Drop-bar, Rohloff-Outfitted Civia Hyland

The Civia Hyland is perfect for daily commuting or long road rides

A local friend of Cycle Monkey came to us a few years ago asking if we had any ideas for a sturdy daily commuter that he could also take on some long road rides. He’s an avid road rider and has a garage full of high-end racing bikes. For his commuter, he wanted a similar fit and feel that he was used to on his road bikes, with the benefit of not having to worry about maintenance on century rides or day-in, day-out commuting.

After we discussed his criteria, we opted to start the build with Civia’s Hyland frame. Civia designed the Hyland to provide reliable daily transportation strong enough to haul groceries and other gear in any road conditions, but nimble enough to navigate quickly through city streets. Disc brake mounts and fenders add to the versatility of the frame. Our customer liked the Hyland’s light, sturdy aluminum frame, but coming from a road background he wanted make sure his ride was both speedy and dependable. We told him we had something for him in mind.

The Civia's Rohloff-specific dropouts make for a clean, simplified drivetrain

The Hyland is a perfect match for the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14. The internally geared hub paired with the stout frame makes the bike a nearly maintenance-free workhorse ready for year-round riding. The frame even comes with a sliding, Rohloff-specific dropout design, which allows for the use of the SPEEDHUB without having to install a chain tensioner or brake plate adapter. This creates a very simplified, clean-looking drivetrain.

We laced the SPEEDHUB to a Velocity Deep V Rim using Sapim spokes. For a front hub, we opted for Hayes Elite disc hub, made by DT Swiss, and the same Deep V rim. The resulting wheelset has the perfect balance of weight, aerodynamics, and durability.

Our friend knows what he likes in terms of bike fit and wanted to set up an aggressive seating position for speedy riding. He asked for drop bars to give him a bit more power and speed than the flat bars that normally come stock on the Hyland. Given that Easton is his handlebar of choice on his racing bikes, we opted for Easton’s EA70 road bars, and installed Rohloff’s grip shifter on the end of the bar.

Rohloff's twist shifter on the end of the handlebars

After our customer got a few rides in with the SPEEDHUB, this bike became his go-to for longer rides. He rode it on a local annual century through the Berkeley hills on a particularly rainy year. He found the disc brakes, fenders, and internally-housed shifting mechanism to be perfect for the ride, and he even carried a pannier filled with rain gear on the rear rack.

At Cycle Monkey, we normally build a fair amount of commuter bikes, but we were excited by the challenge of creating a more speed-oriented daily commuter to satisfy an experienced roadie. If you’re hitting the streets often you but want the reliability of a Rohloff internally geared hub, contact us to see what we can put together for you!

Build details:

· Frame: Civia Hyland

· Fork: Winwood Muddy Disc Cross

· Headset: Chris King InSet

· Stem: Thompson Elite X2 31.8 road

· Handlebar: Easton EA70

· Shifter: Rohloff

· Bartape: Deda

· Seatpost: Thompson Elite Layback seatpost

· Saddle: Shimano PRO Turnix

· Seat Clamp: Salsa LipLock

· Front Hub: Hayes Elite by DT Swiss

· Rear hub: Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14

· Spokes: SAPIM Race

· Nipples: SAPIM Brass

· Rims: Velocity Deep V

· Tires: Panaracer RibMo 700x28c

· Cranks: Shimano Ultegra

· Bottom Bracket: Shimano Ultegra

· Chainring: Surly Stainless 48t

· Pedals: Shimano Deore XT SPD

· Chain: Rohloff SLT 99 Chain

· Brakes & Levers: SRAM BB7 Road
· Extras: Rear rack, fenders