I flew to the Netherlands to visit the Koga factory and take delivery of my new Koga WorldTraveller touring bike. These wheels will take me all the way from Argentina to Alaska over the next couple of years.
It was really cool visiting the Koga factory and seeing the quality control, wheel building and custom bike assembly. I had the Koga employees explain all of the small details to me which I’ll elaborate on in a separate article soon.
Like me, you might be surprised that Koga doesn’t produce steel touring bikes anymore. The official word is that their steel bike sales were slowing and the alloy frames tested better – so they committed to the dark side. I’m looking forward to seeing whether this frameset is indeed as nice to ride as my outgoing steel touring bike.
KOGA WorldTraveller Touring Bike Specs
Frame: KOGA WorldTraveller-S Alloy (60cm / Classic Grey)
Fork: KOGA WorldTraveller-S Alloy
Headset: Koga Sealed Bearing Steering Limiter
Stem: Koga Signature Alloy
Handlebars: Velo Orange Casey’s Crazy Bar
Grips: ESI Silicone and Koga Bartape
Seatpost: Koga Signature Alloy
Saddle: Velo Unbranded
Gears: Rohloff Speedhub 14 speed Internally Geared Hub
Shifter: Rohloff Grip Shifter
Front Hub: Schmidt SON28 Dynamo
Rims: Ryde Andra 210
Spokes: Sapim DB
Tyres: Schwalbe Almotion Evo 700 x 50mm
Brake Levers: Shimano XT Hydraulic
Brakes: Shimano XT Hydraulic
Crankset: Truvativ Stylo 175mm
Chainring: Gates Carbon Drive Centertrack 50t
Cog: Gates Carbon Drive Centertrack 21t
Pedals: Shimano XT T8000
Fenders: SKS Chromoplastics
Charger: Tout Terrain The Plug III
Lights: Schmidt SON Edelux and B&M Toplight Line Plus
Bidon Cages: BBB Fuel Tank XL
Phone Mount: Quadlock
Front Panniers: Ortlieb SportRoller Plus
Front Rack: Tubus Duo
Rear Panniers: Ortlieb BackRoller Plus
Rear Rack: Tubus Logo
Kickstand: Pletcher Comp
Weight: ~15kg or 33lbs
Wait. You *didn’t* go for a recumbent?! ;p Seriously, looks great and I’m stoked for your trip.
What size wheels? Looks great, looking forwward to hearing about the trip.
700x50c or 29×2.0″.
Stoked for you and your ride! You probably have or will put the best shoes on your hydraulic disc brakes; I have HDBs on my very modest REI Novara Torero and love ’em. And you found the very best hybrid pedals, IMO. I stumbled across them by accident online after half a dozen bike shops in in bike-tony Boulder CO USA failed to ‘steer’ me to them when I was asking for SPD/pinned big-footprint combo.
Wow! I’m placing an order for a nearly identical bike in January. Did they do the crazy bar install? I asked and they recommended I buy their cheapest bar and do it myself, but your wraps look wonderful – better than I could do. I also plan on using the cinq5 shifters, but other than colour and seat, identical. Thanks for the preview of my home for the next year+
So excluding the parts you brought with you to install what was the rough cost of the bike?
It’s around 4000€ for something like this. You can see the exact price of a build you may like in the Koga Configurator: https://www.koga.com/en/koga-signature
If the price tag seems a bit high, perhaps the base-model WorldTraveller with derailleurs is the smarter option: https://www.koga.com/en/bikes/trekking/collection/worldtraveller.htm?frame=H
What gear ratio have you chosen for your Rohloff on this bike? 40/16?
It’s 50/20 or 2.5:1.
So exactly the same ratio as 40/16. With the Rohloff it gives you more or less a lower ratio of 24/34 in a traditional transmission. Seems awfully small, but loaded as your bicycle is, I guess it would be just small enough to climb some tough hills or mountains! 🙂
Hi
Absolutely stunning setup. I hope you will have a great trip. All the best from Poland!
Cheers
Many thanks!
Velo Orange Crazy Bars! The number one hidden gem in the cycling industry.
How are you finding the ride of this bike compared to your old LHT? With the loads in the rear rack and upfront, is it more stable and less whippy?
Hi. Why did you choose the Rohloff gearhub rather than the Pinion?
Hi. Why did you choose Rohloff gearhub instead of Pinion?