Silkroad

The Silkroad features a frame with integrated rear rack for the best possible combination of low weight and high strength. By eliminating the braze-on tabs there are no bolts to come loose or tabs to shear off. The rack itself is stronger, stiffer and lighter. Fitting a rear rack to most disc brake equipped frames has been awkward at best. By designing the rack into the frame, this problem has been solved for good.

The Silkroad is offered in two versions, one is strictly for the internally geared Rohloff hub or similar hub like the Shimano Alfine, the other is for derailleur equipped drive trains. The Rohloff version is equipped with an eccentric bottom bracket, enabling the chain tension to be adjusted without using a tensioner, which is just one more potential point of failure. The 14 speed Rohloff Speedhub gives you a wide range of gears with the most reliable multi-speed drive train ever made. A derailleur drive train is less expensive, but not as reliable or durable as the Rohloff. The derailleur version of the Silkroad frame can of course be fitted with a Rohloff Speedhub if you prefer. If you use a derailleur version with a Rohloff, you must use a chain tensioner.

Silkroad frame for Rohloff with no fork: $ 1,150.00

Silkroad frame for derailleur or Rohloff with no fork: $ 1,100.00

Silkroad painted steel fork (the standard fork): $ 205.00

Maverick suspension fork (details below): $ 990.00

All Tout Terrain frames are designed for disc brakes only. Disc brakes keep working even if your rims are damaged in a crash. There's plenty of clearance for large tires and fenders. The frame has wiring retainers for lights, and the taillight wire even passes through the rear rack, eliminating the chance of damaging the wire while installing or removing bags.

For winter cycling in particular, the Silkroad has significant advantages over other frames. Disc brakes are superior to rim brakes in winter since they are far less likely to ice up. But in the past, disc brakes haven't worked well with rear racks. Not any more. And the Rohloff 14 gear Speedhub eliminates the hassle of iced up derailleur systems. And don't be concerned about the Rohloff hub taking only 32 spokes. Since the Rohloff is dishless, the wheel is significantly stronger than dished wheels for derailleur equipped bikes. With only 32 spokes and a heavy duty 26" rim, a Rohloff rear wheel is tough enough for loaded touring, even on a tandem!

All braze-ons, dropouts and the entire rear rack are made from stainless steel, eliminating rust from those parts of the frame that would otherwise be most susceptible to rusting. Tout Terrain frames all have a special stop built in which prevents the fork from being turned more than 90 degrees to either side. This eliminates a source of damage to lights as well as to the frame and any front rack. The rack has eyelets for mounting a taillight, either battery or dynamo powered.

All Tout Terrain frames come with their innovative "Handlebar Stop". This device works in conjunction with a brazed on block on each side of the head tube. The stop clamps to the steerer tube and prevents the handlebar from turning more than ninety degrees in either direction, protecting the frame from damage, as well as any light mounted at the fork crown. This photo of the Handlebar Stop is of a prototype. The production part is anodized black.

Here's the Rohloff version of the Silkroad. Headset and stem are shown here for display. I have many headset and stem options. As you can see, there are many braze-ons for routing shift cables and brake lines. Three sets of water bottle eyelets are standard. The small triangle at the rear of the left dropout reinforces the seat stay against the torque from the disc brake.

On the left you see a front view of the Silkroad fork. The blade on the left, which is actually the right blade, is thinner at the top. The blade you see on the right of the left photo, the left blade, is thicker at the top to compensate for the twisting action of the disc brake, which is attached to that fork blade. Looking at the photo on the right, you see the same fork, but now looking at it from behind. Now you see the left blade with the disc brake mount near the bottom, just above the dropout. On the back side of the right fork blade you see the three wire holders for the lighting system. A hub dynamo has its connectors on the right side. So the wires from the hub run up the back side of the right fork blade to the headlight mounted either at the fork crown or further up on the handlebar. The connector on the upper part of the left blade is for the disc brake line or cable housing.

