The Monkey Lab: Monkey Ride: Custom Rohloff-Equipped Ventana Full Suspension 29er

Profile view in the trail configuration

This custom Ventana 29er was built in 2008 for Neil as a long-term test mule for various parts and design ideas. The idea was to set up the bike with different part configurations to serve either as a cross country or all mountain rig. As with most of Neil's bikes, this one was setup around the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 drivetrain. Special features include a 1.5" Cannondale Lefty-specific head tube, Rohloff cable routing, and custom geometry. Pictured above is the all-mountain setup with 140mm/5.5" of fork travel and 120mm/4.7" of rear wheel travel. A Rohloff chain tensioner takes up the slack from the rear travel.

Carbon rims, chunky rubber and lots of travel

A Rock Shox Reba RLT fork with 140mm of travel provides plenty of suspension for aggressive all-mountain riding, and a Cane Creek Angleset headset accommodates the tapered steerer on the fork and allows for changes to the head angle.

EDGE Composites (now ENVE Composites) AM29 rims are laced to a Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 rear hub and Industry Nine 20mm thru-axle front disc hub using bladed SAPIM CX-Ray spokes. These rims have been bulletproof over the last five years despite some serious abuse on the trails.

Custom cable guides for the Rohloff SPEEDHUB provide clean and elegant routing

Cross Country configuration

This is the same bike in it's cross country configuration with a carbon Cannondale Lefty fork and 4" of front and rear travel. Travel is changed on the frame by swapping the rocker links for shorter ones. The XC wheels are laced up with ENVE XC 29 tubeless rims, which are slightly lighter and narrower than the AM version but still plenty strong. A SPEEDHUB 500/14 is used in the rear and a Project 321 Lefty hub can be found up front. The same SAPIM CX-Ray spokes are used.

Lefty SL carbon fork with Project 321 hub

Single leg, double crown Lefty fork

The Cannondale Lefty fork was a perfect choice for this application due to it's light weight, stiffness and strength.

Salsa Bend bar can be flipped to reverse the rise

Cockpit view in trail mode

The Salsa Bend bar is one of Neil's favorite handlebars. It has a slight rise and comfortable back sweep. The Bend bar is available in a 17 or 23 degree angle. This is the 17 degree version.

Close-up of the Rohloff shift box and Monkey Bone

This Ventana is set up with a MonkeyBone adaptor for the rear brake mount, which mates with the Rohloff OEM2 axle plate to anchor the hub's axle to the disc brake mount. Rohloff cable routing continues along the chainstay.

This bike has endured many miles of hard riding over the last five years without any problems. It still gets regular use on the trails around Northern California and has plenty of life left in it. Ventana frames are built to hold up to many seasons of riding, which compliments the durability of the Rohloff hubs. The company is great to work with and offers fast turnaround times, customization options, and quality construction.

Build Details: