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Like a Rolling Stone: Co-Motion Divide Rohloff Follow-Up Review

Check out my updated long-term review of the Co-Motion Divide at https://johnnyisaak.com/co-motion-divide-rohloff-a-long-term-review/

I’ve been rolling on my Rohloff/Gate CDX equipped Co-Motion Divide for about two months now, logging in over 2,500+ kilometers, using the bike as my primary form of transportation and daily commuter to and from work. I’ve had the bike on several short and longer distance multi-day micro-adventures ranging from 200-500 kilometers. With the saddle, handlebars and other adjustments pretty much set, I’m now settling into the bike and getting to know the subtle nuances of life on the road with an internally geared hub and carbon belt drive.

Freedom from Worry: Thoughts on Building an Effective Tool Kit

by Johnny Isaak ·

Ever fret over what tools and spare parts to bring on a long cycling journey? What to put in, what to leave out? Me too. There’s a myriad of options, with the lists being virtually endless, always striving to balance utility against weight. It boggles the mind. Regardless of what you settle on for your tool kit, it really boils down to “what works for you,” which should be the result of a little thought and analysis. Here’s my take along with a little of my decision-making methodology on the never-ending, ever-evolving, and sometimes hotly contested theme of building the “perfect” tool kit, if such a thing exists.

Think of Your Tool Kit as Part of a Larger Support System

The process gets a little easier and your kit a little more effective if it’s designed to support your trip’s goals, your personal riding style, the equipment you will be using, and the environment you’ll be traveling through. It helps to look at your tools and spare parts kit as integral components of a broader travel support system developed to provide specific capabilities to suit a particular set of goals, needs and operational conditions. Developing a clear understanding of how you are going to ride, what you are going to do with what gear, and where you are going to do it is key to assembling not only the right tool kit and spare parts list, but an effective, efficient support system that will give you the confidence and ability to go virtually anywhere you desire.

Gear Review: Brooks Cambium C17

by Johnny Isaak ·

In the market for a new touring or trekking saddle? You may want to check out the Brooks Cambium C17. I recently replaced the stock saddle on my expedition bike with one and now have about a thousand kilometers on it, enough to get a general idea of the saddle’s quality and performance.

Co-Motion Divide Rohloff

by Johnny Isaak ·

Check out my long-term review of the Co-Motion Divide at https://johnnyisaak.com/co-motion-divide-rohloff-a-long-term-review/

In my ever-evolving search for the “perfect” trekking bike, I finally took the plunge and purchased a Co-Motion Divide Rohloff late last spring before departing on two-month cycling odyssey through central, western and southwestern China this past summer. I took delivery of the new Divide a couple of weeks ago upon returning from the Middle Kingdom and have used the new bike as my daily commuter and primary form of transportation, where I’ve put a little over 500 kilometers on it, traveling over the pavement, gravel and some single track. Here are my first impressions:

The Ultimate Urban Exploration Tool

by Johnny Isaak ·

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” — James Michener

While waiting to begin my cycle trek along The Ancient Tea Horse Road through western China, I’ve spent the past several mornings rolling out on my trusty Salsa Fargo to explore the side streets and back alleys of Shanghai, an ultra modern international metropolis with all the latest fashion, but also a city rich in history, still bustling with daily rituals and ways of life thousands of years old. Exploring urban areas by bicycle is an excellent means to access authentic local color in a quiet, unobtrusive way, and to delve into the unseen nooks and crannies of the regional cultural fabric, so often overlooked smart phone clad, image obsessed world of today. Exploring by bike, enables me to cover more ground in a morning than I could in days on foot. [Read more…] about The Ultimate Urban Exploration Tool

Why I Ride

by Johnny Isaak ·

“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of the country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.” — Ernest Hemingway

To kick off this blog, I would like to set the stage by putting up a three-part series of short pieces on why I ride and what brought about my transition to cycle trekking as my primary form of independent travel, both short and long distance.

PART I: IN SEARCH OF A BETTER WAY

“All things living are in search of a better world.” — Karl Raimund Popper

Seeking a Purer Experience

As an avid, life-long traveler, I’ve always sought a purer, more genuine travel experience. Traversing several continents and a numerous countries, I’ve always looked to experience the environment and people in the most authentic way possible. Trekking through the Himalayas, across the Rock Mountains, along the High Sierra Nevada’s, and in the backstreets and neighborhoods off the beaten paths of over-exposed tourist meccas such as Paris, Kathmandu, Beijing, and Tangier, I’ve found being mobile and moving slowly on the land yielded much more engaging experiences, allowing me to more fully immerse myself and wade deeply into the environment, and to more closely engage locals and other travels along my way in the locations I was visiting, which is not possible when traveling by planes, trains, or automobiles, where one tends to encounter other tourists, travelers, touts, and street hustlers. [Read more…] about Why I Ride

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