The Silkroad fork is designed from the ground up as a disc brake fork. It's asymmetrical to eliminate torque steer from the disc brake. The left blade is much stiffer than the right blade. The dropouts face forward so that the action of the disc brake pulls the hub into the dropout. Everything about the Silkroad tells you that the designer understands the needs of the touring and commuting cyclist , as well as the mechanical requirements for a durable and trouble free transportation bicycle. The integrated rear rack eliminates bolts that can come loose, stiffens the rear rack, while at the same time reducing weight. Anyone touring or commuting by bicycle will have a rear rack, so why not build it into the frame? And doing so eliminates the problem of getting racks to clear disc brake calipers when you use an ordinary frame and retrofit it to take disc brakes.

While some frames treat disc brakes as an added on "cool feature", the Silkroad's design makes no sense WITHOUT disc brakes. The designer knew from the beginning that this bike would be used for every day transportation, so the design assumes that dynamo lights will be installed. Nothing is "added on" as an afterthought with the Silkroad. It's all there, and was intended to be there from the start. For another example, the ideal location for a headlight is just above the front tire, at the fork crown. But if you mount a light there with most frames, you risk damaging it if the front wheel flops over more than ninety degrees, jamming the plastic light against the downtube of the frame. But a Silkroad fork can't turn more than ninety degrees, eliminating damage to the headlight and scratches to the paint.

Some frames (Santana comes to mind) use a shell design that has set screws to lock the eccentric in place. This holds the eccentric securely, the first time you use it. But the set screw puts an indent in the soft aluminum surface. This is not good, because if you need to make a fine adjustment, the set screw can dig into the edge of the indent made earlier, and you won't be able to make the very fine adjustment you would like. Other eccentric bottom bracket shells (Cannondale) use a complex eccentric in two parts that wedge against each other. These can hold very tightly in place, which is good, but will very often hold too tightly, making later adjustments extremely difficult if you can't loosen it.

The Tout Terrain eccentric works by clamping the bottom bracket shell itself around the eccentric with three heavy duty bolts. Provided the surface of the eccentric is greased, it won't seize in place, and you'll never have any difficult making precise adjustments to it. Why all frame builders don't do it this way is a mystery.

Here's the left dropout of the Silkroad frame. See the cap screw head to the left of the dropout? That's to hold the Rohloff OEM2 axle plate in place, keeping the axle from rotating. All Tout Terrain frames are designed to take the Rohloff OEM2 hub with extrenal shift box.

The two machined holes, one above and the other above and to the right of the left dropout, are the mounting holes for the disc brake. Notice that these holes are machined after the frame is painted. That assures extremely precise positioning of the disc brake caliper. And you needn't worry about rust, since the dropouts are stainless steel, as are all of the braze-on bits.

To the right of the dropout is a mounting point for a bolt-on kickstand, which I will have as an accessory for those so inclined.

The two little tubes are for mounting a taillight to the back of the rack. They are 50mm apart, perfect for mounting European standard taillights, which I import from Germany. Just under the light mounts is a button head screw. It's for mounting a fender. There are other screws positioned properly on the rack and chainstays for the fender struts. Hidden from view is the outlet hole for the taillight wire which you can easily run through the top tube of the rack. The top tube of the main frame has stainless steel mounts for the wire which is picked up from the fork crown, where a headlight would mount. You can wire the entire bike for lights without using a single zip tie.

Suspension Fork?

There is now, January, 2009 a suspension fork made specifically for the Silkroad and Panamericana. Manufactured by Maverick, it has a special fitting on each side to make a very stable and rugged attachment for front panniers, specially made by Arkel. The panniers move with the upper section of the fork, so the weight in the panniers is sprung weight, and therefore riding with a load over rough roads becomes much more efficient. The Silkroad frame has always been "suspension ready", so any Silkroad can have this new fork fitted and the handling will not suffer. The fork requires a hub with a 24mm axle. We now have these from Chris King. As of May 2009 there is no dynamo hub to fit this fork, but Wilfried Schmidt is working hard on a new dynohub spcifically for this 24mm fork. Currently, if you want dynamo lighting on a bike with this fork, you'll need to use a sidewall dynamo such as the Dymotec 6 from Busch & Müller, running on the rear tire.

