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Gideon’s Rivendell Atlantis: You Had Me at Pineapple Bob

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Gideon’s Rivendell Atlantis: You Had Me at Pineapple Bob

Gideon Tsang has spent the better part of his life admiring and collecting bicycles designed by Grant Petersen. From early Bridgestones to current Rivendells, the bicycles designed around Grant’s ethos of moving mindfully and enjoying the ride have always resonated with Gideon. Enjoy this firsthand account about a bicycle collection that came and went, and the story behind Gideon’s dream bike: a rare 26″ Rivendell Atlantis 2.

The Synergistic Combination: The Bridgestone Stable

The story starts in 2007 – a full decade since I had last touched my Bontrager Race Lite. My friend Lee handed me an old Bridgestone catalog.

The first page I turned to featured Pineapple Bob eating a banana, wearing a cycling cap, riding his Bridgestone RB-T with a musette over his shoulder. In the same catalog, I found Bob tucked into an aero position on an orange XO-1 with mustache bars. I was smitten at first sight.

Over the next few years, I amassed an impressive Bridgestone collection, starting with an XO-1, which led to an RB-1, an MB-Zip, and, the hardest to hunt down at the time, Bob’s RB-T. By 2010 I had a solid Bridgestone stable. It was time to take the pilgrimage to visit Bridgestone’s offspring, Rivendell Bicycle Works.

The Wizard of Riv

I flew from Austin to California and hopped on a train from San Francisco to Walnut Creek, where I took my MB-Zip off the bike hook. As I mounted my Zip, a beautiful blue bike with a front basket and a large saddlebag zoomed past me. It was the wizard himself, Grant Petersen.

I finally caught up with the wizard as he arrived at his warehouse. Grant was kind and generous with his time. They were building a darkroom in the back of the Rivendell warehouse and he showed me around. He recognized my name from Flickr and gave me my first in-person photography critique: “I can’t tell if you’re a really good photographer or a really bad one.” Fair enough – like anyone starting out, my photography ratio was more bad than good.

He set me up on a Bombadil with a map secured to the stem with a magnet and told me to come back before they closed.

A couple of hours later, I returned with a big smile on my face, told him I loved his work, and proudly relayed that I owned four Bridgestones. With a mischievous smirk, he said, “Why? One Rivendell is better than four Bridgestones.”

I hopped back on my MB-Zip and headed to the train station. Am I a bad photographer or a good one? Is one Rivendell better than four Bridgestones?

Grant’s Greatest Hits

Later that year, I bought my first Rivendell frameset – a custom-painted Rambouillet with S & S couplers.

That Rambouillet is the only bike I regret letting go of. I’ve been trying to find those Spécialités TA Carmina Cranks for the last five years.

In 2014, my Sam Hillborne was born. That was my gateway to the fine pairing of the legendary Campy 10-speed Ergopower with 8-speed Shimano hack.

In 2016 I acquired a Hunqapillar. I had desired such a bike since I felt the magic of the Bombadil six years earlier. My Hunq became my go-to touring and bikepacking horse.

Finding Atlantis

In 2022, I sold my entire stable (gasp!) to travel the world. Upon returning, it was a no-brainer that if I had just one bike, it would be an Atlantis. I prefer the shorter chainstays of the earlier models and, in particular, wanted the 26” Atlantis 2 with the larger clearance. After quite a bit of searching, I finally found one in New Haven, CT.

As much as I love the Atlantis, the greenish-blue color of the inside of a Russian submarine wasn’t part of my earth-toned palette preference. I got in touch with Rick Stefani, a painter and friend of Rivendell in San Francisco, and had it painted a dark metallic brown. Sorry, Grant!

I worked with David Ross of Meteor Bikes in Austin to craft a build around a 1X Shimano XTR 950 crankset, which required a custom chainring made in Poland by Garbaruk, along with a NOS XTR HP-M900 headset that David magically sourced.

Ladies and gentlemen, I may not know if I’m a good or bad photographer, but I do know this: one Rivendell beats four Bridgestones any day. This is my Atlantis, photographed by Alex Roszko.

