May 28, 2016
Kerry's Chronicles: Transport for Two
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Kerry here.
Our ride for this adventure is a new Co-Motion Equator. We custom ordered the bike back in September and took delivery just before Christmas. When considering a tandem, the Equator immediately drew our attention because of the Rohloff hub and belt drive system – no more messy chains and cranky derailleurs!
We did a lot of research before deciding on the basic bike and its options and it took a couple of more months to customize it to our (my) liking, but in the end we think we have the perfect bike for touring …..TIME WILL TELL :)
Here is the lowdown for those interested in the specific equipment. If you’re not in that camp, go ahead and skip to the next page.
Factory specs for the Base Equator (from Co-Motion’s website):
- Frame: Handbuilt frame with zonally-butted heat-treated cro-moly steel tubing
- Fork: Co-Motion Taper Gauge Tandem Touring fork w/ CNC Tandem Steerer
- Shifters: Rohloff SpeedHub / Co-Motion Rohloff Shifter
- Brakes: TRP Spyre w/ 203mm Rotor
- Headset: Chris King Inset 44mm Internal
- Drivetrain: FSA Gossamer Tandem Cranks / Gates CenterTrack / Gates Carbon Drive timing belt + drive belt
- Cockpit: FSA Gossamer captain bar & stem; Co-Motion Stoker bar & stem
- Post/Saddle: Selle Italia Nekkar & Lady Flow, Co-Motion 31.6
- Wheels: Rohloff rear, DT540 Disc front hub; Velocity Dyad rims
- Tires: Vittoria Randonneur Pro, 700c x 35mm
Factory options for the bike include:
- Pathfinder Package (SON28 Dymo hub, Edelux II headlight and a Sinewave Cycles USB charger)
- Thudbuster seatpost
- Stainless drop-outs
- Tubus front & rear racks
- Tubus CargoEvo rear rack
- Kickstand plate
- Extra braze-on for tire pump
Aftermarket additions/ modifications:
- Brooks B17 Select saddle (Captain)
- Brooks B17-S Imperial saddle (stoker)
- SKS Fenders
- Shimano A530 dual platform pedals
- Pletscher Kickstand
- B&M Toplight Line Brake Plus taillight (Dymo powered)
- Velo-Orange Wheel Stabilizer
- Ritchey Pro Stem 31.8mm x 120mm +30 degree – replaced stock stem
- XLC Adjustable Stem - 31.8mm x 110mm, 0/60 Degree (2nd stem to mount handlebar bag)
- Aluminum bottle cages (x5)
- Continental Gator Hard-shell tires in 700c x 32mm
Panniers & Bags:
- Arkel T-42 Touring Panniers (Rear)
- Arkel T-28 Touring Panniers (Front)
- Arkel Handlebar Bag (custom made for us in yellow)
- Arkel Tailrider Trunk Bag
- Co-Motion Stoker bag
Electronics & Accessories:
- Garmin 1000 computer (x2)
- Terrano-X (x2) (Bluetooth commmumications)
- Tool bottle to hold spare tube & CO2 cartridges
- Water bottles (x4)
Spare Parts:
On last year’s trip, I wore out a set of disk brake pads and could not find replacements.
Paradoxically, the more worn the pads became, the more they dragged. Eventually, there was so much drag that I had to take the front caliper offand zip-tie it to my handlebar for the last month of the trip – not fun when you’re in the mountains of PA!!
Based on that experience, I have loaded up on spare parts for this trip. The parts list includes:
- Spare Tubes (X2)
- Spare Tires (X2)
- Tube Patch kit
- Tire boots
- CO2 cartridges (X4)
- Inflator
- Tire pump
- Pressure gauge
- Brake Cables (F&R)
- Shifter Cables (X2)
- Gates Belts (Timing & Drive)
- Gates Belt tension tool
- Spokes
- Brake Pads (F&R)
- Rohloff oil change kit
- Multi-tool
- Saddle wrench
- Allen key for eccentric BB
- Tweezers (for pulling glass out of tires)
- SPD Cleats and screws
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