Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
Those types of efficiency tests generally use brand new hubs. I did not check to see if this test did, I just assume it did.
Ask any Rohloff owner if it gets better with use after the seals loosen up some and the gear teeth get more polished, and you will hear that they are much more efficient after several thousand miles (or kms). My 10 year old Rohloff is a lot smoother now than when I first bought it.
I am not saying you are wrong, the three speed hubs could easily be more efficient than the Rohloff, the oil seals in the Rohloff are there to minimize how fast the liquid oil leaks out of the hub, and those seals reduce efficiency.
Current Rohloff do not leak anymore and they do not need the long break-in of several thousands of km of the first type of Rohloff.
There are 3 major generation of Rohloff than can be distinguished by the marking on the hub:
- first, oldest one: Rohloff and marking are written on a yellow-blue sticker glued on the hub. Red hub is painted in red.
- second: hub anodized, marking are engraved, Made in Germany is not underlined.
- third, current: same anodizing+engraving but
Made in Germany is underlined, flange are different 'require different flange reinforcement rings than previous generation), no long break-in, no leakage anymore. Noise is different too, less noisy on 7 first gear first.
I have one hub bought in 2012 second gen, it leaks.
And a second one bought mid 2016 gen 3 it doesn't leak.
Mid 2016, the way the cog is mounted changed too. There is a retrofit kit to put the new mounting on older hubs. This change of cog mounting also slightly changed the chainline.