Here's a Green Silkroad, size Large, with the Maverick fork. The fork takes a 24mm axle hub. We stock them from Chris King. The 24mm hub releases very easily from the fork.

Tout Terrain makes a special front fender for the Maverick fork. The fender moves with the wheel for maximum protection.

The pannier mount is at the bottom of the upper fork section, so the pannier is suspended, reducing unsprung weight.

Two stainles steel pins on the rear of the pannier slide into the pannier mount. The stiff back of the pannier keeps the entire assembly very solid.

Here's the right pannier mounted to the fork. After the mounting pins are inserted in the mount, the top of the pannier clamps to the upper fork. The pannier mounting is very secure. This photo shows the right pannier. But to be clear, the Dolphin pannier is available either for the right side or for the left.

Maverick fork: $ 990.00

Arkel Dolphin pannier, each: $ 230.00

Fender for Maverick fork: $ 145.00

Prefer Derailleurs or a Road Bar?

Here's a Silkroad set up for road bar, derailleurs and a triple crankset. This version of the frame can also use the Rohloff hub, but will require a chain tensioner since there's no eccentric bottom bracket shell.

The road handlebar won't take any brake levers that work with hydraulic disc brakes. So this bike uses mechanical discs by Shimano. One small annoyance is the caliper needs to move in and out when the brake is used. If this wasn't a touring bike, that wouldn't matter. But since this bike is likely to have panniers on the rear rack, the inner surface of the pannier will press against the brakecaliper, preventing it from releasing from the disc after you brake. The solution is a small aluminum plate, mounted to the caliper mounts. This prevents the pannier from touching the caliper. The pannier will flare out a bit at the bottom, but it works fine.

Since this is our demo, we left the steerer tube quite long so peple trying the bike can adjust it to their needs. We generally ship bikes with the steerer extra long too, since the user often hasn't had a chance to test ride the bike. You can swap spacers from above or below the stem to raise or lower the bar. The stem can also be reversed.

Once the owner knows where he wants the headlight mounted, the wire can be shortened. Here it's left long so a tester can try different light positions. Notice that the light mount isn't directly attached to the fork, but to a small cylinder below the crown that also holds the front fender. The Silkroad steel fork is longer than it might otherwise need to be, since the frame is suitable for a suspension fork. So the cylinder allows the fender to be properly positioned relative to the tire, and we also use it for mounting a light.

How Heavy?

One demo bike here at the shop is outfitted with a Rohloff hub. It's the bike pictured at the top of this page. It's a medium frame size with the standard fork. It weighs a bit over 32 pounds as pictured. The maximum carrying capacity of the Silkroad is 350 pounds. That weight includes the bike itself, the rider, and any gear being carried in panniers. Naturally, that assumes the wheels you use are up to the task. If you're buying the Silkroad from me with wheels built by me, don't worry.

700c Wheels?

For medium to light touring on good roads, either paved or well maintained and smooth dirt roads, you can equip the Silkroad with 700c wheels. You won't be able to use the same big fat tires that you can with 26" wheels. But you can use a 700 x 35c tire like the Schwalbe Marathon Racer and have a rather quick riding bike for commuting and light touring. This can be done because there are no rim brakes on the bike. The disc brake means that the only restrictions on wheel size are the height of the fork crown and the clearance of the rear rack. I stock 32 spoke Velocity Dyad rims in both silver and black finish to work with the 32 spoke Rohloff hub. And if you use the derailleur version of the Silkroad and use a 9 speed cassette, you'll need more spokes for the dished rear wheel, and we can accommodate that as well, of course. 32 spokes is plenty for the Rohloff since it is dishless.

Of course, just because you can use 700c wheels that doesn't mean it's all that good of an idea. 700c wheels aren't as tough as 559mm wheel of similar design. So my recommendation is to use 26", or 559 wheels with the Silkroad. But you do have the option of 700c.