Build Spec:

  • Frame and fork: Rivendell Atlantis 2
  • Crankset: Shimano XTR M950
  • Chainring: Garbaruk XTR M950, 36T
  • Rear Derailleur: Shimano XTR RD-M9000
  • Cassette: Shimano XTR M9001 11-Speed 11-40t
  • Headset: Shimano XTR HP-M900
  • Levers: Paul Love Lever
  • Brakes: Paul Motolite
  • Wheels: Crust 26” All Nighter
  • Tires: Ultradynamico Mars Race, 26” x 2.2”
  • Bars: Nitto Albatross
  • Grips: Brooks Ergonomic Rubber Grip
  • Saddle: Brooks Cambium Saddle
  • Pedals: White Industries urban platform pedals
  • Seatpost: Nitto S65 Seatpost
  • Stem: Nitto Crystem 3 Stem, 120 mm
  • Quick release skewers: Paul Components
  • Bottle Cages: Nitto R

 

A lovely build for a lovely human. Learn more about Rivendell at their website, and be sure to read Grant’s Blahg.

Fara Cycling: Exploring The Gravel Cycling Capital of Scandinavia

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Fara Cycling: Exploring The Gravel Cycling Capital of Scandinavia

With over 400 kilometers of trails within an hour’s ride of the city center, Oslo has established itself as an adventure destination. Conor Courtney spent a long weekend riding with Fara Cycling, a local bicycle brand uniquely aligned with Norwegian geography and adventure culture. Continue reading below for a look inside Fara Cycling and the stunning location they call home…

A Visit to the Mason Cycles Barn: Celebrating 10 Years of Progress

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A Visit to the Mason Cycles Barn: Celebrating 10 Years of Progress

It’s been 10 years since Mason Cycles first caused a splash in the UK cycling market with the release of their original Definition and Resolution road bikes. They have since built a reputation for blending progressive riding technologies with classically beautiful aesthetics, now offering a full range of bikes designed for the whole spectrum of on- and off-road terrain. Joe Sasada sat down with founder and designer Dom Mason to discuss the journey so far, design philosophy, and what’s coming next for the brand. Read on for an extended interview and a photo gallery from Mason HQ. 

2024 LA Invitational at the Cub House: Where Everyone’s Invited

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2024 LA Invitational at the Cub House: Where Everyone’s Invited

Today, we present a recap of the 2024 LA Invitational put on by all the lovely folks over at The Cub House in Los Angeles, CA. In a slightly different format than our typical event Reportage, the team gathered stories from various participants, who recounted harrowing and ecstatic experiences while out riding the event routes. Then, they conclude with a gallery of drool-worthy two- and four-wheeled machines from the bike and car show portion. Let’s check it out below!

2024 Metal Gravel Bikes Under and Around $2000

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2024 Metal Gravel Bikes Under and Around $2000

Finding affordable bikes that cost under and around $2000 can be challenging, so we compiled a list with a twist… We’re big fans of metal over here. Metal gravel bikes can be superior to their carbon cousins in many ways, especially if you’re planning on strapping bags to them and taking them out on longer rides, overnighters, and tours.

We get requests all day long for more affordable bikes, and following up with our 2024 Under and Around $2000 Hardtails article, we present our Metal Gravel Bikes Under and Around $2000 post, so let’s get to it!

A Familiar Feeling: A Review of the Sklar Bikes SuperSomething

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A Familiar Feeling: A Review of the Sklar Bikes SuperSomething

Adam Sklar has been building custom bikes for close to a decade—and we’ve featured plenty of them on this site! But, in 2022 he decided to move production of a new model overseas to Taiwan. Dubbed the SuperSomething, this first production Sklar has road bike bones while still (subtly) paying homage to Adam’s mountain biking roots. Hailey Moore has been riding our signature Radavist edition SuperSomething all summer and, below, shares her review, along with insights into Adam’s design intent for this all-steel gravel bike.

REMINDER: We’re Giving Away a Complete 6061 All-Road APEX XPLR AXS with State Bicycle Co!

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REMINDER: We’re Giving Away a Complete 6061 All-Road APEX XPLR AXS with State Bicycle Co!

You’ve got just two days left–Wednesday, August 16th is the last day–to sign up for this giveaway!

We’re excited to announce our latest complete bike giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a State Bicycle Co. 6061 All-Road bike with SRAM APEX XPLR AXS drivetrain.*

There’s only one thing you need to do for a chance to win: sign up for BOTH of our newsletters! After two weeks, we’ll select a random winner and State will ship out the bike.