I’ll let you decide… Some of you will love this, others will loathe it. It’s touring bicycle technical pornography at its best (or worst). On a dampish afternoon here in Yorkshire, I give you Wanda, the Koga Signature WorldTraveller…
Now, where shall we start? The frame!
The handlebars…
They’ll appear again in a few moments. Next up, the Gates carbon belt drive…
The more I look at it, the more I love it. The more I ride the bike and don’t hear it… joy! The frame ‘gap’ is in order to remove the belt when it needs changing by the way. As for the little wheel, I’m not sure. To keep it clean? Let’s look at the Rohloff hub…
There’s not a great deal to see with the Rohloff hub. The magic is hidden. Why did the device never make it into a Harry Potter book? Shall we do the wheels?
OK, the tyres are not Marathon Plus but I have been assured that they are equally as good. Next up, the brakes…
Hub brakes appear to have come of age. The pedals…
Nothing too revolutionary there. The hub dynamo however…
Things have come a long way since the against-the-tyre Sturmey Archer dynamo, especially bearing in mind the USB feed that keeps my mobile phone topped up. The Brooks!
I think I’m over the worst. You’ll understand that comment if you are a Brooks fan as well… Finally, the accessories:
Love your bike? Well, I’m certainly heading in that direction…
If you are interested in reading the full technical details of the bike, you can find them in this post of CyclingEurope.org. Thanks to the cat…
Categories: Adventure, Cycling, Photography, Travel
Followed you carefully, Andrew. Thanks for all the info.
The WorldTraveller with Rohloff is top of my list, but at 69 and an infrequent cyclist who struggles with inclines, I think it might be wise to buy the E version.
Assistance would be very handy now, but these bikes last forever, so maybe the,. assistance will be essential for me over the next 10 years. However, the cost of combining a Rohloff with a Bosch drive costs over ยฃ5k versus ยฃ3,400 for the derailleur variant. Any advice ?
I couldnโt recommend the Koga more…
Iยดve been looking for a touring bike with upright riding position for some time now. Since your bike seems awesome it would be nice to hear if youยดre happy with Koga or have you met any issues or got new ideas youยดd like to share?
I love the bike. 100% recommend using Koga (I have no connection to the company other than been a customer). Iโve so far cycled 2,000km and not had one problem to speak of.
Andrew, be responsible. Do you realise how many of us are going to go out and push ourselves into debt because of this? Marriages will collapse and some will end up living in a tent, travelling from town to town, city to city and continent to continent….on a bike!
Hmmm… it’s worth considering.
Anyway… fabulous bike. I’ve been considering the Rohloff for a while and you are certainly increasing the temptation.
There’s something very special about getting a new bike. Yes, there’s the physical pleasure of the comfy ride, the crisp brakes, the smooth gears and so on. But mainly I think it’s the anticipatory glow of all those trip ideas – the vague, happy thoughts of the places you’ll go together, the trips that start with a map and a cup of tea and a whim and end up with an adventure and a book, or at least a blog post.
There is something oddly partner-like about these wheeled bits of metal and plastic, isn’t there? I can’t look at my Spa Cycles Tourer without thinking of all the places we’ve been, the summit snaps and the souvenir selfies. (Selfies of the bike, not me: I’m rather shy about such things.)
I once had a touring bike trashed by a lorry – it was parked, I wasn’t on it at the time. We’d done End to Ends, Trans-Europe odysseys. When I took it to the recycling centre, I felt awful, guilty. I could feel the bike looking at me with silent, betrayed eyes. It was like taking a much-loved family pet to be put down.
So it’s great to read about Wanda, and I’m really looking forward to reading where you go together!
I’m drooling !!!
For me that front stand makes all the difference when fully loaded. Mine has a tendency to work itโs way shorter over time. I think it might be how I kick it down when the panniers are are. Just screw it out again and oil occasionally.
Itโs the only thing on the bike which doesnโt work well. I think it may be faulty and will be asking Dave at CycleSense to take a look at it when I go back in a few weeks.
Very nice. Make sure you know how to take the rear wheel in and out as it is different with a Rolhoff.
I currently have no idea whatsoever but Iโm sure Iโll learn… ๐