Is anyone using the Rohloff Internal Hub? What's the word?
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Is anyone using the Rohloff Internal Hub? What's the word?
Just discovered the Rohloff internal hub on the Waterford site and wondered if it is as good as it looks. Besides the rear wheel modification and the shifter, are there any other necessary frame tweeks? Thanks, Jim
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I've got a Thorn Raven. It's specifically designed for the Rohloff hub. Thorn are based in Bridgewater, UK.
https://thorncycles.co.uk
Make some pretty decent bikes and weak sterling make them good value at the moment. Frames are mainly made in Taiwan though. My Raven is fine to cycle, but the frame looks very bland. The Taiwan made Thorns are not a particularly attractive IMO.
Rohloff hub is great for touring. Main downside is that it's a bit heavy and somewhat noisy in some gears. Main upsides for me are almost zero maintenance and option to change gears while stationary. I'm happy with it.
https://thorncycles.co.uk
Make some pretty decent bikes and weak sterling make them good value at the moment. Frames are mainly made in Taiwan though. My Raven is fine to cycle, but the frame looks very bland. The Taiwan made Thorns are not a particularly attractive IMO.
Rohloff hub is great for touring. Main downside is that it's a bit heavy and somewhat noisy in some gears. Main upsides for me are almost zero maintenance and option to change gears while stationary. I'm happy with it.
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Thanks Hardtail. The weakened BSP is really upping the exports out of the UK. I jumped on it. Thanks for your thoughts.
#5
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A Rohloff hub costs more than an entire LHT with racks, weighs more than everything it replaces, and wastes a significant amount of energy that would otherwise be used to propel you down the road on a derailer bike.
You still have to clean and lube the chain of a Rohloff-equipped bike, which is the main bicycle maintenance chore.
Rohloff hubs are not easy to install in a clean, neat fashion on a normal bike. You almost need a custom-rohloff prepped frame to make it look right. You need to fix the torque arm, or have custom dropouts, plus chain tensioner (which is very similar to a derailer in terms of what's likely to break) or custom eccentric BB, plus ugly cable ties the length of bike or custom cable guides, plus a single grip-shifter which is easily mounted only on flat mtb-style handlebars. The disc brake rotor mount and rotor itself are a 4-hole non-standard style rohloff rotors too.
Rohloff hubs probably fail only slightly less often than a properly operated and maintained derailer drive system. If it breaks, you're waiting at least several days for replacement parts since there's only one source (warranty claim to rohloff). You could find a derailer, chain and/or chainring that you can make work on your bike after (worst case) a 4 hour bus ride almost anywhere except for Antarctica.
Adding a rohloff hub to even the crappiest bike means you can never turn your back on the bike out on tour, cause someone would steal it - or at least you will believe this, so same result. The cost of a Rohloff would pay for an entire month's worth of (camping mostly) touring - which is probably longer than 90% of all bike tours undertaken.
It's basically a solution without a problem. The Rohloff is ideally suited for MTBers who ride in mud daily - a situation which is rarely encountered on most bike tours.
I'd seriously consider a Rohloff only if I already had my heart set on something like a Thorn or similar rohloff-dedicated frame, and the rohloff was a $300 upgrade (a minor increase relative to cost of frame).
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You should also look in the Utility Bike forum. Lots of talk about Rohloff hubs, especially in conjunction with the Surly Big Dummy, that now comes stock with one.
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Seems like quite a vendetta against Rohloff in this post. I have spoken to many people who own the Rohloff Hub and have never met one that has been unhappy with the Hub. To me, the Rohloff hub has been a revolution to my cycling world, I can honestly say that I will never go back to a derailleur touring bike. Even riding a road bike now feels odd.
There are some good points but these are just silly:
How does it waste a significant amount of energy?
I've never heard of a single Rohloff hub failing internally and being unrideable. Sure the are some spoke flange breaks, but these are not serious enough to make you need to hitch a ride to the nearest bike shop. You can still ride.
I know of a lot of complete derailleur failures, one of which happened to me with my last bike and left me stranded in a German town for three days.
Rubbish, as most people would not know what a Rohloff hub is or what it is worth, or even know the name of the hub, providing you are clever enough to tape over the logo. The expensive road bike or mountain bike nearby is more likely to be nicked than a rough, used touring bike.
Plus: Having a Rohloff hub makes the rear wheel inherently stronger, even with only 32 spokes, due to its dishless nature.
