Mark: If you look up "53 cm Atlantis LWB test ride" here in this group, you'll find my thoughts on the subject. I know you asked about the 56 cm but I think the 53 cm would not be much different. I ride a 58 cm Atlantis & have an 85 cm PBH. Riv's current sizing would put me on a 53 cm. My PBH is in the overlap between 56 & 58 on the sizing used in 2003.
The short version is the longer wheelbase makes a noticeable improvement in comfort (which is already good on an Atlantis), yet does not give up anything in handling or manuverability. IIRC, Rivendell has a standard build on the current models that's similar to the F&F of the Toyo & Waterfords (please check on this). You get a heck of lot of cluck for your buck. dougP On Sunday, December 16, 2018 at 6:25:40 AM UTC-8, esoterica etc wrote: > > Howdy all, > > I'm wondering if anyone out there has any comparative riding experience > with both the new 650b Atlantis in a 56cm, and the older-style 700c > Atlantis in a size 58cm. My pbh is 87.5 which would put me on the 650 if I > were to buy new, and the 700 if I were to buy used. I did own a 58 Atlantis > many years ago, before the wide-tire phenomenon really got momentum. Even > though I never rode anything wider than a 38 on my Atlantis, I just thought > that bike was the bee's knees. Unfortunately, times were tight and I ended > up having to sell it. But I'm now in a position to afford another Atlantis, > although I would have to go with the 56cm/650b size if I were to buy new > from Rivendell. Since I live on the other side of the country, a visit to > their shop to test ride one is pretty much out of the question. > > In the years since selling the Atlantis, I've built up a handful of > Riv'ified bikes that I've found on Craigslist and garage sales, mostly old > 80's MTB frames. I think I've gotten to the point now that I'm really > comfortable and happy on the 26" platform and have been really enjoying > riding tires between 40-53mm (1.6-2.1"). I've never really ridden anything > 650b before, but I feel that I might be more inclined to veer in that > direction because 650b is closer to 26" than it is to 700c, and the ability > to ride slightly wider tires is certainly a influential factor. But I also > can't shake the memories of just how darn good my old 700c Atlantis felt. > > So I'm hoping there's folks on the list (maybe Bill Lindsay, from your > recent spontaneous ride on the 650b Atlantis with Grant?) who have ridden > and can chime in on their impressions of one or the other, what you liked > and didn't like, and which would you choose and for what reason(s)? Thanks > for lending an ear, and hope y'all are having a great holiday season. All > the best, > > ~Mark > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
