Touring - Co-motion single bikes

I want to have a bike that fits better and have been looking for a month on the internet and a couple of LBS I have decided to order a Nor'wester or Americano to go on day rides. Now that I am retired I hope to go for self contained rides of say, and if it works I want to do more. Has anyone had any experience with the Nor'wester as it is billed as a "tweener". I rode it and even though it was not not my size the ride was beautiful. But I am wondering if it will work for an extended tour. Thanks for info or opinions that anyone can provide.

I have heard of a few people who have toured on the Americano and who enjoyed it very much, but I have never heard of anyone using the sportier Nor'Wester.

I'm sure it would be a great bike for day rides or for a light tour, where you would use hotels or B&Bs, for instance. I don't know whether it would be great for a fully loaded camping tour, especially in the arid areas where you need to carry a lot of food and water. One thing to check (I really don't remember) is what maximum size of tires it accepts.

The Nor'Wester comes stock with a 700x32 tire (is that wide enough?) while the Americano comes with 700x37. I do not know what the maximum size that each will accept. I have not talked to Co-Motion yet but their website shows the sportier Nor'Wester to be "designed to accommodate moderate touring loads with fatter tires and fenders". There is not much difference in the cost between the 2 but if the Nor'Wester would work for a self contained tour of say 2 weeks I should be able to sell my Trek 5200, reduce my cost, and still only have one bike. One bike for the majority of my rides but it still could be used for self contained tours of 2 weeks or so. Thanks for your help.
FrankB

I think that's a great bike. I think, in fact, that it's pretty ideal. Sure, maybe not for touring Argentina or Zimbabwe (though that depends on you), but for most N. American or European paved roads, let alone for centuries or Randonneuring or fun rides or commuting, it's fine. In fact it's more than fine. And it's a beaut to look at. Here's a link:

http://www.co-motion.com/norwester.html

Touring purists will insist, perhaps rightly, on the Co-motion Americano -- the out and out touring bike -- but I like the Nor'wester's versatility: the chainstay is only about a centimeter and three quarters shorter than the Americano's, there's a good rear cassette on it (XT 11-34); the triple is nice for all-purpose riding (46-34-24); you have a bar end shifters option; Chris King headset; it's a 130 mm hub but it's got 36 spokes, 14 gauge. A 700-32 is just about the best all-purpose tire too, IMO. I like the head and seat angles, relaxed but not too much so.

(By the way, I have a Marinoni Turismo, which is very similar though definitely less fancy at half the price, though I upgraded a lot on my bike. So I'm going to lean towards a 'tweener anyhow. The Turismo has a slightly longer chainstay and a tough carbon fork, and almost indentical seat/head angles, though a difference is the sloping top tube, which won't appeal to purists either.)

My only reservations would be: sizing and fit. Are you going to visit their shop, or what?

tkehler
I plan to spring for the $125 custom fit option. LBS and I complete a questionaire about type of riding I plan to do, what bike I am riding now and what do I like/don't like about the present fit, etc. Then the shop will take a handful of measurements and send them to Co-motion. We will have a telephone conversation with Dwan Shepard (one of the 2 owners) finalizing what I need. Co-motion will then send drawings that are approved by the bike shop and me. You are right, fit is No 1 concern and that is a big reason I am willing to buy a bike like this. BTW I was most impressed by the Americano review in 2001 by John Schubert of Adventure Cycling and his comments about Co-motion's skill in handling fit and sizing by long distance. The review is on the Co-motion website.

tkehler
I plan to spring for the $125 custom fit option. LBS and I complete a questionaire about type of riding I plan to do, what bike I am riding now and what do I like/don't like about the present fit, etc. Then the shop will take a handful of measurements and send them to Co-motion. We will have a telephone conversation with Dwan Shepard (one of the 2 owners) finalizing what I need. Co-motion will then send drawings that are approved by the bike shop and me. You are right, fit is No 1 concern and that is a big reason I am willing to buy a bike like this. BTW I was most impressed by the Americano review in 2001 by John Schubert of Adventure Cycling and his comments about Co-motion's skill in handling fit and sizing by long distance. The review is on the Co-motion website.

That sounds sensible to me. That's about as close as one can get, without actually going to the manufacturer. I also believe that with minor tinkering -- seat, headset -- you can still get a perfect fit. (What matters is that you have a LBS to help out, in my opinion.)

Thanks, I read that review. The Americano's a great bike. And how about that axle size 145 mm! But you know what? I'd still buy the Nor'wester. (Of course my wife would kill me if I bought one; I got the Marinoni because I could pay in Canadian dollars. And I upgraded a number of things on it. A key thing was the venerable Mavic 520 rims, and a Brooks saddle. I'm 200 lbs so I have a Brooks B-17. Someone lighter and skinnier might want something else.)

Also, make sure they don't cut the steerer. I looked the pics at the Co-mo. site, and as at most other bike sites, bikes handlebars are depicted as being lower than the seat. But for a lot of distance riders, tourers or even commuters, the bars are a lot closer to seat height. Great choice. What's your colours? I chose a metallic medium blue, with silver lettering. But because I'm fussy, I now wish I'd picked a much darker blue. Just a minor detail though. Co-motion have a great gallery of colours. Cheers!

Hi FrankB,
Did you purchase the Nor'Wester? If so, how do you like it?

Hi all,
I am not the seller, nor am I interested in buying (wrong size), but I noticed an Americano available on e-bay now.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=98084&item=7138822659&rd=1

David

A couple more co-motion bikes on e-bay,both of which are too big for me,drats. Search "touring bike" and they're on the second page both are nice looking bikes.

Co-Mo build nice bikes. Have put 58,000 miles on a Co-Mo Custom tandem.
Dwan and Dan and Elayne and all other folks at Co-Mo are great to deal/work with!

There's a Nor'wester on there too,also to big.Search Co-motio bike and all three show up