I'll grant you the somewhat ugly frame modifications, ie: zip clips and torque arm, but I personally believe the touring bike is more about strength and practicality than beauty and style. If I wanted that, I'd get a Rivendell or a Vanilla or something.
There are some good points but these are just silly:
Rohloff hubs probably fail only slightly less often than a properly operated and maintained derailer drive system. If it breaks, you're waiting at least several days for replacement parts since there's only one source (warranty claim to rohloff). You could find a derailer, chain and/or chainring that you can make work on your bike after (worst case) a 4 hour bus ride almost anywhere except for Antarctica.
I know of a lot of complete derailleur failures, one of which happened to me with my last bike and left me stranded in a German town for three days.
Plus: Having a Rohloff hub makes the rear wheel inherently stronger, even with only 32 spokes, due to its dishless nature.
I'll grant you the somewhat ugly frame modifications, ie: zip clips and torque arm, but I personally believe the touring bike is more about strength and practicality than beauty and style. If I wanted that, I'd get a Rivendell or a Vanilla or something.
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I've been looking at Rohloffs for a couple of years now. I can't justify the expense at present. But when my old Bianchi Volpe finally gives up the ghost I'm going to invest in a bike built around a Rohloff. I also like the idea of the Nuvinci CVT hub, but it has a lot of drawbacks. If they can cut the weight of the Nuvinci in half and expand the gear range to something approaching what the Rohloff offers, I'd buy the Nuvinci in a second.
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I suspect my man was referring to the purported loss of efficiency in the highest gears. I've got no personal experience with this, but i've read about it fairly frequently. Those who own rohloffs tend to love them, but acknowledge the problem in the highest few ratios. Those who don't own Rohloffs tend to scorn them, and they act like the problem with the highest few ratios is terrible. As i've never rode one, i don't have a strong opinion. The main problems I have with the rohloff involve fussiness at the dropouts for installation (I was looking into a disc setup for a mtb) where a custom, rohloff-prepped frame would be necessary for my OCD, plus the fact that I can't wrench on it myself. I find traditional derailer systems to be easy to work on, with the hubs being easily rebuildable at home with basic tools. And, all the stuff that breaks (and it will) is easily and cheaply replaced. That being said, as I'm not into being so consumptive, the "forever" appeal of the Rohloff does intrigue me.
to the OP- Personally, I think that the Rohloff would be good on a frame built around the system with rohloff-specific dropouts and rim brakes. It'd be low maintenance, reliable, and kinda bling. For touring, the rearward weight-bias probably wouldn't be as wierd as it would on the trail, and anyone on tour should be absolutely terrified that someone is going to steal their bike, regardless of transmission. No bike=No tour, so protect anything ya got, even if it's alivio-equipped. However, you are going to pay thru the nose for some of the benefits (both real and perceived ones.) If you haven't already put a lot of miles in with a derailer system, i suggest you go that route first, just for the sake of seeing the difference if/when you do go Rohloff.
last point to consider--- offerings by SRAM/shimano/sturmey-archer are not the same as Rohloff, in terms of range or durability, in case you were considering going for a budget internal hub setup.
to the OP- Personally, I think that the Rohloff would be good on a frame built around the system with rohloff-specific dropouts and rim brakes. It'd be low maintenance, reliable, and kinda bling. For touring, the rearward weight-bias probably wouldn't be as wierd as it would on the trail, and anyone on tour should be absolutely terrified that someone is going to steal their bike, regardless of transmission. No bike=No tour, so protect anything ya got, even if it's alivio-equipped. However, you are going to pay thru the nose for some of the benefits (both real and perceived ones.) If you haven't already put a lot of miles in with a derailer system, i suggest you go that route first, just for the sake of seeing the difference if/when you do go Rohloff.
last point to consider--- offerings by SRAM/shimano/sturmey-archer are not the same as Rohloff, in terms of range or durability, in case you were considering going for a budget internal hub setup.
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I"ve never used one, but our friend Dominic, rode from Alaska to Argentina with one on his tandem and loved it. It apparently held up just fine for the whole journey.
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Yeah Dom Gill told me he was happy with his Thorn, but had some problem with breaking forks!
Apart from the noise in the lower gears I personally haven't heard of an efficiency problem, if so its probably negligible.
Apart from the noise in the lower gears I personally haven't heard of an efficiency problem, if so its probably negligible.
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For the most part I don't care what people ride. If you want to ride a $3000 custom bike go for it. It is your choice. However, the justification folks put forth for internal gear hubs gets to be annoying at times.
