[Closed] Rohloff gear hubs

I would buy one tomorrow if I could afford it.

I would accept the drawbacks of a bit of extra weight and perhaps a bit of extra drag in the lower gears in exchange for the longer life of the drivetrain.

It's a lot of money for essentially just a different way of changing gears. I rode around a very muddy Chilterns yesterday, and my traditional dérailleurs didn't miss a beat, I'd be hard pushed to find the sustained conditions that would make the investment worthwhile. It's also heavier, and all servicing has to be done in Germany.

Lovely bit of kit, I'm just coming up to my second full year on a Rohloff & they're great, but they do have downsides like weight, cost & there is a bit of drag but not as bad as some would have you believe.
Maintenance is a 10 minute oil change every year - thats it!
No rear mech to tune or smash against things, perfect chainline, use BMX chains so last for ages, work through mud that'll have deraileur's miss shifting like hell - real fit & forget.
Here's mine in some Exmoor gloop
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I'm also selling one if you're interested (I've converted my hardtail to use the same brakes as my full sus so they can share the Rohloff wheel)

alfine?

Really Pleased with mine after almost a year of ownership. I think they tend to suffer from some over the top evangelists - but mine has worked well and the whole "maintenance free" thing is definitely true.

[u]Good[/u]

Changing Gear when stopped is great - surprisingly useful
As I said, the "maintenance free" thing is true - fit and forget
They are quieter than I was led to believe - mine hasn't done 1000's of miles - but it already runs pretty much silent apart from gear 7. No real feeling of drag.
I was unsure about the twist-shifter - but I actually find that I change gear more often and ride more efficiently as a result, especially as the gear changes feel more direct than my XTR setup on my other bike.
I love the simplicity of sequential gears - no overlap and (in my case) no clumsy changes on the front rings to get the gear you need..

[u]Not so good[/u]

They [i]are[/i] heavy - I think the hype that they weigh no more than an XT setup or whatever is, well, crap. The weight is also concentrated in a single spot and in my otherwise lightweight H/T (below), it was very noticable and took a while to get used to.
They are expensive - I also think that the argument that they pay for themselves due to the cost of replacing rear mechs, etc is bollocks. Buy one if you want one and have the money, not as a way to save money.
My bike is Rohloff specific and requires no other bits and pieces - If I was having to get into Chain Tensioners and torque arms, etc - I'd feel as if it was negating some of the "no faff" and "less to go wrong/hit off a rock" benefits.

Overall, I'm really pleased with it, it does exactly as I'd hoped and would definately use them in the future, but I still feel they are a bit over-hyped.

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what swello says is pretty much spot on....me I'm convinced , its all good.

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I've just treated myself to one after borrowing our Nicolai demo a little too much! We did some extra training with rohloff a fortnight ago, it's really very impressive internally- see videos at our Youtube page if you really like that sorta techy thing
[url= http://www.youtube.com/eighteenbikes ]youtube clicky[/url]

We're working out 0% deals to help people get one - actually how I'm paying for mine.

It's not for everyone I'll admit- if you're local enough, give us a shout for a tryout first maybe?

Si

Second vote for an Alfine. Almost a tenth of the price with the same benefits, only you get 8 gears and a choice of rapid fire shifters or twist grip. You get the range of a rear mech and i think the cable routing(under the chainstay) is a lot tidier.

I had a Rohloff but just didnt get along with it, much prefer the Alfine I have just fitted.

I love it, just bought another one, much more reasonable secondhand and worn in! I now have one on my suss and hardtail, I noticed the weight a little to begin with but lifting the wheel and landing jumps is easier as the weight is now neutral with a suss fork rather than front heavy and the gearchange is instant which makes up for the slight back off pedalling you have to do, which I would prefer not too but like I say the shift makes up for it.

Maintenance free I like, changing gear without pedalling I LOVE, always in the right gear and ready to drive out and away even when braking and especially when stuck or stalled on a hill and in too low a gear to get motion without spinning, just put it in a gear that works

I had full XTR so the weight went up but I fitted lightweight kit everywhere else, tubeless tyres and my suss is 26lbs the hardtail 25lbs (but with a bigger fork).

New XTR is now what £320ish (f+r mech+shifters+cassette) then a hub, say Hope at £100, secondhand they are about £650 with the bits you need and possibly with a wheel. The wheel is also much stronger as there is no dish.

So a little more weight, but the tradeoff is gears that work all the time and don't need adjusting, I ride often at Cannock which is not really muddy but I have often got to the end of a ride without full use of the front mech or slipping rear.

Best bet is to see if you can try one.

I think the Alfine is good too if the ratios are enough for what you ride and even then, you can always change the front cog?