That is an incredible bike, a dream bike really! What is that super practical looking (and handsome) handlebar bag?
Quill rims looks so great. On Friday, March 20, 2020 at 8:17:04 AM UTC-4, Steve Cole wrote: > > As we’ve all no doubt discovered, social isolation, plain and simple, is > not fun. Going for long walks or rides is a wonderful antidote. For me, > these rides have been doubly fun on my new MIT Atlantis received just last > week. James at Analog Cycles helped we work out the build details and his > partner Candice built the bike. I heartily recommend them. > > > > Some background before going over the choices I made. I’m 70 years > old. I still try to ride 3-4 times each week. Generally, my rides average > around 20 miles in length. Most of my rides are on pavement but some are > on paths, dirt roads, etc. I wanted a bike that would serve my needs > extremely well 90% of the time and would be adequate or better the other > 10%. Finally, I think of this as my last bike. It may not be, but I > approached it as if it were. > > > > I am a long-time aficionado of Rivendell bikes. I own a Toyo A. Homer > Hilsen and a SimpleOne (converted to a Rohloff hub). My wife rides a Betty > Foy. Assuming my new Atlantis meets my goals, I’ll be passing my other > bikes along to others. To start with, I like the classic Rivendell look of > silver components. In addition, my component choices reflect some elements > of my other RBW bikes. Other choices were influenced by James at > Analog. Most will consider this a high-end build. In the end, since I > approached it as my last bike, I tended to avoid making compromises. > > > > *Frameset: *MIT Atlantis 55 cm, 700c wheels > > My AHH is 59 cm and my SimpleOne is 58 cm. Not surprisingly, I expected > to ride a 59 cm MIT Atlantis. The geometry of the new longer seat stay/top > tube MIT Atlantis is such that the shorter seat tube is right on point for > me. Before I understood this, I bought a 59 cm, used (I love the look with > the rainbow second top tube). Thanks to James, however, I switched to a > new 55 cm and the seller of the 59 cm was kind enough to take it back. > > > > *Headset*: Cane Creek 110 – EC30 > > As is also the case with bottom brackets (see below), I dithered with the > other classic headsets, Chris King, Phil Wood, Tange, etc. James steered > me (pun intended) to the Cane Creek. I expect my children will use it well. > > > > *Handlebars*: Nitto Bullmoose > > These are the bars (with the incorporated stem) I have installed on my > AHH. I prefer bars for which the grip is like grasping a bar running > parallel to me rather than shaking hands with a bar that is running > alongside me (I sold my Albatrosses some time ago). Personal > preference. With a 34-degree sweep, these are just right. In addition, > the extra extension running in front gives me a place to attach my > handlebar bag and phone while preserving a second location for my hands > close to the stem when I’m climbing. > > > > *Brakes:* Paul Motolites with Paul Love 2.5 Levers > > I want brakes with a very firm action – no squishiness. Shimano brakes > have always seemed overly squishy. With these brakes, I now have Paul > brakes on all three bikes, Racers on my AHH, Touring Cantilevers on my SO > and these Motolites on my MIT Atlantis. I swear by all three. > > > > *Drivetrain: *Rear* - *Shimano XT RD-M772 Shadow 9-speed; Front – Shimano > CX-70; > > Shifters: Shimano XT Rapid Fire 3x9; Crankset – > Middleburn RS7, 170 mm, 44/32/24; > > Cassette – Sunrace M9, 9-speed wide ratio 11T-40T > > The choices here reflect my age and conditioning as much as any other > components. First, I wanted a drivetrain that would help me ease my way up > some significant hills but also allow me to maintain good speed/cadence on > the flats. I chose the RapidFire shifters, which are also on my AHH, > because I simply like precise, easy shifting. James encouraged me to get > the Middleburn cranks noting they are beautiful, extremely strong, > English-made. They are available as a triple and have a replaceable > spider. He was right on all accounts – no regrets. > > > > *Bottom Bracket: * SKF 110 mm > > Not much to say here. I wanted a trouble-free, sealed BB. Everything > I’ve read suggested this BB is more than up to the task. > > > > *Wheels:* Rims - Velocity Quill 700c; Spokes – Sapim Race; Front Hub – > SONdeluxe Widebody > > Dynamo; Rear Hub – Bitex BX103R; Tires – Rene Herse > Antelope Hill EL Tubeless > > I always think of Grant Petersen’s admonition about the cheapest and most > worthwhile component available is air. Purchasing the MIT Atlantis was > integral to increasing the volume of air available to me. As the MIT > Atlantis 55 cm is a brand-new design, there was no way to know before > receiving it how large a tire it would accommodate. A bit surprised, it > not only handles the 55 mm wide Antelope Hill, we were also able to fit the > bike with fenders (see below). These tires called for the Quill rims, > which are stronger than Cliffhangers. James is a big fan of Bitex hubs so > I took his advice. I moved up from a Shutter Precision hub to the > SONdeluxe (just because), which powers both SON Edelux II front and Rear > Rack lights. > > > > *Fenders:* Simworks Honjo Flat 62 mm > > It was just a hope that the 55 mm RH Antelope Hill tires would fit. If > they did, I doubted fenders would be possible. I was wrong. With a little > crimping around the fork and seat stays, they fit. Thank goodness. These > are very, very nice. Candice said they are also quite straightforward to > install. > > > > *Security: *Pitlock Skewers; Penta Pin Bolts > > I live in a large urban area where bike theft is a fact of life. I rarely > leave my bike outside, even locked. Nonetheless, I never want it stolen. I > lock every component I can to the bike. > > > > *Saddle:* Gilles Berthoud Aspin Open > > I’ve learned I need an open saddle. I have wanted to try a Gilles > Berthoud. The Atlantis gives me the chance. > > > > *Racks;* Front – Nitto Mark’s Rack; Rear – Nitto Campee > > Partly practical – carrying things around town or S24Os. Partly vanity – > I simply like the way bikes look with racks. > > > > *Pedals: * Shimano XT T8000 > > I have used clipless pedals for years. At the same time, I like one side > to be clip free. These are fabulous. I doubt there is anything better for > my purposes. > > > > There are small details that I have no > > t described here. If there is interest in anything else I have chosen, > please ask. And, if you gotten this far, like me, you are a RBW bicycle > nut. Thanks for reading. > > > > Steve Cole > > Arlington, VA > -- 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5e803afa-49db-44b1-b4a6-06f0dc50ac33%40googlegroups.com.
