Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist Rohlo

chillimagnum
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Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist Rohlo

Postby chillimagnum » Sat Jun 07, 2014 2:27 am

First up great forum have read through so many touring threads and members websites. Have researched many options and narrowed down two candidates. What are your opinions on these based on your experience touring?

Diamond Tourist with Rohloff
https://www.bikefriday.com/bicycles/touring/1459" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pangea Rohloff with Co-Pilot
http://www.co-motion.com/index.php/sing ... ea_rohloff" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have 5 months until SE Asia tour for 8 weeks. Light touring as camping is difficult or illegal. Future tours would include camping. Some of the trips through Western Australia look great. It would also be used for general weekend day rides of around 100km.

What I'm looking for:
A frame which can be packed for travel and buses through SE Asia (S&S couplers or a foldable bike)
Rohloff
Dynamo
Touring bars (no drop bars, so the Pangea would have to be modified)
A carbon belt drive would be nice but not mandatory. The diamond tourist frame only allows chain with tensioner for the Rohloff.
Disk brakes
26" or less. Diamond Tourist is 20".

Regarding 20" have been researching any potential issues with these touring. One blogger mentioned about rims failing due to heat on steep decents. Hence the disk brake option.

The fallback option is a Vivante Gibb in 26" which would be easier and quicker to order, but would prefer the S&S couplers.

Other options considered were VWR Gibb, Surly Troll, LHT 26 and Gellie custom with S&S and Rohloff dropouts being the most expensive. But with GST and shipping a custom frame not much more than the Comotion frame with co-pilot option.

Cheers

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rangersac
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby rangersac » Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:21 am

No experience with either of those, but if you have a budget that stretches to the Pangea Rohloff and you could go local with the Velosmith Jota for virtually the same price (no exchange rates and shipping fees) which will be customised to your size. Tim also does S&S couplers/ dynamo etc as extras. Also given you are going with a Rohloff I wouldn't be too concerned about having a carbon belt drive either, a chain is more easily fixed/ acquired off the beaten track if something nasty occurs.
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Leaf T
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby Leaf T » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:07 pm

Plenty of options there in your budget. Some random immediate thoughts, Straight forks on touring bikes don't seem suitable to me as the bend supposedly adds a little flex for comfort. Disc brake rotors bend apparently. You could get a frame that has the ability to run belt drive but run it with chain for the time being because of supply issues in Asia. It would be difficult to find a replacement belt even in Bangkok I imagine.

It's not difficult to fit a bike with 26" wheels into a box or bus, I've done it several times. Last time I flew back from Singapore I didn't even use a box. I wrapped it in a big plastic bag from a mattress shop. I prefer the box but the bag is an option too. No experience with small wheeled bikes and I've read mixed reports on S&S couplers usefulness but I like the idea.

I bought a 58cm Thorn Raven tour but if I needed to replace it I would look at a Fahrrad Manufaktur TX400 or something from Patria. How tall are you? I have a brand new racing green Raven Tour frame sitting in it's packaging I should sell on :) You could build it up or get the LBS to do it. It's a 56cm or medium size. I like the Gibb but it is a shame it is not optimised for Rohloff by getting rid of the chain tensioner.

Where do you plan to travel? You may decide to skip buses and ride most of the time. If not I think many buses would allow a bike underneath if it meant an extra fare for them. I did this in Malaysia last year from Teluk Intan to Klang. I'd had enough of the heat, palm oil plantations and a shoulderless road full of trucks heading into Malaysia's busiest port.

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Rob74
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby Rob74 » Tue Jun 10, 2014 3:28 pm

Not Retro…But AWESOME Reynolds 725 O/S Tubing …..Co-Motion Pangea

CGoB Visits CO-Motion Factory

Who stocks in Aus??

Rob

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RonK
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Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist Rohlo

Postby RonK » Tue Jun 10, 2014 3:44 pm

Apart from the unnecessary disc brakes, your specification fits the Thorn Nomad quite precisely.
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Leaf T
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby Leaf T » Tue Jun 10, 2014 4:26 pm

My Raven Tour is heavy and very close in weight to a Surly LHT. Both are good multi purpose bikes for load carrying and on/off road touring. The Nomad is even heavier. Almost overkill heavy.