Actually I think Seeker333 nailed it. I am just shy of 40 and have been riding derailleur bikes all my life. I never knew they were so problematic until I started reading the internal gear enthusiasts on the commuter forum. I completely agree. They are a solution to a problem that does not exist except for maybe die hard MTBers.
The annoying thing to me about internal hubs is how the enthusiasts try to BS everybody by more or less saying the internal gear bikes are maintenance free. Never mind all the other parts on the bike that might need maintenance or fail. Also, as I said above I have rode derailleur bikes all my life and never had a failure. The derailleur system over times has become well developed, refined, and reliable. To try and say they are systematically flawed and unreliable is pure BS.
I think this kind of misses the point. The Rohloff alone is as expensive as most peoples touring bikes. Even if the potential thief does not know this, the more expense tied up in your bike, the more nervous you are going to be to have it leave your sight.
Seems like quite a vendetta against Rohloff in this post. I have spoken to many people who own the Rohloff Hub and have never met one that has been unhappy with the Hub. To me, the Rohloff hub has been a revolution to my cycling world, I can honestly say that I will never go back to a derailleur touring bike. Even riding a road bike now feels odd.
I've never heard of a single Rohloff hub failing internally and being unrideable. Sure the are some spoke flange breaks, but these are not serious enough to make you need to hitch a ride to the nearest bike shop. You can still ride.
I know of a lot of complete derailleur failures, one of which happened to me with my last bike and left me stranded in a German town for three days.
I know of a lot of complete derailleur failures, one of which happened to me with my last bike and left me stranded in a German town for three days.
Rubbish, as most people would not know what a Rohloff hub is or what it is worth, or even know the name of the hub, providing you are clever enough to tape over the logo. The expensive road bike or mountain bike nearby is more likely to be nicked than a rough, used touring bike.
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#14
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All internal gear hubs (IGH) are less efficient at transferring power compared to derailler drive systems.
See Figure 12 on page 9 - it presents a pretty good summary of test results on a single graph:
https://www.ihpva.org/HParchive/PDF/hp52-2001.pdf
The difference in efficiency between Rohloff and Shimano 9 speed is ~3% overall. The small amount of additional drivetrain friction on a Rohloff-equipped bike is equivalent to the effort of pedaling 128 extra miles in a Transamerica tour - about 2 days bicycling for most people.
I don't believe this is much of a disadvantage to someone who's seriously considering a Rohloff hub.
I see it as an incremental detriment to touring, like carrying an extra 5 lbs luggage, using 900g tires for a reduction in flats, or using a flat bar versus the usually more aerodynamic drop bar, etc. The cumulative effect of these choices can significantly increase the difficulty of a bicycle tour.
See Figure 12 on page 9 - it presents a pretty good summary of test results on a single graph:
https://www.ihpva.org/HParchive/PDF/hp52-2001.pdf
The difference in efficiency between Rohloff and Shimano 9 speed is ~3% overall. The small amount of additional drivetrain friction on a Rohloff-equipped bike is equivalent to the effort of pedaling 128 extra miles in a Transamerica tour - about 2 days bicycling for most people.
I don't believe this is much of a disadvantage to someone who's seriously considering a Rohloff hub.
I see it as an incremental detriment to touring, like carrying an extra 5 lbs luggage, using 900g tires for a reduction in flats, or using a flat bar versus the usually more aerodynamic drop bar, etc. The cumulative effect of these choices can significantly increase the difficulty of a bicycle tour.
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I've also helped Rohloff users on tour at the shop with leaking hubs (spare seals are essential). In the greater scheme of hubs, these may not be common experiences, but they bely the belief that they are without issues.
On tour, I'd personally rather deal with derailleur/freehub problems, though i've never had one ... touch wood.
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The difference in efficiency between Rohloff and Shimano 9 speed is ~3% overall. The small amount of additional drivetrain friction on a Rohloff-equipped bike is equivalent to the effort of pedaling 128 extra miles in a Transamerica tour - about 2 days bicycling for most people.
#17
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At one time I was considering a Rohloff and did a search on the net for possible problems. It is difficult to estimate exactly the percentage of Rohloff owners who have problems, but it became clear that like all bike components, including Phil Wood, Rohloff's are not "bomb proof". I decided against Rohloff for three reasons: (1) price; (2) if failure occurs, expect long delay; and (3) 32 spokes--I prefer symmetrical 48 holes for my heavy load, thus tandem wheels for me.
