Expedition / Adventure / Backcountry Touring: Lynskey Fatskey Fat Bike with Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 XL

A customer from Hickory, NC called us to discuss building up a new bikepacking rig. He wanted to use 29+ wheels with a maintenance-free and dependable Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 and Gates Carbon Drive belt drivetrain to take on the Great Divide and other adventure touring routes. 

There are limited options available for dedicated 29+ bikes to begin with, and he wanted something lighter than the popular Surly Krampus and ECR steel options. Fortunately, most fat bike frames will accept 29+ wheels, so he was able to use the lightweight titanium Fatskey frame from Lynskey. He sent us the frame and Carver O’Beast carbon fork that he had already picked up, and we worked with him to pick the rest of the components for the build and put everything together.

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