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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby Wingnut » Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:38 pm

I'm not so keen on drop bars for off road touring but I would go with the Co-Motion hands down if I was you...

There's for and against going with the Gates belt drive...limited gearing choice, belt drive doesn't like extreme mud and grit but there's no lubrication req and so so quiet...you can always carry a spare belt as they're pretty light.

Similar for and against issues with disc and rim brakes...these days you can get disc brake pads and spares (cable & hydraulic) anywhere in the world...people complain about discs being noisy or rubbing but so can rim brakes, wheels get buckled and they can squeal pretty loud too...if I was buying a modern bike today I wouldn't even consider rim brakes unless it was a road bike, but they'll be out of date in a couple of years too...

Go with the Pangea...

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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby ldrcycles » Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:55 pm

I've not done any touring yet but if it were my money i'd go with the Co-Motion purely on wheel size, 26" will be far more common off the beaten track.
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Leaf T
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby Leaf T » Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:24 pm

Co-Motion. Nice looking bike but I'd move that shifter upto the flat near the stem.

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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby Leaf T » Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:32 pm

Gellie custom or Baum? Both in Melbourne and both highly regarded.

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rifraf
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby rifraf » Fri Jun 13, 2014 2:11 pm

Dont rush into anything if you can help it.
I've read of an owner of both Fargo and Co-motion Rohloff Divide who liked his Divide but didn't think its ride justified the expense over the Fargo.
I'll try to find the link and update this post.
If the S&S couplers were important they can be retro fitted to frames although this is easier to get done in the States.

I just had an unsuccessful look but failed to find it quickly and I'm a little pushed for time.
Its in the mtbr.com forums and I did find a post of mine where I quoted him but failed to leave a link.
At the time there was only a few posts that came up on the search "Co-motion" but now there is pages of them

""I just didn't notice an $1800 difference in ride quality. But it is a beautiful well-thought-out USA made custom frame with a lifetime warranty made by some really nice folks in Oregon and for a lot of people who can afford it, that means a lot. I paid extra to add two sets of eyelets: one for a Topeak Road Morph pump under the TT and another set on the fork for my OMM rack which makes for an incredibly stable and strong rack. "

Yes it didn't escape my notice that the Divide wasn't one of your choices.
My point was that the Pangea, undoubtably a very nice unit, might not be worth the premium to you.
Get to ride one before making up your own mind "before" parting with your dosh.

The difference in funds for something a little less exotic to ride might cover some fantastic touring of locations whose memory might be more worthwhile than a Reynolds sticker on your seat tube.
Hey the Co-motion looks great on paper and they wouldn't be in business if no one thought they were worth owning.
I was sneaking repeated looks at the Divide myself after it was pointed out by RonK.
After reading that owners opinion, I decided a pause was necessary before rushing into a purchase decision.
I might have revised my decision if I'd hated the Ogre.
I don't and can think of lots of things I'd now rather spend the price difference on.
Last edited by rifraf on Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby rifraf » Fri Jun 13, 2014 2:29 pm

Rob74 wrote:Not Retro…But AWESOME Reynolds 725 O/S Tubing …..Co-Motion Pangea

CGoB Visits CO-Motion Factory

Who stocks in Aus??

Rob
I think I remember someone on our forum suggesting Flying Furniture being an agent.
Apologies if I'm wrong
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rifraf
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby rifraf » Fri Jun 13, 2014 2:59 pm

Found that link to poster Aroundoz whose owned a Fargo and Comotion Divide for anyone interested
http://forums.mtbr.com/29er-bikes/co-mo ... 246-2.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I brought it up, not to knock any Comotion bike but merely to point out that some owners........
Well read the post and you'll get what I'm saying
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby RonK » Fri Jun 13, 2014 7:07 pm

I quite like the Comotion Divide, but my choice would be a Jones. Probably a titanium diamond frame with truss fork - ready for Rohloff with dropouts and EBB, but I'd pass on that for conventional derailleur transmission.

