Carrera vs Equator
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Carrera vs Equator
So after waiting several years, my wife and I have decided to take the plunge.
I have taken a liking to the Co-Motion offerings. First, it was the Speedster. However, I also had some interest in the Carrera.
We had the chance to ride a Carrera this week at a local shop (they did not have a Speedster in stock at the moment), and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I am also curious about the Rohloff SpeedHub, and see that Equator line comes with it.
Riding will mostly be doing trails 20-60 miles, although it would be fun to do a Century at some point too.
Both bikes are quality products.
The Carrera felt very nice, not sure how much the carbon fork and aluminum tires contributed to that or not. Any thoughts about the Speedhub vs. the Ultegra w/ DI2 for tandems?
What would you go for?
Thanks!
Matt
I have taken a liking to the Co-Motion offerings. First, it was the Speedster. However, I also had some interest in the Carrera.
We had the chance to ride a Carrera this week at a local shop (they did not have a Speedster in stock at the moment), and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I am also curious about the Rohloff SpeedHub, and see that Equator line comes with it.
Riding will mostly be doing trails 20-60 miles, although it would be fun to do a Century at some point too.
Both bikes are quality products.
The Carrera felt very nice, not sure how much the carbon fork and aluminum tires contributed to that or not. Any thoughts about the Speedhub vs. the Ultegra w/ DI2 for tandems?
What would you go for?
Thanks!
Matt
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Bikes: 2010 Bob Brown Cycles tandem, 2019 Co-Mo Carrera tandem, 1980 Richardson tandem, 2014 Cervelo R3, 2018 Specialized Roubaix, 1985 Bianchi Campione, 1983 Trek 720, 2020 Trek Fuel EX8, 2021 Salsa Mukluk
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Since I've never ridden an Equator, I can't possibly give you any advice as to which bike to go for. I am really loving our new Carrera, though, even though we've swapped out the wheels and drive train to be a bit more in line with our travel tandem. The first thing I noticed about the Carrera, though, was that it had sort of a twitchy, racing bike sort of feel in the front end on our first ride, and from the reviews I had read about the bike, that's exactly what I had hoped and expected for it to feel like. I would suspect that the Speedster is very similar in that regard. The Carrera is also quite rigid and very stable on steep descents, so it feels safe and secure at high speeds. Since the bike is still pretty new to us, I'm still not sure that my wife is totally sold on it, but for me it's the type of steel-framed tandem I've been looking for without spending a small fortune on a carbon fiber frame and components to match. All in all, though, I think it's a great bike that pretty much covers the full gamut in terms of tandem road bikes.
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Here is a nice discussion on the Equator from crazyguyonabike.com (2 pages): Mike & Bern Tour New York: First trip on the new tandem: Belt driven - no derailleurs
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Here is a nice discussion on the Equator from crazyguyonabike.com (2 pages): Mike & Bern Tour New York: First trip on the new tandem: Belt driven - no derailleurs
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Riding will mostly be doing trails 20-60 miles, although it would be fun to do a Century at some point too.
The Carrera felt very nice, not sure how much the carbon fork and aluminum tires contributed to that or not. Any thoughts about the Speedhub vs. the Ultegra w/ DI2 for tandems?
What would you go for?
Matt
The Carrera felt very nice, not sure how much the carbon fork and aluminum tires contributed to that or not. Any thoughts about the Speedhub vs. the Ultegra w/ DI2 for tandems?
What would you go for?
Matt
If you like to Century rides at a fast pace, then Di2 is the way to go. It's lighter than Speedhub with far more precise shifting.
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Here is a nice discussion on the Equator from crazyguyonabike.com (2 pages): Mike & Bern Tour New York: First trip on the new tandem: Belt driven - no derailleurs
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It depends on what you mean by "trails". If you're riding on flat gravel in dry weather, the Speedhub has more drawbacks (weight, price, bigger gear jumps) than advantages (low maintenance, reliability). The Speedhub is more useful for touring in rough terrain and wet weather.
If you like to Century rides at a fast pace, then Di2 is the way to go. It's lighter than Speedhub with far more precise shifting.
If you like to Century rides at a fast pace, then Di2 is the way to go. It's lighter than Speedhub with far more precise shifting.
Now that they finished the trip Mike has provided a review of how the bike performed as this was their first tour with the Equator, it is on the last page of the journal. They have many tours on their previous tandem so I really value his insight. Wife and I are currently shopping for an Equator as our next tandem.
In discussion with the local dealer, Co-Motion can put a Rolhoff Speed hub on the Carrera. In fact this is actually cheaper than getting the Di2 package. Now this does mean that the upgraded aluminum wheels which come with Carrera would be replaced. However I have also been thinking about the pathfinder package (Schmidt SON dynamo hub, superb Schmidt Edelux II headlight, and Sinewave Cycles Reactor USB to) and I believe this would also negate the aluminum wheels.
So I guess now I looking at getting a Carrera either way, it comes down to Rolhoff Speedhub vs Ultegra w/Di2.
I have not been to keen on how the Rolhoff shifts gears, however I see there are other options such as the Rohbox or E-14 (presumably expensive).
Thanks,
Matt
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Since I've never ridden an Equator, I can't possibly give you any advice as to which bike to go for. I am really loving our new Carrera, though, even though we've swapped out the wheels and drive train to be a bit more in line with our travel tandem. The first thing I noticed about the Carrera, though, was that it had sort of a twitchy, racing bike sort of feel in the front end on our first ride, and from the reviews I had read about the bike, that's exactly what I had hoped and expected for it to feel like. I would suspect that the Speedster is very similar in that regard. The Carrera is also quite rigid and very stable on steep descents, so it feels safe and secure at high speeds. Since the bike is still pretty new to us, I'm still not sure that my wife is totally sold on it, but for me it's the type of steel-framed tandem I've been looking for without spending a small fortune on a carbon fiber frame and components to match. All in all, though, I think it's a great bike that pretty much covers the full gamut in terms of tandem road bikes.
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#9
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My wife and I did test ride an Equator with Rohloff and all Gates drivetrain a couple of years ago. We both liked the way it rode and the elimination of chains appealed to me. But the one thing that prevented us from buying it was the noise made by the Rohloff hub in some gears, ratios that we would frequently use. My stoker is especially sensitive to any noise from the bike as she knows that it should be silent unless something isn’t working properly. Comotion said that the noise would get quieter with use but never completely go away. We may be more sensitive to this than most teams, but just something to be aware of if you’re considering the Rohloff hub.