For those interested, here are some of the Rohloff problems I found on the net:
Often reported broken spokes; spokes required are often shorter than normal/standard (in Africa, replacements may require non-local options). Some other issues:
https://pedalgogist.wordpress.com/
In the car park of the park visitors centre my worst case scenario had happened. I had lost 4 gears in my Rohloff Speehub. These things are supposed to be bullet proof.
Finally, I pushed off from Ian`s place after almost three weeks during which time I waited for my Rohloff to return from Germany,
https://www.cairo2capetown.org/kenyablog.html
Only one of our five expected parcels had made it through to our host's address, so we were forced to trawl the back-offices, reading through hand-written ledgers of received parcels, speaking with bored and disinterested postal workers, in the hope of locating the missing ones... In the end we were pretty successful, locating all but two; one of which I managed to get the following day (in a different office - all so confusing!), so we were only one short. Unfortunately it was the one with the "oil-change kit" that I desperately needed to service my Rohloff hub, now that it had started to give some troubles in a few of the lower gears!
https://www.more-mtb.org/forum/archiv...hp/t-3594.html
Near the end of last season as I was training for SM 100 I noticed that occassionally (twice during a 60 mile mountain ride) the bottom gears would not engage immedialty. "Sohn eines Weibchens" I said. (Ok I said it in English, I don't know German").
I called Thomas at Rohloff USA. He says it needs all new internals. It is not under warantee, but Rohloff AG approved it. (It is a "crash replacement" if you do need to get new gears approx $200 install...less than cost). So my repair was free thanks to the someone at German Rohloff. (Thanks Rohloff)
It took months to get it back. No big deal since it was winter and I was just commuting and road riding.
Got it back and it immedialty slipped again! "Mutterbumser" I screamed. I rode it until the bottom seven no longer engaged. It was a tough last few miles out of Patapsco.
https://homepage.mac.com/isaetterry/p...eequipment.htm
After 15,000kms a major fault has developed - the hub flange has split where a spoke has pulled through - awaiting a response from SJS cycles and Rohloff about how to address the problem.
Replacement parts are being sent to Wellington where the hub will be rebuilt or replaced (a cycle of over 1000kms).
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...ageID=13339027
BigDan: "I've found two cracks in my Rohloff hub, both are on the same side and they are both where the spokes attach to the hub. I thought these things were bombproof, obviously that doesn't include chubby Englishman proof (more deadly than a bomb by far!). Is there anything can be done? The hub is aluminium so does that mean it CAN'T be welded? Does it really matter-will it affect how it all works? I am setting off tomorrow to cycle from Lhasa to Kathmandu so don't really want anything to go drastically wrong while I'm on the 160kms 4400metres downhill."
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...rt=30&tstart=0
goldenbez: "I went and checked mine the next day. Shock! I dunno if it was a good or bad thing reading this post. I found cracks in mine identical to the ones in Dans photo."
https://www.hrpu.co.uk/karennben/notes.html
The SpeedHub is so big that you need short spokes (again, not good to have non-standard parts: I had to order mine from Germany!) and a 2 cross lacing. However, this makes the spokes pull on the hub far from tangentially (too much angle), and this caused the body of the SpeedHub to crack at 3 holes where leading spokes were attached. We were in Bolivia when this happened. Luckily we made it to the capital (slowly and carefully, and I reatached the 3 spokes to the flange via the fastening screws) and contacted Rohloff by email. They sent a brand new one via DHL in 3 days, no questions asked! It's been OK since.
https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=288804&page=4
brontotx: I've been running a speedhub for about 9 months and when it had about 80 miles on it, it slipped - it spun with no power and made nasty grinding sounds. Thinking it was my shifting under power (generally a no-no), I kept riding it. I also read that changing the oil might help, so I did that. But as I put more miles on the hub the slipping got more frequent. In all cases, the hub never left me stranded and all I had to do was shift it up and down a couple of gears and the slipping disappeared for another 20-50 miles.
I finally sent it in for repair about a month ago and Rohloff USA replaced the whole drive unit. The replacement drive unit was really sweet with almost no break-in required (whereas the original hub "whirred" for about 6-700 miles - especially in seventh gear).
Two weeks ago, however, the replacement hub missed the shift to eighth gear - it did not engage ("click") into gear until after 1/4 to 1/2 a crank revolution. This happened right after I shifted into eight or if I had been coasting in eighth (and, yes, my cables are "slack" and not "tight" as suggested by others here on mtbr).
