corwin1968

Very lucky!! I've been watching Craigslist continuously for over two years and in that time there have been TWO early 80's MTB's (metro of 1,000,000 people). I foolishly let the first one go (t was the better of the two) but bought the second one!

I've also been trolling the pawnshops around where I work and all I've found is 90's Treks and an '88 Bridgestone MB-5. A 22" early Stumpjumper in the color I think of as "Stumpjumper Blue" is my grail bike right now.

I failed to buy this year and model:

gomango

Thanks, she loves it.

The tires are Schwalbe Fat Franks in the 26"x2.35 size.

They roll great and really soak up the bumps.

The brake pads are Kool Stops and if I remember, they were the Eagle 2s.

I would have to double check on that though.

AvenirFolder

I thought those tires looked bigger than 2.25". Nice! To borrow a Surly slogan: Fatties Fit Fine! And, funny enough, the Surly LHT only fits up to 2.1" while the Troll and Ogre are up around the 2.5/2.6" limit. That 2.35" sizing is really all you'd ever need for most riding. A lot of the mid-80s stuff came with 2.125" tires as standard equipment.

cs1

Got one of those too. actally I have an 82, 83, 84, 2 - 85s, an 86 and 92 Stumpjumpers.

bikemig 

I think you just cornered the Stumpjumper market, lol. I thought I was doing good owning a 1988 stumpjumper comp and a 1991 team stumpjumper

kingston 

What are you waiting for?!? Finding the frame is the hard part, and you have a whole collection.

shrtdstncrdr

I skipped ahead from page three as the original question was almost lost to antiquity.

So..

OP, I'm very new here compared to many others but I've been riding various two wheelers as long as the next person. I understand what you want has the features and "panache" of a Riv'. Ok. You can have most of it but you need to be careful. Bike weights can be bore easily per design or poorly for the same reasons. A well designed frame feels lighter especially when it fits the rider correctly. A very personal relationship.

One of the things which isn't oft touched upon is tire profile. Tire profile, believe it or don't, is also affected by the choice of rims and the parts mating the rims to the hubs. Trail can affect things too except now we're getting beyond the original context. Back to tire profile. An exaggerated V may work better on certain forks while a rounder profile may be better on others. If you decide to build your own shade tree Riv', that little detail may be very influential in how the bike ultimately feels for you.

The Riv' frames are special because he incorporated a lot of everyday real world riding answers to questions the big manufacturers have lately ignored. The costs are first world prices for labor in a first world nation. Along with what the market will bare etc etc. Me, I could save up for something like that and be fine with it. Or I could go the other route and see if I could build my own real world bicycle. Either way, it's a win because I learned (through this site) there is still someone out there promoting a well made, comfortable, multi purpose riding machine.

Grant Petersen promotes a mindset, an approach to bicycling; do it to have fun. Once you make it (bicycling) work, you may have detracted from what it could be for you. Which is why we find so many excellent bikes hanging in garages suffering from rot rather than wear from use.


Harv

The Golden Boy 

Hi Harv,

Could you please clarify that?

Once I make something work for me, I'm more apt to use it, rather than not.

shrtdstncrdr

Aha. I see what you're saying.

What I meant was, once one makes bicycling work rather than fun, one may have detracted blah blah blah .

Clear inside the head, not clear once outside the head haha


Thanks for catching that

Harv

The Golden Boy 

Dig!!

Grand Bois

Exaggerated V tires? I thought they were all pretty much round in cross section. Where can I get some of those?

kehomer

I've enjoyed reading this thread so much that I can't resist putting in my 2 cents worth. I rode a friend's Atlantis a number of years ago and didn't fall head over heels in love with it. As I recall, it rode pretty well, had nice lugs (maybe a bit too rococo for me) and the paint looked good, although I had seen better. It's Grant Petersen's well put together marketing that has made all the difference. His method of educating the public, his common sense approach to the true joy of riding, setting up and maintaining bikes has made Rivendell a well known name. I'll bet that the custom bike market has benefited indirectly as well.

In 2007, I bought a Surly LHT 54 cm frame/fork and built it into a pretty good, sturdy bike. Found out later the the dimensions on the LHT and the Atlantis are about identical. I liked the Surly but it felt a bit clunky so I sold it and bought a 1987 Panasonic Tourer which I built up to my taste. It was a little lighter and had a slightly more aggresive ride than the Surly.
[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

I bought a 1986 Stumpjumper Sport frame a couple of years ago and just recently finished building it to my taste. It fits really well. As some of you have mentioned, the Stumpjumper does have a pretty high BB and the geometry is laid back but I am an old guy and not in too much of a hurry most of the time.
[IMG][/IMG]

AAZ

I have an Atlantis and several vintage bikes. I have a Miyata 1000 that I would say has some very nice qualities. It may actually be the most comfortable bike I own. It does not accept as wide a tire as the Atlantis. It is a little lighter. The paint job is much higher quality with the Atlantis. I enjoy them both.
The Miyata cost me much less than the Atlantis. The Atlantis is the highest quality bike I own. The frame feels like it should last forever.

