Prospector

$2,500.00

Unit price: per

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Build

Complete Bike Deposit

Color

Frame and Fork

Addons

Frames are in stock now, lead times on complete builds is 3-4 months due to a large build queue.

The Prospector is our timeless and rugged expedition mountain touring bike, designed around the stalwart Rohloff Speedhub drivetrain. It’s a bike designed to be reliable, tough and field serviceable in the harshest of conditions. In the face of ever changing bicycle part standards and the integration of exotic materials, the Prospector is built to last and to buck the trend of short product cycles and throw away upgrade culture. We believe that the most important features of a reliable expedition bike are a comfortable fit, a tough frame/fork, strong wheels, reliable components, and as much tire/mud clearance as possible.

While the Prospector is derailleur compatible, it was designed specifically around the Rohloff SPEEDHUB, a 14 speed internally geared drivetrain that has proven itself to be supremely dependable and capable. We've been using Rohloff hubs on our tours for over a decade and tens of thousands of miles through sand, mud, snow and at elevations of up to 18,000' without issue.

The Prospector has several features that separate it from other expedition bikes. A Phil Wood eccentric bottom bracket offers half an inch of bottom bracket height adjustability, custom cast dropouts work seamlessly with the Rohloff hub, and a hollow chainstay yoke maximizes every millimeter of mud and tire clearance to round out a complete package that can take you anywhere in the world with confidence.

Complete Bike Purchase Process

We will build complete bikes in the order that deposits are received. Our standard build as shown is $4600, some upgrades are possible, but part availability has been a challenge. We will contact you to finalize the build spec after you place your deposit, and the invoice for the balance due will be sent when your build starts.

Reviews

BIKEPACKING.COM: TUMBLEWEED PROSPECTOR REVIEW: WOLF IN MULE'S CLOTHING

THE RADAVIST:: DANIEL'S TUMBLEWEED PROSPECTOR ROHLOFF TOURING BIKE

Frame Material	Heat treated size specific Chromoly tubing, oversized triple and quad butted front triangle with integrated gussets
Rack/Fender Compatibility	Rack and fender compatible, three bottle mounts on frame triangle
Fork	Unicrown Chromoly steel with 135mm quick release or 110x15mm thru axle (thru axle included), upper and lower rack mounts, fender mounts, triple bottle cage mounts on fork legs, internal dynamo wire routing
Max Tire Clearance	26x4.0", 27.5x2.8-3.8˝ and 29 x 2.1-3.0˝, individual tire and rim combos affect tire clearance
Headtube	44mm I.D.
Headset	Recommend EC44 lower cup. ZS44 upper cup.
Bottom Bracket	73mm, threaded English (1.37˝ x 24t) Phil Wood Eccentric Insert. M8 cupped point set screws (8mm x 1.25 thread pitch)
Rear Axle	135mm quick release
Seatpost Diameter	31.6mm
Dropper Seatpost Compatibility	Internally routed for dropper post
Seat Clamp (included)	35mm
Drivetrain Compatibility	Rohloff or 1x derailleur drivetrain recommended
Brake Compatibility	51mm I.S. disc caliper mounts, 180mm max rotor size, minimum 160mm rotor
Fork Axle to Crown	483mm
Fork Steer Tube Length	300mm
Rear dropouts	Vertical with integrated non-driveside Rohloff OEM slot and replaceable derailleur hanger, 135mm quick release or bolt-on hub spacing compatibility; features threaded M5 and M6 eyelets for fenders and racks
Chainring clearance	1X Boost, 1X Super Boost
Crank clearance	Chainstay width is 140mm, crank arms must have 144mm inner width, 24mm spindle recommended

Frame Geometry	Small	Medium	Large	Extra Large
Effective Top Tube Length	590mm	610mm	630mm	650mm
Seat Tube Length	15"	17"	19"	21.5"
Head Tube Angle	69.5°	69.5°	69.5°	69.5°
Seat Tube Angle	73°	73°	73°	73°
Bottom Bracket Drop*	58.5mm	58.5mm	58.5mm	58.5mm
Chainstay Length*	456mm	456mm	456mm	456mm
Head Tube Length	110mm	130mm	145mm	160mm
Fork Length	482mm	482mm	482mm	482mm
Wheelbase	1118mm	1139mm	1160mm	1181mm
Fork Offset	53mm	53mm	53mm	53mm
Stack	608mm	626mm	640mm	655mm
Reach	404mm	409mm	434mm	451mm
Standover**	772mm	806mm	837mm	871mm
Recommended Rider Height	5'2"-5'7"	5'6"-5'10"	5'10"-6'2"	6'1"-6'7"
Recommended Rider Saddle Height	63-69cm	68-73cm	74-81cm	80-88cm

* Bottom Bracket Drop and Chainstay Length measured at the center off the bottom bracket shell.
** At center of top tube with a 27.5x2.8" tire measuring 730mm in diameter.

