Commuting / Touring: Co-Motion Americano with Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 and Gates Carbon Drive

This Co-Motion Americano was built for a customer in Corpus Christi, Texas. He had been riding on a Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 for many years that he loved and wanted to move it to a new bike. He rides to work everyday and wanted to get a great commuter with dynamo powered lights and a frame that was sturdy enough to be used for moderately loaded touring. He was also excited about using a Gates Carbon Drive belt. Co-Motion's top quality, American made, Americano model covered all of his requirements, so we used this as the starting platform.

Co-Motion Cycles is a company who specializes in building bikes for touring, commuting, and tandems at their factory in Eugene, Oregon. They are a prominent supplier of Rohloff bikes in the US, offering several complete touring bikes equipped with these high quality gear hubs and offer custom geometry, S&S couplings, and a wide variety of paint options upon request.

The Americano model is a steel touring frame built for 700c tires with clearance for 35mm tires and fenders. It comes with rack, fender, and three bottle-cage mounts. It has stable touring geometry that also makes it a great everyday bike.

With the frame figured out, our Wheel House got to work on a pair of custom wheels. We used one of our favorite commuting rims, the Velocity Dyad and double butted Sapim Race spokes with Sapim brass nipples. 

Up front, a Schmidt SON28 dynamo hub powers the Busch & Mueller Lumotec Luxos headlight and Toplight Line Plus taillight. In the back, a Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 provides reliable all condition shifting duties.

The rear wheel was outfitted with a Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14, which is a great fit for any commuter because of its durability, wide gear range, and consistent, maintenance-free shifting. The SPEEDHUB's sealed shifting system protects shifting components from the grime, mud, dirt and other contaminants that bikes are often ridden through. With hardened steel internal gear wheels and a 526 percent gear range, the SPEEDHUB adds versatility and dependability for all forms of riding conditions.

With the addition of the Gates Carbon Drive belt, which has a usable lifespan at least twice as long as a conventional chain (and typically much longer) and does not require lubrication, this is one of the most low maintenance and dependable drivetrains available. For this customer we used a larger front cog. He rides mostly flat land on his daily rides and this will give him the gear ratio to make the most of those flats. This set-up is perfect for a hassle-free commute every day of the week. Whether you are heading across town or out of town, you can get on and get going without worrying whether the shifting is working.

The HubBub bar end adaptor allows the use of the Rohloff twist shifter on a conventional road drop handlebar. It installs into the end of the handlebar with a 6mm allen key, and the Rohloff shifter slides over the shaft and tightens in place as usual. For more information on all the options available for shifting the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 go to our blog that describes them in detail by clicking here.

This customer was looking for a high quality, reliable commuting and touring bike, and this Co-Motion Americano provided just what he was looking for.

Are you looking for a great commuter that will be ready for you to get on everyday without any fuss? Do you want it to have a custom set-up and dynamo powered lighting? Give us a call. We can help you find the right frame and build-kit to make your new ride everything you want it to be.  

Build details

• Frame: Co-Motion Americano

• Fork: Co-Motion Americano

• Headset: Hope Threadless 

• Stem: Thomson X4

• Handlebar: Salsa Cowbell 2 

• Shifter: Rohloff twist shift with HubBub bar-end adapter

• Bar Tape: Selle Anatomica Leather 

• Seat post: Thomson Elite

• Saddle: Selle Anatomica Titanico

• Front Hub: Schmidt SON28 ISO

• Rear hub: Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14

• Spokes: Sapim Race

• Nipples: Sapim Brass

• Rims: Velocity Dyad

• Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Racer

• Cranks: Middleburn RS8 X-Type

• Bottom Bracket: Hope 

• Chain ring: Gates Carbon Drive

• Rear Sprocket: Rohloff

• Chain: Gates Carbon Drive Belt

• Brakes & Levers: TRP HY/RD with TRP RRL Road Lever Set

• Rotors: Magura 180mm / 160mm

• Extras: 
• Front Light: Busch & Mueller Lumotec Luxos U-Model
• Rear Light: Busch & Mueller Toplight Line Plus 
• Kickstand: Pletscher 2-leg