Co-Motion Americano Touring Bike with Rohloff SPEEDHUB, Schmidt SON28 Dynamo, and Gates Belt Drive

Taking a four month tour through the Balkan Peninsula in Europe requires a commitment to adventure. As with most self-supported bike trips, you must be prepared for different road conditions, varying weather, and unexpected mishaps. The embrace of the unknown was exactly what inspired this build: the customer, from Santa Cruz, CA wanted a fully-equipped touring bike to set out to see new parts of the world. Based on his criteria, we set him up with a Co-Motion Americano equipped with a Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14, belt drive, generator hub, and an array of other reliable touring components to keep him comfortable during his travels.

Ventana El Gordo Fatbike with Rohloff SPEEDHUB XL and Gates CarbonDrive belt

We were very excited when Rohloff called at the start of the summer to tell us they were sending us a pre-production sample of their new fat bike-specific SPEEDHUB XL. We had learned they were considering producing this 170mm wide hub only a few months prior, and now prototypes had already been built and tested and they were on to a pre-production run. Our sample hub showed up a week later and we marveled at how it dwarfed the standard SPEEDHUB 500/14.

The only problem on our end was finding a frame to use to build the new hub into a bike. Since we don't get snow in the San Francisco Bay Area, we planned to set the bike up for trail riding, which has become an increasingly popular use for fat bikes. This meant that the bike would be getting a suspension fork and dropper seatpost. It also needed to be belt drive compatible since we prefer the maintenance-free aspect of belts.

Rohloff SPEEDHUB XL Fat Bike Wheel Build Specials Through August 31

Now through August 31, when we anticipate our first delivery of Rohloff's new fat bike-specific SPEEDHUB XL internal gear hubs, Cycle Monkey is offering specials on bikes and wheels built around these hubs. Details on wheelset specials can be found below. Details for complete bike packages can be found here.

Rims are available in carbon fiber or aluminum in widths from 50-100mm for trail or sand/snow use. Wheels can be set up with tubes or tubeless using tires from Vee Rubber, Surly, and 45NRTH. All wheels are built to Cycle Monkey's exacting in-house standards and come with our standard two-year guarantee on craftsmanship.

During our pre-sale, receive 10% off bike and wheel packages. In addition to this special pricing, existing SPEEDHUB owners can trade in their Rohloff hubs for $700 in credit towards a complete bike or new wheelset. With the anticipated late August delivery date for the new SPEEDHUB, we expect to start shipping wheels by the middle of September.

Contact us at info@cyclemonkey.com or 510-868-1777 to place an order.

Wheelsets starting at $2,141

Signature Wheelset: $2,416

Rear Hub: Rohloff SPEEDHUB XL
Front Hub: Hope Fatsno
Rims: Surly Clown Shoe
Spokes: Sapim Race
Nipples: Sapim Race
QR Skewers: Hope
Tires: Vee Rubber Snowshoe XL or H-Billie
Tubes: Surly fat bike tubes or tubeless

Black Sheep Highlight ST with Schlumpf, Belt Drive, & Rohloff SPEEDHUB

We built this bike for a customer in Vail, CO who was looking for an all-around mountain bike that catered to some very specific setup needs. He enjoys long rides exploring the backcountry roads of Colorado's High Country and wanted a bike that would take his adventures further into the seemingly endless trails of the Rocky Mountains. His build needed to be reliable, low maintenance, and capable enough for all-day rides combining dirt and pavement.

For this build, comfort was a top priority for our customer given distress caused by arthritis in his hands. With this in mind, he wanted a simple ergonomic setup that would be easy on his wrists and that avoided trigger-style shifters.

Jeff Jones Titanium Space Frame With Rohloff SPEEDHUB

This bike was built for a local customer who came to us looking for a unique frame that was comfortable and versatile enough for the different types of trails near his home in Oakland, CA. He had his eye on a Jeff Jones Titanium Space frame, which has long been recognized as one of the most distinctive titanium mountain frames.

Our customer planned to explore the Bay Area on various trail rides and weekend trips. From long rides on hilly doubletrack to weekend bike camping trips on paved and dirt roads to quick twisty singletrack, he wanted a bike that would do it all. After talking with him about his riding style, we put together a collection of top-notch components – including a Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 – that would match the aesthetics of the titanium frame and last him for years.