These are hand made frames. These are not custom frames. If you need something similar to a Tout Terrain frame, but with some different feature, you'll need to speak with a custom frame builder. To keep our prices reasonable, we must build these frames in batches. That precludes making a single frame with features different from what you see here.

The top tube slopes downward to the rear. So these standover dimensions are approximate.

The front disc size is 180mm, rear is 160mm.

This suggested component group for a derailleur equipped Silkroad has reliable and inexpensive parts from Japan, Taiwan, Italy, France, UK and the US.

Remember, these components are suggestions only. I have lots of component options.

The second component group is my so-called "best of everything" group. The TA Axix bottom bracket has replaceable cartridge bearings. The TA Carmina crankset is available in many arm lengths from 155mm through 185mm to provide a perfect fit for just about every cyclist. The Phil Wood rear hub is the most ruggedly built hub available and very easy to service. Mavic and Velocity make a wide range of suitable rims. The Nitto seatpost is very easy to adjust for any seat angle. The Brooks B17 Champion Special saddle is beautiful and comfortable. The XT disc brakes are very powerful with good modulation.

Remember, there are many options. These are just one of many groups available, and you can customize to your heart's content.

Shimano, Phil Wood, and TA bottom brackets all require special tools for installation. I have them available for sale.

But most people will probably want their Silkroad fitted out with a Rohloff internally geared hub. The Rohloff has fourteen well spaced gears for a wide range of ratios to handle any touring application. It's far more reliable than derailleur equipped bikes. Just keep the hub oiled and clean the chain. The hub will outlast the rider! The Rohloff version of the Silkroad uses an eccentric bottom bracket shell, just like on a tandem, to adjust the chain tension. And there's no funky wedge system to adjust this eccentric. Just three heavy duty allen bolts clamp the bottom bracket shell tightly around the eccentric, with no set screws digging into the eccentric itself, and no wedge to seize up. It's simple and reliable.

Shimano now makes a mechanical disc caliper (BR-R505) to work with road brake levers like STI, Ergo, Cane creek or the very popular R400 and R600 levers. So if you want a Silkroad set up with drop road bars like the Nitto Noodles or Modolo X-Tenos, we can do it. The Rohloff shifter can be attached to the end of any road bar with an adapter from Hubbub that fits a bar the way bar end shifters do.

Shimano, Phil Wood, and TA bottom brackets all require special tools for installation. I have them available for sale. If you order a kit, the bottom bracket and headset will be installed for you, and the wheels will be built by me. To assemble the above kit, you'll need to install the cranks on the bottom bracket, install the brakes, the stem and handlebar with brake levers and Rohloff shifter, run the cables and brake lines, drill holes in the fenders for the struts and frame fixing points, attach brake rotors to the hubs, trim fender stays, install seat post and saddle, and pump up the tires.

Stainless steel braze-ons keep all cables under control, not only for the Rohloff shifting system, but also for the hydraulic brake lines and wiring for the headlight(s) and taillight. Nothing is left dangling and you'll need no zip ties either. All the braze-ons are painted to match the frame. But given that braze-ons are the places where paint is most likely to chip, the use of stainless steel means you'll get no rust after those inevitable chips happen.

Special fenders are available, 60mm wide, in both plastic/aluminum sandwich from SKS and stainless steel from Gilles Berthoud. Since the fender braces and mounting points are a bit different with the Tout Terrain frames, I've had these fenders made without holes predrilled, so that you can locate the holes precisely where your frame needs them, for perfect fitting of these extra wide fenders. Before now, the widest Berthoud fenders available have been 50mm. But I've managed to get Gilles to make us some of his wonderful stainless fenders in a 60mm width for the Tout Terrain frames. And they'll still have his super light aluminum struts, so even though the fenders are the toughest available, they aren't heavy.

When mounting these plastic/aluminum sandwich SKS fenders, be sure to pad each side of the fender where it bolts to the frame to reduce the chance of cracking. Cork from a wine bottle works well.

Which type of handlebar is best?

