Originally Posted by
GamblerGORD53
Rohloff IGH is superior/ deraillers inferior in many ways.
1. Doesn't have adjustment screws.
2. Install it and forget it for 3 or 4 thousand miles until oil drain = transamerica.
3. Shifting is a no brainer, up or down. 5 gears at at time often. No kerchunks. No hesitation. Cog flutter not possible.
4. Absolutely NO need to think ahead about downshifting in the middle of a steep hill, just not possible at 3 mph with deR's.
5. Chain drops and shifter destroying your spokes is NOT possible with IGH.
6. Mud/ ice has zero effect on anything but an open chain.
7. Doesn't need as low of a gear, straight line chain is very efficient. and therefore no constant chain fluttering.
8. High speed bumps cannot throw the chain astray.
9. IGH makes it better to hold speed and power going up the back side of dips.
10. My shifter is on the TT, can be used with either hand. Rohloff shifters are rather slippery.
11. My Rohloff 14 is geared 23 to 120 GI. All evenly and perfectly spaced. All used every hilly ride.
12. Deraillers have maybe 30% efficiency when dirty, only takes 20 wet sandy miles to do that. IGH is the same ALL the time.
13. Crashes, tall grass have no effect on a Rohloff.
14. Derailler parts are made to fail in 6,000 miles. Rohloff/ Sturmey Archer 3 spd go 60,000 miles easy. Spare cog would fit in my pocket.
15. Slamming on the brakes and then downshifting is not a struggle.
16. Spoke breakage is seldom possible.
17. More reliable than any derailler.
18. LBS schmucks in many countries have no clue about YOUR derailler parts either.
I admit I'm new to the Rohloff. Just bought a used tandem with one about three weeks ago. So far I'm not convinced of Rohloff's superiority. Perhaps it'll grow on me, but right now I'm wishing the tandem had a simple derailleur setup.
1. My Rohloff has two cable tension adjustment screws at the hub.
2. Chains get squeaky on either system. Maintenance is required regardless of system.
3. I've definitely noticed that my stoker and I need to back off the pedals more dramatically than a derailleur system or else the hub hesitates to shift.
4. Again, I find it easier so far to downshift on a hill with a derailleur system.
5. Chain dropping into the spokes is also not possible with a properly set up derailleur system.
6. I don't live around mud and ice, but it makes sense that an IGH system would be beneficial. Do a lot of tourists regularly ride through debilitating mud and ice?
7. I highly doubt this claim. A straight chainline is
slightly more efficient but not enough to really matter to a bicycle tourist.
8. I've logged a couple of thousand miles touring on dirt and rough roads and never had a chain drop due to bumpy roads.
9. Not sure I understand this one.
10. I also don't care for the Rohloff's twist shifter. Perhaps when there are more drop bar shifting options it will become more popular.
11. I don't get the advantage of evenly spaced gears. Sometimes with the Rohloff I need to change one, two or three gears to adjust to the terrain. Same as with my derailleur bikes. In theory it sounds nice. In practice I don't think it matters.
12. If I was really worried about efficiency I'd ride a race bike and only travel with my credit card. For loaded touring, efficiency is further down the list. Dependability and comfort are higher priorities.
13. Bent derailleur hangers are very common. This is a good advantage for the Rohloff.
14. Derailleur parts don't usually fail. They just wear out. These are predictable events that can be taken care of easily.
15. This is my favorite feature so far. The ability to switch gears while standing still is really nice.
16. Broken spokes are a potential problem. The Rohloff has a nice advantage here since both sides of the wheel use the same spoke length.
17. While the Rohloff may be the most reliable, derailleur systems are very dependable. Plenty good enough for all sorts of long distance trips.
18. If you maintain your own bikes, which is easy to do, bike shops only serve as resupply points and a chance to chat with fellow cyclists. Calling these people schmucks is disrespectful.