The Monkey Lab: Rohloff-equipped Independent Fabrication Touring Bike

Independent Fabrication, one of our partner frame builders, recently built this rugged touring bike for one of their customers. They were commissioned to build the bike to be as strong as possible to carry the rider safely and reliably through many thousands of miles of unsupported, heavily loaded touring. IF contacted us to build a wheelset around a Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 that would complement the frame.

For the wheels, we laced the Rohloff rear hub and a Phil Wood Touring front hub into Velocity Cliffhanger rims using Sapim Strong spokes and brass nipples. Phil Wood has a long standing reputation for building durable hubs that, much like the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14, are sought after by global tourists.

Velocity Cliffhanger rims are our go-to choice for building heavy-duty touring or aggressive-use mountain bike wheels. They are available in 29"/700c, 26", and 20" (labeled as Taipan). At 28mm wide, they are 4-5mm wider than typical touring or cross-country mtb rims. This extra width increases torsional stiffness of the wheel as well as spreads the tire out for a wider contact patch and decreased tendency to roll in corners. The 25mm tall v-shaped cross section is up to 10mm taller than other touring or mtb rims. This extra height increases the hoop stiffness of the rim, which helps it better share the load between the spokes and in turn decreases spoke breakages. It also makes the rim more resistat to flat spotting on large impacts. Finally, an increased wall thickness decreases the chances of the rim developing stress fractures around the nipple holes, gives a longer wear life when using rim brakes, and increases resistance to sidewall dents from sharp impacts. Sapim spokes are our standard spoke option for their high quality and durability. The Strong model is a heavy duty spoke that holds up well under the rigors of tandems, cargo bikes, and touring bikes.

Independent Fabrication built the frame and fork out of steel with attachment points for front and rear racks, fenders, frame pump, 3 water bottle bottle cages, and cable routing for the dual shift cables of the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14. Paragon sliding dropouts were used to tension the chain as well as anchor the SPEEDHUB 500/14 axle through the OEM insert on the left side. Per request from the customer, the frame and fork were finished with an unassuming clear coat over the steel tubes and no logos outside of a silver head badge. The rest of the bike was built up with a collection of top-quality parts that would provide the needed durability for the intended use. More details on the bike and rider can be found on the IF Blog.