There are two types of handlebars that work well with a Tout Terrain, though one is clearly superior, I think.You can use a "drop" or "road" bar, like the type used on "racing" or "road" bikes. Road bars offer several hand positions, making long rides more comfortable. While most "racing" bikes have the handlebar positioned quite low relative to the saddle, there's no reason the bar has to be placed so low. So the road bar, from the standpoint of getting the very best fit, can be superior. But, hydraulic disc brake levers aren't available for road bars, and the Rohloff shifter is designed to mount on smaller diameter MTB bars. So I think there's a better way.

On a road bar, the most comfortable position is usually on the tops of the brake hoods. Cane Creek makes a special grip called Ergo II for MTB bars that clamps onto the ends of the bar, and replicates the padded top of a road brake lever. So you have a very comfortable hand position for long rides. This position is generally more comfortable than holding the MTB bar where you grip the brake levers or the Rohloff shifter. In that position, you need to rotate your wrist inwards. The Ergo II hand position is more natural, and getting to the brake levers or shifter is very quick. In traffic, of course you would keep your hands at the brake lever position. But I believe that these Ergo II grips eliminate the problem of using MTB bars for long distance touring. So you can have the benefits of hydraulic disc brakes, and the Rohloff shifter, without the usual compromise of reduced hand comfort.

Another view of the Ergo II grips.

54mm Chainline

The Rohloff hub has a 54mm chainline. That means the center of the cog is 54mm from the centerline of the frame. This coincides with the outer chainring position of most triple cranksets. I like to set up the Rohloff equipped Tout Terrains with a single ring in the outermost position on the crank. TA makes a nice chain guard ring that just fits between that outer position and the crank arm on the Carmina crankset. The bolt circle of the chain guard ring is 130mm. So, by using the 130mm bolt circle spider and a middle position chainring, the chainring moves to the outer position. Then we use a 4mm spacerand bolt on the chain guard ring. Here's how it looks from above.

We need to use the female half of a double chainring bilt set, and the male half of a triple bolt set to make this work. Then the bolts are long enough to pass through the crank spider, two chainrings, and the 4mm spacer. For most riders, a 40 tooth chainring works well with the stock 16 tooth cog that ships with the Rohloff.

Here's a Silkroad fitted with the new 60mm Berthoud stainless steel fenders. These are more expensive than the SKS fenders, but they have more coverage and will last longer with hard use.

Notice the long extension of the steerer tube, and how the stem is at the very top. Every Silkroad and Boulevard we sell is built for the individual customer. This customer wants a high handlebar and lots of standover clearance. He's tall, but he's getting a medium frame. He could easily use a large frame, but then he'd have less standover clearance. Since there's no downside to using the smaller frame, why not? Well, some people think it looks funny. So they'll choose the larger frame. No problem.

I like to ship new bikes with the steerer tube left extra long. This allows the customer to try the bike and experiment with different handlebar heights easily. Once the ideal handlebar height is determined, the customer can bring the bike to his local bike shop to have the steerer cut. Or, ship just the fork back to us and we'll do it at no charge. Forks with threadless steerers can be removed from the frame quite easily, especially when using a headset with sealed bearings like the Chris King.

Same bike showing the leather mud flaps made by Gilles Berthoud.

Berthoud's new leather saddles have rivets to match these on the mud flaps.

The front fender struts can be attached either at the dropouts, or at the mid fork braze-ons, which also are used for mounting a front rack, like the Tubus Duo. Here we're using the mid fork just to keep the dropout area clear, and make it easier to attach the wire for lights. The aluminum fender struts are easily bent without sacrificing strength.

Many other component options are available. I have Avocet, Continental and IRC tires; Avocet and Terry saddles; Velocity, daVinci, rims; TA, Shimano, WTB and Speedplay pedals. I stock many Phil Wood bottom brackets. Many stem choices including Dura Ace and Ultegra stems, Specialites TA Zephyr or Carmina cranksets, TA or Phil Wood bottom brackets, Chris King headsets, Original XTR M900 headset and hubs, and many saddlebags and lighting systems. With TA cranksets, you have many more crank lengths to choose from.You can have a dynamo lighting system installed with either an internal hub dynamo or tire driven dynamo. I have Tubus front racks and Ortlieb panniers for touring and commuting. Call or e-mail with inquiries.