My observations, for what it's worth.

FrenchFit 

OK, I am tempted to make my third post about GP. I assure you I have no man crush.

I've talked with him in the store & warehouse, he was interested in my bikes, my interests in bikes, what my wife was looking for in her bike..and he was gracious. I do not own a Riv and he made no suggestion I should. It was a very pleasant time just talking bikes with another guy that likes bikes. Nice guy, trying hard, putting it on the line. I agree with what AvenirFolder suggested, Grant's an independent business person with a big investment running against the grain and feeling the strain. It's a gutsy way to live, he has my respect. I hope he continues to make it work; Performance Bikes closed its doors just a block away. Hella tough business.

It also appears to me the demand for C&V bikes has fallen, Perhaps not for holy grail bikes, but the average 80's, 90's cro-mo bikes seem to be going for very little money locally, I'll speculate the China Syndrome has fully permeated the chains and big box stories. $500 buys you a lot of bike, $1500 has you feeling like Lance. Although it may not effect Riv directly it seems you can find Miyatas, Univegas, old Treks pretty darn cheap these days, compared to what I was paying 5 years ago. So, why buy a Riv when you can find a great base frame for a few hundred bucks, or a fully loaded mixte for half what he sells his complete bike? I not sure the average bike guy or gal sees his value proposition. Like I said, hella tough business.

corwin1968

He seems to be adapting to the market and RBW is expecting 200 complete bikes in October that they plan to sell for $1500 each. A complete Rivendell bicycle for $1500. They are mostly tig welded with a few lugs thrown in, because they are Riv's afterall.....


This image was just to show a frameset built up (they used whatever parts were handy). The actual components on the stock bikes will be substantially different. Three sizes: 48cm/26" wheels, 52cm/650b wheels, 59cm/700c wheels. The photo is a 52cm bike.

embankmentlb

There are a few personalities in the nostalgia/ glamor cycling arena that have created their on brand of how cycling should be.
Not any different than Trek or Specialized in my opinion. Each peddling their version of a cycling heaven that only through their knowledge and their products can be achieved.
I think it is hogwash. It's a bike. Just get out and ride!

big chainring 

I'm witch you.

lord_athlon

I agree with the last bit.
Grant is trying to sell you on getting on a bike and going for a ride, screw what other people think.
Trek and Specialized are selling you on a 16lb wonder because being the fastest and lightest is important.

revcp 

Yep, a lot of marketing involved on both ends. And I think they're both right. It's fun to just ride. It's also fun to go fast. Some like one and don't feel particularly drawn to the other. Some like both (and more... trails, snow, etc.). Whatever.

embankmentlb

We are all out for just enjoying the ride. Only you can find what that actually is. Toe clips or no toe clips or whatever. It does not take a guru to tell you that.
GP and some others are about creating a following that places an importance on what they sell, same as any company. It's all marketing.

cs1

Waterford has been making them for the last few years. I'm not sure what Rivenell is specing in the frames. For the money I am sure it must be nice. When you think about it a new Atlantis is comparable to what Waterford is charging for a new frame and fork.

shrtdstncrdr

Yah. In the past I've had tires on bikes which had such design where they had more tread in the center, the rolling area, then further out to the sidewalls. This isn't anything new. I think motorcycle tire manufacturers likely got the idea from bicycle tire manufacturers. Motorbike tire companies have always been experimenting with V versus U contact area designs.

I think you're taking too simple an approach to what I was fairly unclear in describing. Hopefully the above paragraph goes a little farther in explaining what I'm trying to say. Not as well as I'd like, I admit.

More material where the tire contacts the road the most, on some tires.

Equal material thickness (depth) across the entire possible road contact area, on other tires.



Harv

shrtdstncrdr

I wonder if this debate would even exist if Rivendell were a sixty year old company whose prices seemed more reasonable (to the people who don't agree) with the rest of the market.

Who else was it makes a new bike with the same design again? Quality parts?

Harv

It's always marketing. It's how builders get their names out to sell stuff.

heytchap

We’re like 10 years late here, and I hope you’re still around to see this, but that advice is 100% solid and is something you should do. The same advice is commonly shared in motorcycle groups for the same reason, to draw attention to the rider and to break them away from the background. You dismissing the suggestion as “ridiculous” -I think- tells pretty clearly that you haven’t considered how right this stance actually is and are too far in your own mind to appreciate the reality of the suggestion.

Back to motorcycles, it’s called the “SMIDSY weave” also known as the “sorry mate, I didn’t see you” to make sure you don’t have to hear those words when you get absolutely brutalized by a vehicle.

expand your mind and think more critically about things.

ricebowl

I do the smidsy weave often on a motorcycle at intersections doesn't make it 100% solid advice for a bicycle. Grant's reasoning and suggested situations for when to do it is really different from those of the smidsy weave. Disingenuous to conflate the two
"For example, he suggests swerving around a bit and acting a little out of control while riding in traffic in order to make sure drivers are aware of you."

Totally different than the reasoning behind the motorcycle smidsy. Which is about making your headlight more noticeable with the movement of weaving.