I contacted Rohloff USA and Tom contacted Germany before sending me an e-mail about some out-sourced axles being made without a necessary slot, which they had to modify at the factory. Tom said this caused one of the prawls to be too slow, causing the mis-shift. Tom suggested I ride it some more to see if it goes away and, if it doesn't, to send it in again for another replacement (they also offered to pay the shipping to them this time ). Rohloff USA's service has been exemplary - at least on getting my wheel back to me quickly and no quibbling about their responsibility to fix it (I am also very thankful that it has a two year warranty).
Perhaps I've had the extremely bad luck of getting two lemons , but am wondering if anyone else has experienced failures/problems such as these
https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=288804&page=4
bshallard: Just discovered this thread. I rode what must be a fairly early speedhub for about three years before going back to deraileurs. I found that I had to soft pedal changing between 7th and 8th gears or it would hit neutral and I would hit the bars with my knee. It would also jam if I tried to shift under power. When I first fitted it I had to learn to shift at the bottom of the pedal stroke to let it snick through the change easily while the power was low. I was always wildly enthusiastic about it when asked about it, (especially on muddy rides) but eventually I got sick of the noise and the rough feeling through the pedals in the lower gears (esp. 7th). I also talked to Rohloff about the shifter, the shape of which I always hated after having used grip shift. The triangular shape was bulky and uncomfortable and I felt it caused me to shift too many gears on occasion. They basically told me they were happy with it and had bigger fish to fry. Eventually the rubber grip on the shifter parted company with the barrel and kind of left me stranded and unable to shift without difficulty. I never got around to trying to glue it.. instead going back to regular shifting.
For those interested, here are some of the Rohloff problems I found on the net:
Often reported broken spokes; spokes required are often shorter than normal/standard (in Africa, replacements may require non-local options). Some other issues:
https://pedalgogist.wordpress.com/
In the car park of the park visitors centre my worst case scenario had happened. I had lost 4 gears in my Rohloff Speehub. These things are supposed to be bullet proof.
Finally, I pushed off from Ian`s place after almost three weeks during which time I waited for my Rohloff to return from Germany,
https://www.cairo2capetown.org/kenyablog.html
Only one of our five expected parcels had made it through to our host's address, so we were forced to trawl the back-offices, reading through hand-written ledgers of received parcels, speaking with bored and disinterested postal workers, in the hope of locating the missing ones... In the end we were pretty successful, locating all but two; one of which I managed to get the following day (in a different office - all so confusing!), so we were only one short. Unfortunately it was the one with the "oil-change kit" that I desperately needed to service my Rohloff hub, now that it had started to give some troubles in a few of the lower gears!
https://www.more-mtb.org/forum/archiv...hp/t-3594.html
Near the end of last season as I was training for SM 100 I noticed that occassionally (twice during a 60 mile mountain ride) the bottom gears would not engage immedialty. "Sohn eines Weibchens" I said. (Ok I said it in English, I don't know German").
I called Thomas at Rohloff USA. He says it needs all new internals. It is not under warantee, but Rohloff AG approved it. (It is a "crash replacement" if you do need to get new gears approx $200 install...less than cost). So my repair was free thanks to the someone at German Rohloff. (Thanks Rohloff)
It took months to get it back. No big deal since it was winter and I was just commuting and road riding.
Got it back and it immedialty slipped again! "Mutterbumser" I screamed. I rode it until the bottom seven no longer engaged. It was a tough last few miles out of Patapsco.
https://homepage.mac.com/isaetterry/p...eequipment.htm
After 15,000kms a major fault has developed - the hub flange has split where a spoke has pulled through - awaiting a response from SJS cycles and Rohloff about how to address the problem.
Replacement parts are being sent to Wellington where the hub will be rebuilt or replaced (a cycle of over 1000kms).
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...ageID=13339027
BigDan: "I've found two cracks in my Rohloff hub, both are on the same side and they are both where the spokes attach to the hub. I thought these things were bombproof, obviously that doesn't include chubby Englishman proof (more deadly than a bomb by far!). Is there anything can be done? The hub is aluminium so does that mean it CAN'T be welded? Does it really matter-will it affect how it all works? I am setting off tomorrow to cycle from Lhasa to Kathmandu so don't really want anything to go drastically wrong while I'm on the 160kms 4400metres downhill."
