Super Commuter: Co-Motion Camino with Schlumpf Speed Drive

This bike was built for a customer in San Francisco, CA who had a very specific idea of what he wanted in a commuter bike. He was looking for a clean, minimalist aesthetic and the zippy, responsive ride he was used to on his road bike in a fixed gear package. He also wanted to have more than one gear to handle the hills in San Francisco without getting off the bike and flipping the back wheel around to a different sprocket size. Disc brakes were a requirement for stopping on the way back down those same hills, as was a Gates Carbon Drive belt system for no drivetrain maintenance.

He liked the options that Co-Motion offered, and the Camino model covered all the bases. We worked with them to customize the frame to accept a belt and then installed a Schlumpf Drive internally-geared cranksets to provide two gear choices without adding any clutter and maintain the simplistic look of a single-gear bike. A rich paint color makes this bike stand out.

Co-Motion Cycles is a company that specializes in building steel and aluminum drop bar bikes at their factory in Eugene, Oregon. They offer options for just about any type of riding with said bar shape and offer custom geometry and a wide variety of paint options upon request. They are quite familiar with the Gates belt drive system and internal gearing as a prominent supplier of bikes equipped with Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 internal gear hubs and now also the Pinion gearbox.

The Camino model is a disc brake-equipped steel road frame built for 700c wheels with clearance for 28mm tires and fenders. It comes with rack, fender, and bottle-cage mounts and has classic road bike geometry. Reynolds 853 tubing keeps it light and offers a comfortable ride. In stock form, the Camino is only available as a chain-driven derailleur bike. 

In order to meet this customer's requests, we asked Co-Motion to modify the drive side dropout so a belt could be installed in the rear triangle and to build the frame with an eccentric bottom bracket so the belt could be properly tensioned.

Schlumpf cranks requires no external shifter. The shift is actuated by hitting a discrete button on the crank arm, and thus leaves the handlebars and downtube free and clear of any derailleur, cables or shifters. Schlumpf offers three different options of their gearing system - High Speed Drive, Speed Drive, and a Mountain Drive - each with a different internal ratio change. 

The Speed Drive model was selected as the best fit for this build. With a 1.65 overdrive ratio, this model offers a smooth pedaling transition between the two gear options, making it the most appropriate model in most applications when combining with a single-speed rear wheel. When riding varying terrain, shifting between the two gears will not dramatically affect your pedaling cadence.

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. This set-up is perfect for a hassle-free commute every day of the week. Whether you are heading to work or across town , you can get on and get going without worrying about your drivetrain.

This customer came to use looking for a very specific commuter that turned out to be one of the more unique builds we've done in a while - which is unusual given the specialty nature of the bikes were usually build. We worked with Co-Motion to customize the frame and built up the bike to meet the customer's vision for an ultimate commuter. If you have a new bike vision that you are ready to bring to life, get in touch, and we'll help make it a reality.

Build details

• Frame: Co-Motion Camino

• Fork: Co-Motion Camino

• Headset: HCane Creek 40 

• Stem: Ritchey Components 4-Axis

• Handlebar: Profile Design Airwig OS TT Base Bar 

• Bar Tape: Lizard Skins DSP 

• Seat post: Ritchey Components Link

• Saddle: Brooks Cambium C17 

• Front Hub: Paul Components Front Disk

• Rear hub: Paul Components Rear Disk

• Spokes: Sapim Race

• Nipples: Sapim Brass

• Rims: Velocity Aileron, reflective finish

• Tires: Schwalbe Durano Plus / Durano DD

• Cranks: Schlumpf Speed Drive 

• Bottom Bracket: Co-Motion Eccentric BB 

• Chain ring: Gates Carbon Drive

• Rear Sprocket: Gates Carbon Drive

• Chain: Gates Carbon Drive Belt

• Brakes: TRP HY/RD 
• Levers: Paul Components Cross Levers

• Rotors: Magura