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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby ldrcycles » Fri Jun 13, 2014 8:32 pm

Slightly off topic but what is the benefit of having a set of forks like that, rather than just normal forks that are larger diameter than those?
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby il padrone » Fri Jun 13, 2014 9:18 pm

For a loaded touring bike I reckon that Jones is just too tight in the chainstay length - far too tight. Great as a nippy day-tour trail-riding bike, but "hello heel-strike" if you carry panniers.
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby Wingnut » Sat Jun 14, 2014 12:39 am

Jones bikes are nice but I think they suit "Bikepacking" rather than loaded touring...

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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby Leaf T » Sat Jun 14, 2014 11:25 am

ditto the chainstays for heel strike.

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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby RonK » Sat Jun 14, 2014 11:33 am

ldrcycles wrote:Slightly off topic but what is the benefit of having a set of forks like that, rather than just normal forks that are larger diameter than those?
Read about it on Jeff Jones design page.

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Last edited by RonK on Sat Jun 14, 2014 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby RonK » Sat Jun 14, 2014 11:46 am

il padrone wrote:Great as a nippy day-tour trail-riding bike...
Somebody forgot to tell these riders then...the Tour Divide is "only" 4415km, but still a bit more than a day tour.

Racks and panniers are not the only way to carry a load.

But they do work on a Jones.
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby Leaf T » Sat Jun 14, 2014 12:48 pm

A quick diversion. Does anyone use the ortlieb bag pictured above on their rack? I really like the idea but they weigh a lot compared to a decent dry bag.

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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby rifraf » Sat Jun 14, 2014 1:22 pm

Andy wrote:A quick diversion. Does anyone use the ortlieb bag pictured above on their rack? I really like the idea but they weigh a lot compared to a decent dry bag.
G'day Andy,
if your referring to the 31 litre rack bag on the rear rack, I think you'll find many of us here utilise the same.
Supurb bag though indeed not the lightest.
I'm very happy with mine and would have worries about an alternative with regards to robustness.
Mine has survived a few tours now as well as some wet weather general purpose use.
I wouldn't hesitate to replace it with the same once its service life is over.
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby Tim » Sat Jun 14, 2014 1:32 pm

Andy wrote: Does anyone use the ortlieb bag pictured above on their rack?
If you mean the sideways mounted racktop bag, yep, I do.
I use the 31 litre Medium size. It fits neatly on top of the rear panniers although clipped directly to the panniers (as it is designed to) it doesn't feel too secure. I prefer the added security of a couple of occy straps.
A fair bit more expensive than a similar sized dry bag I like that it has a lengthwise opening and is a bit easier to pack and unpack and find small bits and pieces than an end-opening dry bag.
As far as weight is concerned, meh, I'm not in the slightest bit worried about an extra kilogram here or there. It makes no difference whatsoever when my total load weight has been up around 30 kg's at times.

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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby il padrone » Sat Jun 14, 2014 3:28 pm

RonK wrote:Somebody forgot to tell these riders then...the Tour Divide is "only" 4415km, but still a bit more than a day tour.
If you fancy sleeping in a bivvy bag and wearing the same set of clothes (day & night) for 14-40 days. Not my ideal sort of tour, but yes, it may suit some. Pheeeoooii, but they mean someting else when they say "Hi!" to you in town.
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Re: Comotion Pangea Rohloff or Bike Friday Diamond Tourist R

Postby il padrone » Sat Jun 14, 2014 3:30 pm

Andy wrote:A quick diversion. Does anyone use the ortlieb bag pictured above on their rack? I really like the idea but they weigh a lot compared to a decent dry bag.
Tim from Metung uses one I believe. I just use an Ortlieb roll-top drybag for the same results. It has survived all my touring since about 1996.

[edit] Ahh! He's already spoken of it :oops: :P
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