The Monkey Lab: Rohloff-Equipped Belt Drive Ventana El Comandante 29er

Ventana El Comandante profile

This custom Ventana El Comandante 29er mountain bike was built for a customer in Alaska who was looking for a rig that was capable of completing long-distance off road events like the Tour Divide (which was won last year by Ollie Whalley on the same frame and drivetrain). It is equipped with a Gates Carbon Drive belt system and Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 14 speed internally geared hub.

Laser-cut headbadge and tapered head tube

Ventana bicycles are made right here in Northern California and have been for over 25 years. All manufacturing processes are done in-house, including heat treating of tubing, production of dropouts and fittings, and powder coating.

Ventana offers this Mango Tango as a stock color that has a bit of sparkle to make it pop in the sun.

There are plenty of custom options available including paint colors, frame geometries, Rohloff cable routing guides, all for a modest upcharge.

Detail shot of the sliding dropout and Monkey Bone on the Ventana El Comandante

The El Comandante utilizes a sliding dropout to maintain tension in the belt, and this bike has a Monkey Bone installed in place of the stock brake adaptor to allow use of the OEM2 axle plate in a seamless manner. The Gates CDX belt and Rohloff SPEEDHUB specific sprocket ensure a quiet, smooth and reliable ride.

Ventana sliding dropout with polished Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 and Gates belt sprocket

We custom built the wheels on this bike with Velocity Cliffhanger Rims laced to the Rohloff in the back and a White Industries MI6 front hub with Sapim Race spokes to ensure a tough and reliable wheelset.

Gates CDX sprocket on RaceFace crankset

Gates CDX sprockets are available in a variety of sizes, allowing you to fine tune your gearing.

Plenty of room on the Jones H-Bar for the Rohloff grip shifter

The Jones Loop H-Bar in aluminum has a comfy 45 degree angle and allows many hand positions.

Second generation Rohloff grip shifter with Ergon GP1 grip

This was a solid, capable build and the customer is thrilled with the bike. Cycle Monkey is proud to be an authorized Ventana dealer. We've built up many of their bikes around the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14, and believe they are some of the best frames available. Please feel free to contact us with any questions on this build or to see what kind of bike we can put together for YOU!

Build details: