Here at Commuter, the last couple of years we’ve definitely had the (good) problem of being a little too busy to make the time for posts like this. Some detailed looks at some of the great stuff we get to deal with on a daily basis, the reasons they are part of our range and why they might work for you. This week we’ll start with what is definitely the least well known member of the Commuter family, the Tumbleweed Prospector. All photos not obviously taken at the shop are courtesy of Tumbleweed , ambassador Ryan Wilson and Commuter family member Pepper Cook .
Based around the legendary Rohloff hub internal geared drivetrain, the Prospector has been designed to withstand the rigors of thousands of laden kilometres in the kind of conditions that would have a lot of bikes, and probabably similar numbers of riders, giving up the ghost. The top-shelf Phil Wood eccentric bottom bracket keeps chain tension sorted and the fixed chain line of the Rohloff hub allows for the kind of tyre clearance that would be difficult to acheive with a standard drivetrain. While 29 x 3.0 is our most popular and, we feel, versatile format the Prospector is capable of running 26 x 4.0 for those looking to tackle extremely soft environments like desert touring or the Baja Divide. 27.5 Plus also works nicely, the eccentric bottom bracket allowing for some adjustment in bottom bracket height.
All that said, Tumbleweed have allowed for a lot of versatility outside of the Rohloff and rigid load hauling format. The Prospector features a derailleur hanger making use of a standard external drivetrain a breeze. The front end height has also been designed with suspension fork use in mind giving the Prospector true unloaded offroad capability. If you’re trying to find a bike that ticks a lot of boxes with one bike, one of them being remote offroad touring, then the Prospector is really worth your attention.
We’ll be working hard to keep good stock of the Prospector frames at all times going forward and are already having some fun conversations about builds in the lead up to this year’s Hunt 1000 and the nicer weather in general. Here’s a few pics of the super sharp build our team recently put together for the floor. Definitely worth a look in the flesh, the build quality is stunning and even amongst our sizeable range of offroad touring bikes it stands out as being on it’s own level.
Thanks for taking time to have a read about one of our favourite bikes. Looking forward to seeing you on the trail on in the store soon.
Adam
Hi from NZ
We’ve been looking for Rolhoff compatible frames, so this was an intetesting read. I’m still keen on 29ers even though I’m 163cm. With weight still a factor for us, what frames/bikes would you suggest looking at. We dont want to have modify with external tensioning (often suggested).
Hi Shelley, I think the Prospector should certainly be on your list along with the Surly Ogre and maybe the ECR. Salsa’s Fargo is also Rohloff compatible amd sets up nicely with a flatbar.
Feel free to email me at the store on [email protected] if there are any other questions I can help you with. Adam.
So tempted by this bike! Especially with the Rohloff. What price are we looking at for a built like this?
Marc, as pictured here with Rohloff, Son dynamo and Shimano XT bits you’d be looking at just under the 7K mark. This is certainly not the entry point though and we’d be more than happy to put a quote together for you if you have something specific, or a budget, in mind.
I am starting planning for my “Great Divide” bike build and I’m trying to decide between the Tumbleweed Prospector or the Surly ECR . Since I am 196cm and 120 kilo I need a big frame . Which of these two would you recommend? I know the ECR used to come in XXL since I used to own one before someone liked it more then I did and stole it here in Inner West Sydney. I’m just not sure the standard ECR XL will be big enough. Thoughts please?
Hi Paul,
I’d suggest that of the two, the XL Tumbleweed is going to be the better fit as it’s very slightly longer in the toptube at 650mm. Given that the front end also rides a little higher it is likely to fit better set up a little tall and long. Feel free to call me at the shop if you’d like to discuss this further.
Adam