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...rt=30&tstart=0
goldenbez: "I went and checked mine the next day. Shock! I dunno if it was a good or bad thing reading this post. I found cracks in mine identical to the ones in Dans photo."
https://www.hrpu.co.uk/karennben/notes.html
The SpeedHub is so big that you need short spokes (again, not good to have non-standard parts: I had to order mine from Germany!) and a 2 cross lacing. However, this makes the spokes pull on the hub far from tangentially (too much angle), and this caused the body of the SpeedHub to crack at 3 holes where leading spokes were attached. We were in Bolivia when this happened. Luckily we made it to the capital (slowly and carefully, and I reatached the 3 spokes to the flange via the fastening screws) and contacted Rohloff by email. They sent a brand new one via DHL in 3 days, no questions asked! It's been OK since.
https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=288804&page=4
brontotx: I've been running a speedhub for about 9 months and when it had about 80 miles on it, it slipped - it spun with no power and made nasty grinding sounds. Thinking it was my shifting under power (generally a no-no), I kept riding it. I also read that changing the oil might help, so I did that. But as I put more miles on the hub the slipping got more frequent. In all cases, the hub never left me stranded and all I had to do was shift it up and down a couple of gears and the slipping disappeared for another 20-50 miles.
I finally sent it in for repair about a month ago and Rohloff USA replaced the whole drive unit. The replacement drive unit was really sweet with almost no break-in required (whereas the original hub "whirred" for about 6-700 miles - especially in seventh gear).
Two weeks ago, however, the replacement hub missed the shift to eighth gear - it did not engage ("click") into gear until after 1/4 to 1/2 a crank revolution. This happened right after I shifted into eight or if I had been coasting in eighth (and, yes, my cables are "slack" and not "tight" as suggested by others here on mtbr).
I contacted Rohloff USA and Tom contacted Germany before sending me an e-mail about some out-sourced axles being made without a necessary slot, which they had to modify at the factory. Tom said this caused one of the prawls to be too slow, causing the mis-shift. Tom suggested I ride it some more to see if it goes away and, if it doesn't, to send it in again for another replacement (they also offered to pay the shipping to them this time ). Rohloff USA's service has been exemplary - at least on getting my wheel back to me quickly and no quibbling about their responsibility to fix it (I am also very thankful that it has a two year warranty).
Perhaps I've had the extremely bad luck of getting two lemons , but am wondering if anyone else has experienced failures/problems such as these
https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=288804&page=4
bshallard: Just discovered this thread. I rode what must be a fairly early speedhub for about three years before going back to deraileurs. I found that I had to soft pedal changing between 7th and 8th gears or it would hit neutral and I would hit the bars with my knee. It would also jam if I tried to shift under power. When I first fitted it I had to learn to shift at the bottom of the pedal stroke to let it snick through the change easily while the power was low. I was always wildly enthusiastic about it when asked about it, (especially on muddy rides) but eventually I got sick of the noise and the rough feeling through the pedals in the lower gears (esp. 7th). I also talked to Rohloff about the shifter, the shape of which I always hated after having used grip shift. The triangular shape was bulky and uncomfortable and I felt it caused me to shift too many gears on occasion. They basically told me they were happy with it and had bigger fish to fry. Eventually the rubber grip on the shifter parted company with the barrel and kind of left me stranded and unable to shift without difficulty. I never got around to trying to glue it.. instead going back to regular shifting.
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The annoying thing to me about internal hubs is how the enthusiasts try to BS everybody by more or less saying the internal gear bikes are maintenance free. Never mind all the other parts on the bike that might need maintenance or fail. Also, as I said above I have rode derailleur bikes all my life and never had a failure. The derailleur system over times has become well developed, refined, and reliable. To try and say they are systematically flawed and unreliable is pure BS.
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My partner and I used them in the Himalayas recently on dirty, rough, boulder-strewn tracks, through streams, mud, sand, dust etc, and they behaved flawlessly throughout. Both bikes were fully laden and I weigh around 225 lbs, and the bikes coped with tracks like dried-up river beds - no cracked flanges, no broken spokes, no problems at all. I'm not saying it's better or worse than any other system, but it's proven itself in my own experience and that's all that matters to me.
Things I like are:
1) the simple 2-cog drivetrain - no jockey-wheels or tinkering required
2) the lack of a long, vulnerable derailleur arm (when negotiating rocks etc)
3) the ability to change gear when stationary without lifting the back wheel (fully loaded!)
4) the fact that I'm not tied into the Shimano (etc) rolling program of obsolescence and XTR-fashion snobbery
5) the lack of maintenance
6) the resilience to dust/dirt
7) the low-key appearance
Things I don't like are:
1) The noise in the lower gears (I got used to it, and it did get better after some miles)
2) The weight, although similar to a derailleur system, is all focussed around the rear hub
3) The non-standard spoke length (I carry spares)
4) Compatible frames are slightly more difficult to find
5) Price (but I bought mine from eBay)
Things I like are:
1) the simple 2-cog drivetrain - no jockey-wheels or tinkering required
2) the lack of a long, vulnerable derailleur arm (when negotiating rocks etc)
3) the ability to change gear when stationary without lifting the back wheel (fully loaded!)
