But be not discouraged, the fenders are a do-able, creative project. One hint: Cut Black rubber stoppers are an alternative to cork. The black rubber takes to wax nicely and they are a good, sturdy mount. How can people stand to ride a nice , old-fashioned bicycle without fenders?

mudboy

Personally, I'd go for a retro-style component pick, something along the lines of what was on the original Stumpjumper -- TA cranks, Mafac canti's, that sort of thing.

bullwinkle

I don't have a Riv, but I do have a very similar Mercian. Fancy carved lugs and paintwork, 631 Reynolds tubing, etc.

I built mine with modern Campy components (a mix of Centaur, Chorus and Record), with a 13-29 cassette and a compact crank (50-34). I also have a Schmidt SON with dual E6 headlights. Peter White built the front wheel for me when I bought the SON and lights from him. The rear wheel is laced to a Campy hub.

I use mine for loaded credit-card touring. I carry about 25-30 lb in my rear panniers and handlebar bag, and stay in motels. The bike has been great for me, though I sometimes wish I had gone with a drivetrain giving me much lower gearing. In any case, you should end up with something to be proud of.