Hi All!
I'm back from a pleasant half-hour at Co-Motion Cycles, where I learned more about their new drop-bar Rohloff shifter and had a chance to try it in person. I spoke primarily with representative Brian Cannon, and briefly with co-owner/co-founder Dan Vrijmoet who graciously joined in near the conclusion of my stay.
This first report will be based on my own impressions of the shifter, because Brian wanted to get accurate answers to all your collected questions; he will email them to me in the next few days and I can repeat them here. I took some photos and a brief video, which I will post on YouTube (link to follow).
The two examples I saw were on Interbike show machines, so not ridable at this time. The shifter I examined most closely was on the same bike pictured on the Co-Motion Facebook page (
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.210143952871.130865.198415267871&type=3 ). It is wise to remember these were essentially prototypes or pre-production samples; they will be available after August 15 for about USD$249 each, subject to finalization of details and pricing.
As with all Co-Motion products, this is a beautifully engineered and produced product. It is made entirely in-house, and sports an o-ring for sealing at the side; it is also user-serviceable. I brought along my cheap little non-marring vernier caliper to get a rough measurement; the shifter is approximately 55mm "square" along the gross dimensions (diameter x width), and the cables exit nicely from the front using the original Rohloff end ferrules.
There is a large pass-through that easily accommodated the one brake cable I saw, with what looked like ample room for a second housing to pass beneath. The two most interesting things to me:
1) It was designed from the start to work with oversize, 31.8mm handlebars, and was mounted on same. I asked if it could be shimmed to work with 25.4/26mm handlebars, and Brian thought it might be possible, though it is really engineered and set up to work directly with oversize.
2) The shifter snuggled right up against the stem. Brian pointed out the FSA stem used on the bike was ideal in that it left ample clearance for the unit. I would say there was about 5mm of space (about the same as a cable housing) between the shifter and the stem.
I was particularly pleased with the forward, neat routing of the cable housings. Very clean, and would not easily foul a handlebar bag or hinder handlebar movement. One would have to move the shifter considerably to the right if using an Ortlieb HB bag mount on the 'bars. Otherwise, no problem at all if the HB mount went on a steerer-mounted T-bar. I do think it might well be compatible with interrupter ('cross-top) brake levers.
On seeing and feeling the shifter, I formed more impressions...
a) The feel in hand is very nice, and the large barrel had the effect of multiplying hand force. It had a very smooth, nicely-oiled feeling. There wasn't much friction in the unit (except for the sealing); rather the impression was of some viscosity. I did like it. There are flats machined around the perimeter, and it was easy to grip and move the shifter. I do think for my use in extreme cold and heat as well as wet, I would construct a removable, non-slip sleeve for the shifter. I think it could become very hot/cold/slippery depending on conditions.
b) I asked if there might be plans for a silicone or synthetic rubber cover. Co-Motion is primarily a manufacturer of complete bikes and doesn't really want to focus unduly on components. While they will be listening to user feedback as always, there are no plans at present to produce a cover or sleeve.
c) The indicator numbers are very clearly engraved in the barrel of the grip, but are black-on-black, small, and a bit tough to see for members of the Bifocal Generation. Brian said there had been some discussion about laser engraving, but at this point no decision has been made to pursue that. If it were me, I would simply wipe some white acrylic paint into the recesses, then wipe it clean before it dried, leaving the paint to clearly pick out the numbers against the black anodizing. A five-minute job that would last the life of the product. I have done similarly on items I've engraved and -- provided one gets a full fill of paint -- it lasts for decades while staying nice and clean.
The Co-Motion Rohloff shifter is nicely hard-anodized in black (other colors are not planned) to prevent corrosion and so it will match nicely with other, related components (handlebars, stems, hubs, etc). Because the unit was all-black and the light was dim, I couldn't really see how it was shimmed or attached to the 'bars.
I'll post my photos and the video in the next couple hours, so check back for updates. I should receive specific answers from Brian by email sometime in the next few days.
I wish I had some firsthand experience with the Gilles Berthoud shifter for comparison. Really, there are only so many ways to go with these things, so any similarities are to be expected. Based on what I saw today and on photos of the GB shifter, I would say it lays out like this:
= Gilles Berthoud shifter for use with standard-diameter handlebars and Thorn's bespoke handlebar with narrow center bulge. +1 for indicator clarity and size. Appears to have a smaller grip closer to original Rohloff shifter, nice for those with smaller hands.
= Co-Motion shifter for oversize-diameter handlebars of any sort and close stem approach. +1 for a nice, black-anodized finish. Large grip nice for larger hands, perhaps providing a bit more leverage to turn.
Nice to see another alternative for those wishing to use drop handlebars with their Rohloff hubs.
All the best,
Dan. (pics and vids to follow)