4) the fact that I'm not tied into the Shimano (etc) rolling program of obsolescence and XTR-fashion snobbery
5) the lack of maintenance
6) the resilience to dust/dirt
7) the low-key appearance
Things I don't like are:
1) The noise in the lower gears (I got used to it, and it did get better after some miles)
2) The weight, although similar to a derailleur system, is all focussed around the rear hub
3) The non-standard spoke length (I carry spares)
4) Compatible frames are slightly more difficult to find
5) Price (but I bought mine from eBay)
Last edited by Al Downie; 02-23-09 at 07:23 AM.
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Thanks Al Downie and the rest of you. Great feedback to my question - particularly the last post - a real experienced opinion. Based on the above, I decided I will go with the Rohloff on a mountain bike someday and continue to use the dangly, easily-replaceable Shimanos on the touring bike.
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Just because you haven't heard of it, doesn't mean it's negligible. In this case, however, I feel it really isn't a very big deal. Then again, I didn't drop a grand on a hub; those who have are justifiably upset about this somewhat nebulous issue.
Personally, I feel that if everyone was concerned about maximum efficiency on-tour, we'd all tour on fixed-gear rigs, which have the best efficiency in their given ratio, and require the least maintenance to boot! Of course, while some ppl have toured fixed, most of us wouldn't want to, myself included.
I think the main reason why most people rock traditional derailer systems is because these are readily available, user-friendly, highly tunable, and most frames are designed with the use of a derailer system in mind. The myths about high-maintenance are pretty spurious, given that I don't feel the need to do much with mine. Kepp it cleaned, keep itlubed, replace chains, cassettes, and rings as they wear. Not exactly back-breaking, right?
-rob
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"How much for a new block then?" I asked.
"Well, the new blocks aren't compatible with your hub", he replied.
"So I've got to build a whole new wheel because one of my sprockets is worn???"
"Um... you'd also have to buy a new derailleur. And shifter."
Add to that the cost of re-tooling the workshop to cater for the 'new' Shimano equipment, and the total cost to replace that one sprocket was about the same price as a whole new bike. Utterly daft.
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Again, I'm not you, and I personally haven't seen any internally broken Rohloff hubs. Maybe you have, I haven't. I worked at a Rohloff selling bike shop too (Thorn Cycles). Rohloff were remarkably prompt with us when solving problems and queries though.
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https://www.google.com/search?q=rohlo...bikeforums.net
Results 1 - 100 of about 1,780 from bikeforums.net for rohloff. (0.09 seconds)
A Rohloff hub costs more than an entire LHT with racks, weighs more than everything it replaces, and wastes a significant amount of energy that would otherwise be used to propel you down the road on a derailer bike.
You still have to clean and lube the chain of a Rohloff-equipped bike, which is the main bicycle maintenance chore.
Rohloff hubs are not easy to install in a clean, neat fashion on a normal bike. You almost need a custom-rohloff prepped frame to make it look right. You need to fix the torque arm, or have custom dropouts, plus chain tensioner (which is very similar to a derailer in terms of what's likely to break) or custom eccentric BB, plus ugly cable ties the length of bike or custom cable guides, plus a single grip-shifter which is easily mounted only on flat mtb-style handlebars. The disc brake rotor mount and rotor itself are a 4-hole non-standard style rohloff rotors too.
Rohloff hubs probably fail only slightly less often than a properly operated and maintained derailer drive system. If it breaks, you're waiting at least several days for replacement parts since there's only one source (warranty claim to rohloff). You could find a derailer, chain and/or chainring that you can make work on your bike after (worst case) a 4 hour bus ride almost anywhere except for Antarctica.
Adding a rohloff hub to even the crappiest bike means you can never turn your back on the bike out on tour, cause someone would steal it - or at least you will believe this, so same result. The cost of a Rohloff would pay for an entire month's worth of (camping mostly) touring - which is probably longer than 90% of all bike tours undertaken.
It's basically a solution without a problem. The Rohloff is ideally suited for MTBers who ride in mud daily - a situation which is rarely encountered on most bike tours.
