Co-Motion Klatch Fitness Road Bike with Rohloff SPEEDHUB and Belt Drive

We built this Co-Motion Klatch as a fitness-oriented road bike for a customer who wanted a comfortable, reliable bike to tackle the many great road rides around his hometown of Santa Rosa, California. His priority was simply to ride often, and the bike needed to stay out of the bike shop and on the road as much as possible. He was looking for a sporty-feeling bike that would motivate him to enjoy the outdoors and stay in shape. We were tasked with creating a Rohloff SPEEDHUB and Gates Carbon Drive-equipped road bike with durable components that would withstand plenty of hard riding, all within a lightweight package.

The Klatch is a relatively new Co-Motion model that is designed as a gravel road racer but is strong enough to handle daily commuting, long road rides, or lightweight touring. Its steel frame is lighter than many of the touring-based models that Co-Motion is known for, and is categorized as one of their race-capable bikes. Stock geometry on the Klatch is more upright and stable than a road bike but is still nimble and quick enough for fast-paced pavement rides. Like all of Co-Motion's offerings, custom geometry is available upon request. To meet our customer's specifications we requested a taller headtube, Rohloff-specific cable routing, geometry that would handle well with a mountain-style handlebar, and Co-Motion's belt drive/Rohloff dropouts and eccentric bottom bracket used on their touring models.

To meet the goal of a sporty-feeling bike, we started the wheelbuild with Velocity’s A23 rims, which are a versatile lightweight road rim. Their 23mm width makes them more aerodynamic than a standard box-section rim and also spreads out the tire to provide more traction and control. We laced the rims to White Industries' MI6 front hub, which like all of White Industries' products is handmade here in the Bay Area. For the rear hub, we naturally used a Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14. Sapim Race spokes and brass nipples on both wheels provide an appropriate blend of strength and weight.

The Rohloff SPEEDHUB is ideal for riders who want to spend as little time on maintenance as possible. Our customer said he doesn't necessarily enjoy working on his bike and instead just wants to focus on riding. The SPEEDHUB is ideal for this type of rider because all of its shifting components are sealed within the hubshell and are lubricated by a completely contained oil bath. This design means that no road grit, dirt, or water can make their way into the hub or affect shifting. Additionally, the Gates Carbon Drive belt lasts at least twice as long as a chain, does not stretch, and does not require lubrication. By combining the SPEEDHUB and the Gates Carbon Drive system, you get as close as possible to a minimal maintenance bike that is always ready to ride.

Like many of our builds, an upright, comfortable seating position was a priority with this bike. To keep our customer’s wrists, hands, and back from getting strained over the course of a long ride, we installed Salsa’s Bend 2 handlebars, Ergon’s GP1 grips, and a high-rise stem. Selle Anatomica’s Titanico saddle is made of supple leather that feels broken in right out of the box and has a uses a hammock-like design that flexes and moves with the rider’s body. Shimano’s XT touring pedals offer a clipless system on one side and a flat platform on the other, which makes the bike easy to ride at any time with or without bike shoes.

When our customer got his new bike, he said it looked just as he had pictured it: with a clean and streamlined yet very functional aesthetic. He said he was very excited to take it out for its first ride in the hills of Santa Rosa. If you’re interested in a similar fitness-style road bike of your own, contact us to see what we can put together for you.

Build Details:

• Frame: Co-Motion Klatch custom
• Fork: ENVE Cross Disc
• Headset: Cane Creek Forty
• Stem: Profile Design Aris
• Handlebar: Salsa Bend 2
• Shifter: Rohloff
• Grips: Ergon GP1
• Seatpost: FSA Metropolis
• Saddle: Selle Anatomica Titanico
• Seat Clamp: Co-Motion
• Front Hub: White Industries MI6
• Rear hub: Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14
• Spokes: Sapim Race
• Nipples: Sapim Brass
• Rims: Velocity A23
• Tires: Schwalbe Kojak
• Cranks: Sugino
• Pedals: Shimano XT Touring
• Bottom Bracket: Shimano square taper
• Chain ring: Gates Carbon Drive
• Rear Sprocket: Gates Carbon Drive
• Chain: Gates Carbon Drive
• Brakes & Levers: Magura MT2
• Rotors: Magura Storm
• Extras: King Kage stainless steel water bottle cages