The Co-Motion Tumalo is a new off-road bikepacking rig that splits the difference between mountain and gravel bikes. This comfortable dirt road cruiser will clear 29 x 3.0″ tyres, is suspension fork compatible, and offers a notably upright riding position for all-day comfort.
Co-Motion has been building tandems and touring bikes that can withstand the rigours of hard riding since the 1980s. Every bike is handmade in the USA with customizable geometry, component choices, and endless paint options.
I actually once rode a Co-Motion touring tandem from Europe to Australia!
The Co-Motion Tumalo’s frame geometry resembles drop bar MTBs like the venerable Salsa Fargo. I suspect the Tumalo will handle very similarly as only a couple of millimetres difference splits the two.
The Tumalo is built with a mix of Columbus Life and Max heat-treated steel tubes. All cabling is kept external with the exception of an internal dropper post routing.
The steel tubes on the Tumalo are lighter and thinner than those used on Co-Motion’s touring models, so expect this bike to ride with some extra liveliness.
The downside to a frame with lighter tubing is that it offers less lateral frame stiffness. As a result, the Tumalo will be better suited to a more minimalist bikepacking setup rather than a heavy touring setup.
Co-Motion Tumalo Setup Options
Option: Rock Shox Reba RL Suspension Fork or Whiskey Carbon Fork
The RockShox Reba 120mm travel suspension fork maximises front wheel traction, enhancing your ride confidence over challenging trails.
The carbon rigid fork reduces the overall bike weight by 1kg/2.2lb and gives you more mounting options for bikepacking cargo cages and front racks.
Option: Pinion 12-speed Gearbox or 1X12 Derailleur Drivetrain
Pinion gearboxes are less susceptible to damage, they don’t require any tuning or adjustment, they reduce bicycle maintenance, and they are unlikely to ever wear out. The only maintenance is the 10,000km oil change which takes no more than 15 minutes to complete.
Pick the Shimano GRX 1X drivetrain for a lighter, more performance-oriented bike setup – it’ll save some money to boot.
Option: Pinion Gearbox Electronic Shifter or Grip Shifter
The Pinion electronic shifter is especially nice on a drop bar bike as the shifting can be integrated with the brake levers. You can also set the electronic shifter to automatically downshift to a pre-set gear when stopped, and up-shift when gaining speed.
The grip shifter is a straightforward cable-operated design with no need to charge any batteries.
Option: Custom Sizing or Standard Sizing
The custom sizing suits those who are especially short/tall or have atypical body proportions. Otherwise, the standard five sizes will fit virtually all cyclists.
If you’re planning to use a flat or sweptback handlebar, I’d recommend custom sizing. The Tumalo is first and foremost designed for drop handlebars so it has quite a short frame reach. A frame that is adequately long enough for flat or sweptback handlebars will usually be 30 to 50mm longer than the standard sizing.
Co-Motion Tumalo Customisation
There are hundreds of custom paint options, and you can add features to the frame such as a steer stopper, silver head tube badge, rear-mounted kickstand or polished stainless steel rear dropouts. Co-Motion has also said they can build Tumalos with Rohloff 14-speed hub compatibility.
Another interesting option is adding S&S couplers to the top and down tube of the frame. Couplers allow you to split the Tumalo frame in two and put your bike into a standard airline-checkable suitcase (no oversized luggage fees).
The Co-Motion Tumalo frameset is US $2995, and complete bikes start at US $6590. Find everything you need to know at Co-Motion.com.
Co-Motion Tumalo (12-Speed Pinion Gearbox)
- Frame: Co-Motion-designed Columbus Omnicrom heat treated double butted Cro-Moly tubing
- Fork: Whisky #9 MTN Carbon or Rock Shox RL 120mm Suspension fork
- Shifters: Co-Motion grip shifter or TRP Hywire electronic shifters
- Brakes: TRP Hylex/Hywire hydraulic with 180mm disc rotors
- Drivetrain: Pinion C1.12 Gearbox & Gates CenterTrack belt drive
- Gear Inches: 16.1″ low gear & 97.4″ high gear
- Cockpit: Salsa Cowchipper flared handlebar & FSA V-Drive stem
- Saddle/seatpost: Selle Italia X3 XP Flow & Co-Motion
- Wheels: WTB KOM i35mm rims & DT Swiss 350 hubs
- Tires: WTB Ranger 29 x 2.4″
Co-Motion Tumalo (Shimano 1X GRX Drivetrain)
- Frame: Co-Motion-designed Columbus Omnicrom heat treated double butted Cro-Moly tubing
- Fork: Whisky #9 MTN Carbon or Rock Shox RL 120mm Suspension fork
- Derailleurs: Shimano GRX RX-822
- Shifters: GRX RX-822 (right lever controls shifting+brake, left lever controls the optional dropper post+brake)
- Brakes: Shimano GRX Hydraulic with TRP 180mm Disc rotors
- Headset: Cane Creek 40 Series
- Drivetrain: FSA V-Drive 32T crankset & 10-51T cassette
- Gear Inches: 18.1″ low gear & 92.8″ high gear
- Cockpit: Salsa Cowchipper flared handlebar & FSA V-Drive stem
- Saddle/seatpost: Selle Italia X3 XP Flow & Co-Motion 31.6
- Wheels: WTB KOM i35mm rims & DT Swiss 350 hubs
- Tires: WTB Ranger 29 x 2.4″