Tumbleweed Prospector Standard Build
(Parts subject to change based on availability)

Part	Description
Frame	Prospector	Desert Sage, Midnight Blue
Fork	Steel Unicrown	135mm Quick Release or 110mm Thru Axle
Headset	Cane Creek 40	ZS upper, EC lower, 30mm Crown Race
Crankset	RaceFace Aeffect	Black, Cinch Direct Mount
Chainring	RaceFace	Black, 32t Direct Mount, Steel
Bottom Bracket	RaceFace	BSA Threaded
Front Hub	Schmidt SON28	Black 110mm Thru Axle 32 hole Dynamo
Rear Hub	Rohloff SPEEDHUB	Black, 32 hole, Quick release 16t cog
Quick Release	Shimano	Black
Rims	Tumbleweed	Black 27.5" 40mm Internal Width
Spokes	Sapim Race	Black 2.0/1.8 w/Brass nipples
Brake Levers	Avid FR5	Black
Brake Calipers	Avid BB7	Black
Cables and Housing	Jagwire Pro Compressionless	Stainless Cables, Black Housing
Disc Brake Rotor Adaptors	Tektro	20mm front and rear
Front Rotor	SRAM Centerline	180mm 6 bolt
Rear Rotor	Rohloff	180mm 4 bolt
Shifter	Rohloff	OEM grip shifter
Tires	Maxxis Rekon	27.5x2.8"
Chain	SRAM	PC971
Grips	Ergon GP1	Black, Rohloff Shifter Compatible
Stem	Zoom	Black 31.8mm 4 bolt
Handlebar	Tumbleweed Persuader	Black 800mm
Seatpost	Kalloy	Black, 31.6mm Diameter, 410mm Length
Saddle	WTB Rocket Wide	Black, Steel Rails
Tubeless Parts		Tubeless Sealant, Valves and Tape
Headset Spacers		Black, Aluminum

Can the Prospector fit a tire wider than 4"?

4" is the widest tire than can fit with the symmetrical 135mm dropouts and 73mm bottom bracket (with a Rohloff). We definitely maximized every millimeter of tire clearance with those constraints, and 4" is as wide as it goes. The bike also fits 27.5+ and 29+, so you have a ton of options depending on where you want to ride.

Can I use a belt drive system with the Prospector?

The Prospector has been tested for frame stiffness by Gates and is fully approved for belt use, but there is no belt splitter on the frame. There is a company called Veer Cycles that makes split belt retrofit kits, and you could put one of those systems on, but we haven’t tested the latest version of their product yet. For big expeditions, we still feel like the chain is king. You can field repair a chain, and buy one in any bike shop in the world for less than $20. The chain drive sprockets and chainrings are generally also 1/10 the price of belt components. Chain drives are also much less finicky about having exactly proper tension, while belts will skip or can come off if they aren’t set up just right. Yes, you do need to occasionally lube a chain, but that’s really not so hard!

Can I run drop bars on the Prospector?

Sure, just keep in mind that the reach of the bike was designed around wide flat bars, so you’re gonna need to run a really short stem to make drop bars feel comfortable on the Prospector.

Will there ever be a Pinion version of the Prospector?

There are no plans at this time. The Pinion gearbox requires a completely proprietary frame due to the unique gearbox mount. I feel that for touring the Rohloff offers more benefits since you are still able to swap wheels out for a derailleur drivetrain in the case of parts failure. Also, with the Pinion drivetrain you are still reliant on a freehub mechanism in the rear wheel, which is a common point of failure. All the Pinion bikes that we’ve tried have excessive slop in the pedal engagement, sometimes as much as a quarter turn of the pedals, which makes technical climbing really challenging.

Can I run a suspension fork on the Prospector?

Yes, go for one with 100mm-120mm of travel and around 51mm of offset.

What’s the warranty on the Prospector?

We compiled the relevant frame/fork specs and warranty HERE

Rohloff

The Prospector was designed specifically around the 14 speed Rohloff internally geared drivetrain, a fully sealed transmission with a wide 526% gear range that has been proven to be reliable in the harshest of environments, with many reaching more than 100,000 miles.

Phil Wood

The Prospector is built around a 73mm eccentric bottom bracket made for us by Phil Wood, to allow for easy chain tension adjustments and provide up to 1/2" of bottom bracket height adjustment to enable various wheel/tire combinations.