We’ve featured the work of Keith Marshall and his Kumo Cycles brand many times over the years, and today the New South Wales-based builder shares his Overlander Pinion touring bike prototype with us, along with beautiful photos by Jon Steinbeck. Read on for words by Keith on this project build below…
You’ve heard of the dangerous animals of Australia right? The snakes (pfft), spiders (cute), utes (what)? yet nothing strikes fear into the backcountry bicycle traveller as much as the malign and mischievous eucalypt branch.
Cop one of those in your rear wheel and you can kiss your derailleur goodbye… I know, I’ve been there.
The seed idea of this bike came in 2017 when I took a crew of people out of Canberra up to the high country on a fishing trip. 150km from home in the Tantangara wilderness a cheeky stick jumped up and smashed my rear derailleur. The ride home gave me plenty of time to think about my ideal backcountry touring machine.
And here we finally are with the Kumo Overlander Prototype. A lot has changed in the deisgn, but the core is the Pinion gearbox drive. Super contained and durable, with an enviable 600% gear range!
After some discussion with my friends and Kumo riders, I’ve opted for the most MTB style geometry of any of my bikes to date. Slack 69 deg head tube and a long fork and wheelbase give the bike a very planted feel, especially on nasty pinch climbs. The Simworks Getaround Titanium bars are something I’ve been holding on to for just this occasion, they are held fast with a fun custom split tube stem. Top it all off with my guilloche brass top can and you’ve got a pretty cockpit.
A PNW dropper post allows me to get my lofty, lanky centre of gravity back closer to earth for descending, while the thick 29” x 2.4” Terravail tyres keep the bike stuck to the trail.
Simworks bronze Standalones, Bubbly pedals and custom Sinewave bronze light give a nice little colour match. The in house paint job ties the build together with a subtle 3 colour splatter in the rear and a nice short bronze fade. The logo section is a window to the splattered base coat with a dark grey drop shadow.
Keep an eye out for me in a wilderness near you! All going well, this bike will carry me off on the Hunt 1000, AOTB, and other chunky adventures.
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