We introduced our beloved Americano touring bicycle 26 years ago; can you believe it?
Actually, the Americano’s provenance predates its named release by many years. Co-Motion had built many custom touring bikes, starting in the late 80’s. Experienced bicycle tourists came to us seeking a bike that could better withstand the rigors of extended tours. After all, if we could make tandems that easily carried two strong riders and performed admirably with all that extra power and weight, why couldn’t we make a touring bike that excelled at carrying a touring load without wobbling, with wheels intact, and with solid and stable handling character that allowed the rider to relax and take in the view? Well, those were our thoughts exactly.
The Americano then became the culmination of what we learned from those years of making custom touring bikes and gracing them with many of the features that made our tandems so renowned. Features that were nearly invisible to the untrained eye, but to An experienced adventurer, they make all the difference in the world. That’s why we built the Americano with tubing we had developed for tandems, like larger diameter frame tubes and enormous tandem-duty chainstays. We set the rear triangle spacing at 145mm with a symmetrical tandem rear hub to free the touring bike of its perennial Achilles’ heel, the dished rear wheel. A symmetrical wheel can carry a much heavier load and stay true much longer.
So many of the touring cyclists we met had done a transcontinental crossing of the US in 1976 during the “Bikecentennial”, we thought Americano would be a great name for our touring bike, and it fit with our coffee-theme bike model names.
So, in 2000, when virtually no one was making touring bikes, we gave it a name and, for the first time, offered the Americano in a range of stock sizes, always with optional custom fitting.
Over the last 2 decades, the Americano has taken riders across continents, through neighborhoods and mountain passes, prairies, deserts and coastlines, spanning weekends, seasons and multi-year expeditions. It's become one of our most beloved touring bikes, built for the long way around as much as the ride across town.
To mark this milestone, we set off to build a special anniversary Americano and took this opportunity to give it some well-deserved updates.
Started off with Co-Motion founder, Dwan Shepard fillet-brazing a new Americano frame featuring our machined yoke, providing generous tire and chainring clearance.
To everyone who's ridden an Americano over the past 26 years, thank you for being part of its story.
Since its humble beginnings as little more than a kick-along scooter, circa 1818, the bicycle has charmed its way into our lives for over 200 years. Have we forgotten why we love it so much?
