I’m not in the market for a Winter bike! But if I was, I would seriously consider the Santos SRR05. With a Rohloff 14 speed hub gear and a belt drive it means no mess and simple maintenance.
The bike is just a proof of concept exercise at the moment and I understand that it isn’t in production yet. I believe Santos are considering marketing this very sensible machine as a Sportive bike. I think this could be a mistake as it ‘s not mainstream and sexy enough to appeal to sportive riders.
However a set of m/guards (it has eyes) would transform this into a perfect Winter bike or even an Audax machine. It’s only draw back is the rather awkward looking gear selector mounted at the bar end. This is a compromise as Rohloff gear selectors are not designed for drop bars.
I’ve no news on price, but a Rohloff hub costs £840 alone, so £1500+ would seem to be the likely point for the complete bike.
A more detailed write up on the Santos is available on Road CC’s web site at http://bit.ly/3YEIbe
Miles Back
31 Oct 09
