Originally Posted by
elijahbc
I'm building a touring bike from a Rivendell Atlantis 55 frame. I'm looking for suggestions on A) the largest slick tires I can fit with fenders B) a drivetrain with the widest range of gear ratios I can get. I'm looking for durable components, am willing to spend money for the parts, and don't care much about weight.
The Atlantis 55 has a tire clearance: 2.4" / 61cm, chain stay length of 44cm, and cantilever brakes.
Tires + Fenders
Ideally I'd like to install Rene Herse 55 Antelope Hill tires with Gille Berthoud stainless steal 700c x 60mm fenders. Would this combo fit and function well?
If I install such wide fenders, would I be able to use linear-pull brakes such as Paul Motolite?
Drive train
I'm expecting to get a triple crank, and would prefer a 9-speed cassette. Is it possible to combine a 30-39-50T or 26-36-48T road crank with a mountain bike cassette like a 11-42T? I haven't seen a rear derailleur yet that would support such a drivetrain.
Thanks in advance!
You can probably get some good feedback if you pose your question to the RBW Owners Bunch google group. It is a good resource.
On my Atlantis for loaded off pavement touring I’ve used 24/36/46 and 19/34/42 (using a mountain tamer) with a 12-36 9 speed cassette.
with the first I used a Suntour VGT rear derailleur and a Shimano Altus (very inexpensive) with the second because it wrapped more chain and has more ground clearance. For what I was doing, I preferred the second setup.