Just to recap, I have the 2021 Koga World Traveller with Rohloff and Gates Belt. I’ve changed the handlebars and put on my trusty Brooks saddle but that’s about all that I’ve modified.
I’ve published earlier reviews here on this site.
TLDR: It’s a great bike. Both fun and dependable. Really well thought out and highly recommended. That said, I’m comparing it to a cheap steel frame build from 8 years ago, and also to my great love – my Surly Crosscheck – and this Koga is in a different league.
After 21,000 kms across Australia, New Zealand, South-East Asia, and Europe, the bike was getting a little noisy, but still fine. Things needed to be cleaned, greased, tightened and adjusted. I was happy with the bike as it was but knew it could get better.
I look after the bike, but I’m not OCD about cleaning it and I do very very little maintenance. I simply get on it and ride it most days – for a year and a half so far.
I booked it in to Hans Van Stralen Bike shop in Bleiswijk, Netherlands. They’re a Koga dealer and my initial call with Michel was very positive. I also sent them a list of things that I thought needed attention and some parts to replace.
I dropped it off and had a great chat with Michel. It was clear he knew what he was doing, and knew the bike. So I left the shop with great confidence – on the loaner Dutch bike they gave me – a nice touch, considering I rode there.
When I picked it up after the service, I was really pleased. Yes, it was an expensive service, but some extra things needed replacing and parts are expensive. It was within the bounds of what I was expecting. The work was done very thoroughly and the result is fantastic. What a great bike shop. Thanks !!
Here are my thoughts on the main components:
Gates Belt
The belt looked in very good condition considering where it had been and how far it had gone. However, Michel discovered that about half of the teeth on the belt were hanging on by about one millimetre. I had expected to get another 10,000 kms out of it and I’m not sure why it wore in that way. I asked the people at Gates and they said that 21,000kms is good and that there wasn’t much I could have done to extend its life any further.
This meant replacing the belt and rear sprocket.
Wheels
The (original) Deore XT front bearings didn’t need replacing – I’m amazed. So, the hub was cleaned and greased.
The wheels (Ryde Andra 210) are still true and the spokes haven’t been adjusted, which is a testament to their durability
Tyres
Apart from the 800kms of the Mawson Trail, I’ve run tyres with tubes.
I’ve used three different Schwalbe tyres :
• Marathon GT. They came with the bike and I think they’ve been discontinued. I’ve used them on mainly paved roads for nearly 10,000kms (SE Asia and one of the Australian trips)
* Marathon Allmotion. I used these in Australia, NZ and through Europe for the remainder – 11,000kms). They’ve been great, but after 7-8,000kms they each developed a bump where the tyre wasn’t properly seated against the rim. Later I noticed that the bead was separating in part and I think this caused the problem. Before then, I was regularly deflating the tyre and reseating it. To be fair, they’ve been through a lot.
For the last 8,000 kms, I’ve also been running Tannus Armour inserts. They’ve been really useful as there were more than four cuts completely through the tyre, one of them being half a centimetre long – but I didn’t notice until much later. They also allow me to run lower tyre pressures where necessary.
* I have now got Schwalbe Marathon Efficiency tyres on – just before the service. They seem like they have more volume (which I like) than the Allmotions, and so far, they have been brilliant, but it’s still early days
Grips
I got new grips as I’d worn through (completely through in parts) the old ones (Jet Black) from 99 bikes. These were very soft, absorbed lots of road shock and I loved them.
I got some Ergo GP1s and I’ve liked them so far.
Bottom Brackets
The bottom Brackets (regular FSA Max and the EBB) were cleaned and greased. There was a fair bit of grit in the EBB that was causing a lot of the creaking. I last cleaned and greased the EBB only two and a half months prior to the service, but there had been a fair bit of dirt and sand since then.
The one gripe I have, is with the EBB (I believe it’s a Bushnell type). From time to time, I’ll need to tighten it daily to stop the creaking, then it’ll be fine for a couple of weeks before needing to be tightened again.
Brakes
The brakes (Shimano Deore XT hydraulic) were bled and new pads installed. This was last done about a year ago. That’s the third set of pads in 21,000 kms (2 X resin and 1 X sintered metal).
It’s the second time the brakes have been bled.
Cranks
Not every squeak has been cured as a result of the service, but it’s 95% quiet. Apparently, they didn’t have the tool to separate the chain wheel from the crank, and that’s where the final remaining creak is – but it’s hardly a problem. The result is almost silent cycling like when it was new.
Seatpost
Ah… the seatpost. The Koga Swan seatpost has been on its last legs for about 3000kms and it has squeaked since it was a few hundred kms old.
Sometimes I found the noise really annoying, especially when riding through lovely, quiet natural areas, or up hills. However, it was always an indication that the seatpost was doing its job. i.e. protecting my back from all of the bumps in the road.
Sound effects aside, I’ve loved it, but it was time to update after one of the bolts in the parallelogram started rattling. There was about 5mm of play in it. It started making death noises in the days just before it’s replacement arrived. It knew it’s time was well and truly up.
To be honest, it’s been fantastic. I could easily adjust the “springiness” and the suspension meant that I’ve had almost no back pain so far.
On the downside, it couldn’t be properly serviced. Koga sent me the details on how to service it, but the bolts in the parallelogram couldn’t all be removed. And I think that’s why it continued to squeak, and squeak and bloody well squeak. At one point in exasperation in NZ, I sprayed it with water and the squeak disappeared for a whole day. At other times, I tried spray grease, chain oil, Rohloff oil, silicone spray and even WD40.
I’ve replaced it with a Cane Creek eeSilk+ which has more travel (35mm vs 27), but the the polymer in the middle means that it’s never going to travel the 35mm. It feels less springy than the Koga Swan, and has now started squeaking occasionally in the late afternoons (I have no idea why it’s only then). Most importantly, I still have no back pain, so I’m still happy. Longer term review to come in six months time.
Racks
The rear Tubus rack has been brilliant in that it hasn’t caused any issues whatsoever.
On the front forks I have Zitto adaptors which mean I can use a Blackburn Outpost cage and a standard bottle holder on each fork.
I replaced the adaptors after they had done about 15,000 kms. They’re made from cheap alloy but seemed to be quite durable.
Pedals
I love these pedals, as I love being clipped in – I have a roadie background. If I’m on a very rough rocky section, I’ll unclip and use the flat side.
I’ve worn Shimano or Exustar sandals for all but three days of the whole journey.
I also wonder about moving to flat pedals. It would simplify my gear somewhat.
Rohloff Hub
What can I say ? It’s brilliant, I love it and it’s flawless.
It leaked oil for the first time after my flight from Sydney to Singapore in June 2022. I suspect the flight had something to do with it, but the temperature and high humidity would have played a role too. Since then, there has been some normal oil leakage on the QR skewer and it makes its way to the external gear changing box. I have to clean the grime off every month or so. And that, along with the regular 5000 km oil change is all I do.
Because of this magical piece of equipment, I simply get on it and ride every day rather than do maintenance.
Summary
I’m very happy with the bike and its attachments. It’s my means of transport on this huge journey and can be relied on day in, day out while being fun to ride.
As well, the people at Koga have been responsive and supportive the whole way.