I'd seriously consider a Rohloff only if I already had my heart set on something like a Thorn or similar rohloff-dedicated frame, and the rohloff was a $300 upgrade (a minor increase relative to cost of frame).
Results 1 - 100 of about 1,780 from bikeforums.net for rohloff. (0.09 seconds)
A Rohloff hub costs more than an entire LHT with racks, weighs more than everything it replaces, and wastes a significant amount of energy that would otherwise be used to propel you down the road on a derailer bike.
You still have to clean and lube the chain of a Rohloff-equipped bike, which is the main bicycle maintenance chore.
Rohloff hubs are not easy to install in a clean, neat fashion on a normal bike. You almost need a custom-rohloff prepped frame to make it look right. You need to fix the torque arm, or have custom dropouts, plus chain tensioner (which is very similar to a derailer in terms of what's likely to break) or custom eccentric BB, plus ugly cable ties the length of bike or custom cable guides, plus a single grip-shifter which is easily mounted only on flat mtb-style handlebars. The disc brake rotor mount and rotor itself are a 4-hole non-standard style rohloff rotors too.
Rohloff hubs probably fail only slightly less often than a properly operated and maintained derailer drive system. If it breaks, you're waiting at least several days for replacement parts since there's only one source (warranty claim to rohloff). You could find a derailer, chain and/or chainring that you can make work on your bike after (worst case) a 4 hour bus ride almost anywhere except for Antarctica.
Adding a rohloff hub to even the crappiest bike means you can never turn your back on the bike out on tour, cause someone would steal it - or at least you will believe this, so same result. The cost of a Rohloff would pay for an entire month's worth of (camping mostly) touring - which is probably longer than 90% of all bike tours undertaken.
It's basically a solution without a problem. The Rohloff is ideally suited for MTBers who ride in mud daily - a situation which is rarely encountered on most bike tours.
I'd seriously consider a Rohloff only if I already had my heart set on something like a Thorn or similar rohloff-dedicated frame, and the rohloff was a $300 upgrade (a minor increase relative to cost of frame).
wow -
Do not listen to this guy.
A rohloff never, ever, ever needs adjusting because the cables are in a "pull/pull" set up so even when they stretch it does not matter.
I would never, ever, ever go back to a derailluer set up.
This fella just spouted some of the worst advice I've ever read online.
My derailluer bikes have failed me about 10,000 times! My rohloff keeps on trucking and I would gladly pay 10 times as much if I had to do it all over again.
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For the most part I don't care what people ride. If you want to ride a $3000 custom bike go for it. It is your choice. However, the justification folks put forth for internal gear hubs gets to be annoying at times.
Actually I think Seeker333 nailed it. I am just shy of 40 and have been riding derailed bikes all my life. I never knew they were so problematic until I started reading the internal gear enthusiasts on the commuter forum. I completely agree. They are a solution to a problem that does not exist except for maybe die hard MTBers.
The annoying thing to me about internal hubs is how the enthusiasts try to BS everybody by more or less saying the internal gear bikes are maintenance free. Never mind all the other parts on the bike that might need maintenance or fail. Also, as I said above I have rode derailed bikes all my life and never had a failure. The derailleur system over times has become well developed, refined, and reliable. To try and say they are systematically flawed and unreliable is pure BS.
I think this kind of misses the point. The Rohloff alone is as expensive as most peoples touring bikes. Even if the potential thief does not know this, the more expense tied up in your bike, the more nervous you are going to be to have it leave your sight.
Actually I think Seeker333 nailed it. I am just shy of 40 and have been riding derailed bikes all my life. I never knew they were so problematic until I started reading the internal gear enthusiasts on the commuter forum. I completely agree. They are a solution to a problem that does not exist except for maybe die hard MTBers.
The annoying thing to me about internal hubs is how the enthusiasts try to BS everybody by more or less saying the internal gear bikes are maintenance free. Never mind all the other parts on the bike that might need maintenance or fail. Also, as I said above I have rode derailed bikes all my life and never had a failure. The derailleur system over times has become well developed, refined, and reliable. To try and say they are systematically flawed and unreliable is pure BS.
I think this kind of misses the point. The Rohloff alone is as expensive as most peoples touring bikes. Even if the potential thief does not know this, the more expense tied up in your bike, the more nervous you are going to be to have it leave your sight.
You can call "bs" on me if you want but this car free individual would never use another derailleur system again. I would pay 10 grand for the rohloff if I had to.
The other IGH rely on the same ratchet and release cable mechanism that other makes other shifting systems reliant on a cheap shifter parts that can break and improper shifting due to cable stretch.