The bright green colour alone clearly signals that the Velotraum is an individualist. Like the colour "VT-Green", (almost) everything else is freely selectable. The customer does this on the Internet or, better still, with a personal consultation at the company headquarters in Weil der Stadt. In our case, it was editor-in-chief Tom Bierl who put together his dream bike for an extreme trip in January 2015. At the top of the list of specifications: the best, most comfortable riding characteristics, a Pinion gearbox of the latest generation with maximum mountain capability and reliable components that are as robust as possible. Loaded with full luggage, they had to tackle a route through the sometimes extremely steep mountainous terrain on the border to Myanmar. The result after three weeks, 1200 kilometres and 14,000 metres of altitude: no technical problems - apart from a flat rear wheel. The selected wide Schwalbe Marathon Almotion tyres shone with a full, comfortable and safe ride even on rather rough roads. This feeling is also due to the balanced geometry and the convincing stiffness that the discreetly voluminous aluminium frame develops in conjunction with the Pinion gearbox. The bottom bracket stiffness is enormous and extremely efficient, especially in the mountains. Power is transferred directly to the road. The stability of the carrier with loaded panniers is also ideal. Nothing swings here.
The external chain tensioner reveals both advantages and disadvantages. The deflection makes the Pinion gearbox, which is not quiet anyway, purr much louder. On the other hand, removing the rear wheel is child's play and a chain that lengthens over time is always taut. Velotraum only provides disc brakes for the bike. The fitted Brakeforce One proved to be in a class of its own (see test report). Conclusion: An all-round successful bike for extreme travelling.
Pinion: The new generation
After the second 1000 metre climb, the Roeckl gel glove I had chosen flew into the bin without pity. With the best will in the world, it was no longer possible to apply the hand force required for shifting gears with the baggy part. Fortunately, there was still a tight-fitting Gore glove in my luggage, which made it much easier to control the Pinion gearbox. The only weak point of the new gearbox generation is revealed on the steepest mountains with luggage. Shifting under load with luggage on the carrier is only possible with the help of enormous manual force. However, when the hills become moderate again, the gears also slip. Otherwise, the gearbox purred along the 1200 extreme kilometres without grumbling. Drive maintenance is a thing of the past. There were also no more loud cracking noises and the previously critical change from 7th to 6th gear was somewhat easier. All in all, the constant improvements have paid off.
