iTrod

Any experience or opinion whether a Co-Motion Rohloff Americano w/ Schmidt Son generator hub in front and fenders would be a reasonable brevet bike? I am planning to get this for loaded touring and was hopeful to extend its usefulness.

unterhausen

that would work fine

ThermionicScott 

Try it. Randonneuring is all about trying things and seeing what works.

RR3

As they say, the randonneuring tent is big. Every imaginable bike is used to successfully complete a Brevet within the allowable time. Some bikes are faster. Some are more durable. This has been my formula.

1. Durability
2. Comfort (design, choice of material, components and fit)
3. Aerodynamics
4. Weight
5. Cost

Most Randonneurs say they do not care about the time to finish a Brevet. I have seen fast riders on pawn shop specials with bent frames and wobbly wheels. I have seen riders on the fanciest new carbon wonder not finish in time.

With that said, I do not like the gear ratios at all. 67 to 77 to 87 to 99 inches? These are huge, uncomfortable gaps for me. I would put better tires on it. Anyways, I like a progression more like 73 77 83 88 95 inches, etc. This is the reason I crossed Rohloff off my list. Depends on your cadence preferences/ranges and tolerance to such gaps.

Chris Pringle

It obviously trumps weight for you. Just curious about how you've proactively tackled this point in regard to your gear selection.

ThermionicScott 

Interestingly (or not), that's almost exactly how my top end looks! I guess I spend so much more time in the middle zone of 62-68-76 on brevets that the gaps at the top don't really bother me...

RR3

As I said, it depends on the rider. 80-100 inches is mid-range for how I ride with relatively slower cadence compared to others. Many Randos think they turn the cranks at 85-90 RPM. The 3 mph gap between 19 and 22 mph does not make sense when the differntial is 2 mph lower down......this would drive me crazy.

I think the OP has a great touring bike in his crosshairs and a good Rando if OP rides at 13-15 mph..

iTrod

Appreciate the thoughtful responses. The gearing/shifting of the Rohloff will be new territory for me. The advantage of the Gates/Rohloff drivetrain is bomb proof reliability. Co-Motion also uses dish-less tandem wheels which should reduce the risk of broken spokes and rim damage when hitting potholes at speed. I am unsure about how a handlebar bag will affect handling, but I can potentially stow more gear aft if necessary.
13-15 mph is a pretty good estimate of my speed when doing distance on my Giant Defy Advanced 1 (2011).
Thanks again for you help!

RR3

Tight gears at the top end where aero losses Are greatest. If that makes sense to you

thebulls

FWIW, here's the comparable chart for my gearing, which is a VO Grand Cru triple paired with an SRAM 9-speed 11-34 cassette.


I chose it based on an analysis of maximizing the likelihood that the "right" gear would be available for the pattern of terrain and my historical riding speed on PBP and the Appalachian Adventure 1000km. In practice (e.g. our 600km a couple weeks ago) I think the gearing has turned out very well. For most riding with grades up to about 1 or 2 percent I stay in the big ring. If I'm on a section that alternates between flat and climbing then I can drop to the middle, and the granny is small enough that it provides three more bailout gears, the lowest of which lets me climb a 7 percent grade, seated, without changing power output. It's nice that in the big ring I have a wide enough range that I can cover much of the terrain I'm likely to encounter so that at night I don't have to be shifting the front rings too much. I guess the spacing between gears is wider than some would like, but I am pretty tolerant of riding anywhere between 75rpm and 95rpm, and if I am on a sustained section where I'd like to be at an "in-between" gear then I can combine a front shift with two rear shifts and get there.

Nick

fietsbob

The less bombproof part of the Gates belt drive is the overly light front cogwheel .

LBS has a trophy broken , Plastic, one ..

Haberstock mobility Germany sells an aluminum metal one Products - haberstock mobility GmbH

Cycle Monkey in Cal has them ..

iTrod

Thanks, that is good to know!

iTrod

StephenH

Very cool. How do you like it?

kingston 

@iTrod, Even with all those fancy parts, my favorite part about that bike is the matching frame pump!

iTrod

Just got back from a 10 mile ride in 21 degrees and 15-20 mph winds. Rode like butter. My Giant's Ultegra STI shifters get sticky in these temperatures. The Rohloff Speedhub had no issues with shifting in the cold. I can also operate the shifter with heavy ski gloves which is a bonus...and could probably shift with my knee if I had too. Still getting used to the bike, but so far, so good.

rhm

Thanks for the update(s)! I'm considering using a Rohloff for a future build, and my main concern is that I dislike the shifter. So... I'll be looking for your remarks about the shifter as you ride the bike more.

bikemig 

What's not to like about this bike? very cool

fietsbob

Now, RHM, there are other companies making shifters that work with the Rohloff EX rotary gear shifting in the hub
as seen here Cycle Monkey ? Cinq 5 Shift:R Rohloff thumb shifter
https://cyclemonkey.bigcartel.com/product/gebla-rohbox

Cycle Monkey ? Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 Shifters, Gear Mechs & Small Parts

rhm

@fietsbob,
Yeah, thanks! I realize there are other options. Not cheap, not that I expect cheap, but so far I haven't seen something that I liked enough to jump. Well, I'd want to try them before spending that kind of money.

dwmckee

I have a custom sized Co-Motion Cascadia that I use for both touring and distance riding, Not sure how much of the ride characteristics are shared between the two, but my Cascadia is incredibly comfortable to ride for long duration. It is rather heavy but that is not too big a deal for me. I have an Ultegra 9-speed drive train with some DA bits added here and there.

iTrod

I put the finishing touches on the randonneur configuration. Front Tubus Tara rack is only for self-supported touring and has been removed. I really like the Portland Design Works Full Metal City Fenders. I had to drill a 5 mm hole in the rear fender to attach it to the seat stay bridge which has the fender hole facing down rather than to the back. The fenders are very solid and do not rattle at all. The bike as pictured, but without the Arkel handlebar bag and trunk bag weighs in about 32-33 lbs. The ride is comfortable and responsive in spite of the heft. The handlebar-mounted shifter is made by Co-Motion and is likely far superior to the Rohloff version. I have no issues at all with the shifter functionality. I like being able to wear heavy winter gloves, something I can not do with the finicky STI shifters on the Giant Defy.
Time to head out on another ride...catch you down the road.

Tourist in MSN

Very impressive, I expected it to weigh more. Sharp looking bike.

I put electrical tape around each end of the S&S "nuts" to keep the dirt and crud out of the S&S threads. It also prevents them from coming loose, but I still carry the S&S wrench in my spares kit.



Mine is not a Co-Motion, although the paint is certainly close to your color.