Bicycle Mechanics - Rohloff Oil Change Questions

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA

View Full Version : Rohloff Oil Change Questions

jolly_ross
09-14-12, 06:16 AM
Hi,

I change the oil in my Rohloff geared hub annually - using the "official" kit every time so far.

It will be cheaper to buy the oils in bulk, I can find them easily on the net. Some questions though:

The kit includes a replacement plug (or is it called a bung). Where can I buy these? Rohloff only seem to sell them as part of a kit. More to the point - do I need a new plug each time? Or is it only the sealant that needs replacing? Is loctite OK for this purpose?

There are two fluids involved - one is a rinsing oil of some kind, the other is the replacement lube. Is either likely to go off in anyway over time? (or should I keep using the kits with will come fresher fluids)

Thanks
Ross

Dan Burkhart
09-14-12, 07:57 AM
I've been re-using the plugs in my Rohloffs with no issues so far. I have both the rinsing oil and the hub oil in bulk, so I don't think I'll live long enough to have to buy more.
I don't think it will go stale, but the oil does have additives that may settle over time. I warm the oil up and give it a good shake before using. One thing I learned when I worked for an oil refining and blending company is that oil always blends better when warm.
fietsbob
09-14-12, 08:46 AM
Its possible to buy the threadlock that is a dried dab on the new setscrews,
that will let you reuse the old fill hole stopper.. liquid thread lock wont work on oily surfaces .
and then stuff that you apply to the clean setscrew, and let dry, will be the way to go..

I have the anodized black hub shell , so this time I used a piece of tape
over the fill screw to be secure it from falling out, since the dab of threadlock is not there.

the kits are easy to get, since QBP inventories them.
and so many shops have the Account with them.
And NB: QBP only carries a few items from them
so other options are limited.

wroomwroomoops
09-14-12, 09:56 AM
How much do you ride that bike with the Rohloff, per year? You might not need to change the oil annually. In my experience, the scheduling of oil change in IGHs depends on the mileage on them, and is not seasonal (even if the winters are extreme like where I live).