Boulevard

Think of the Boulevard frame as a slightly heavier (about 6 ounces) and less expensive Silkroad, ideal for commuting. Instead of stainless steel tubing in the incorporated rear rack and dropouts, chrome-moly is used. But you get the same high quality construction in the Boulevard frame as the Silkroad. You lose the third water bottle cage under the downtube, since this frame is designed for commuting. The geometry is the same as the Silkroad. New for 2009, by special order the Boulevard will be available for derailleur shifting, as well as for internal rear hub shifting. For city use, the Shimano eight speed Nexus hub is ideal.

Here's a Boulevard frame in Cream set up for city commuting. The components shown are specific to the European version, with different lights and cranks, but this gives you an idea of what's possible. Notice that the rear rack is missing the lower horizontal bar for lowered positioning of loaded panniers. This saves a bit of expense building the frame, and the slightly higher center of mass when loaded shouldn't be an issue during a commute, as opposed to an all day ride while on an extended tour.

The Boulevard has the same handlebar stop as the Silkroad. This prevents the handlebar from turning more than 90 degrees to the side, protecting your headlight and all the cabling. Like the Silkraod, the Boulevard is only set up for disc brakes, either mechanical or hydraulic. The Boulevard uses the same fork as the Silkroad. The frame and fork is sized so that those riders prefering a suspension fork can use one, without adversely changing the frame geometry.

Boulevard frame and fork, including Handlebar Stop and seat post collar: $1200.00

Colors: Anthracite and Cream.

Panamericana

The Panamericana is Tout Terrain's all terrain expedition frame. Shown here is a complete bicycle with the Maverick suspension fork, Rohloff rear hub. The rear suspension has 80mm of travel, which makes the chain tensioner necessary for the Rohloff hub. No bottom bracket eccentric is used, so this frame can be set up with either a Rohloff or a derailleur drive train. The break in the rear fender is required by the suspension system. Front and rear panniers can be used and all the weight is suspended. This means that the only unsprung weight is the wheels, bits of the suspension system itself and the front fender which moves along with the front wheel.

The prototype, shown here, has silver anodized suspension parets. The production versions are anodized black.

Panamericana frame with shock: $ 2,695.00

Singletrailer

The Singletrailer uses a suspension to keep your child comfortable when riding offroad trails. Great care is taken in the construction of the trailer to maximize safety. Your child will remain safe and dry if it rains. Even if your bike has no fenders, your child is protected from spray by the black plastic barrier in front. The side windows are thick plastic. There are reflective strips down each side and across the back.

In good weather, just use the mesh screen to protect your child from those big nasty bugs while riding.

The sun shade is removeable.

You can roll up the shade and store it in an inside pocket.

When you don't need the mesh screen, just tuck it away behind the seat.

If there's a chance of rain, pull down and secure the plastic window. Your child will remain dry.

The suspension can be adjusted for both weight and ride height. Adjust the pressure in the shock to compensate for your child's weight and the terrain, and adjust the position of the shock on the suspension arm to change the ride height of the trailer.

Singletrailer: $ 2,500.00

Sherpa

The Sherpa pack and support let you take your backpack with you on a ride, without having to wear it during the ride. Put the pack on its support while riding, then wear the pack at your destination. You can also keep a hydration sack inside the Sherpa pack.

Sherpa Pack $ 115.00

The Sherpa support rack clamps to your seatpost. There are several sizes of inserts so one support can fit most seatposts.

Sherpa Support Rack $ 110.00

The Sherpa Pack rests on the support, and a fabric pocket slides over the vertical section of the support, keeping the pack securely on the support.

The straps lock the pack onto the support frame.

Peter White Cycles is now the exclusive US and Canadian source for Tout Terrain. We no longer distribute Tout Terrain products to other bike shops in the US and Canada.

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This page updated: Thursday, June 11, 2009

Peter White Cycles
24 Hall Rd.
Hillsborough, NH 03244
USA
603 478 0900 Phone
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