Rohloff Speedhub

OneWayTraffic · May 19, 2009

I don't have any personal experience with this, but I can tell you that it is far and away the best geared hub out there. 14 evenly spaced gears, industry leading efficiency and a gear range rivaling that of a 3*7 derailer combo.

Of course you'll pay through the nose for it, and I'd wonder if you really need all those gears on an ebike anyway.

Basically the Rohloff gives you the gear range of a MTB and if you really think you need that it may be worth it. The other thing is reliability. I saw a guy on CNN who'd ridden his bike around the world; he had a Rohloff.

Sheldon Brown's website has a little bit on it, as does wiki.

flecc · May 19, 2009

I second most of what OneWay Traffic has said, but with two additions.

It's a very noisy hub, enough to turn pedestrian's heads at times.

The normally excellent gearchange does have one design problem, changing from gear 7 to gear 8, it can at times it can jump straight to gear 14 (top gear) instead of 8. That's a bit awkward and disconcerting if climbing a slope at the time, but some care can avoid that much of the time. A pity though, since gears 7 and 8 are right in the middle of the useful range in this very wide range hub. The gearchange control itself is unusual in that it's a twistgrip with a continuous loop cable, two cable runs to the back hub.

I don't think e-bikes need large numbers of gears, 6 or 7 being plenty for most purposes due to the gap bridging effect of the electric drive, so the Rohloff is a big overkill.

I personally wouldn't buy one for any bike, powered or unpowered, partly due to the noise and partly due to the cost, around £600 last I heard and may be higher now.
.

jac · May 19, 2009

hi the biketec flyer reviewed on this site was fitted wih rohloff gears so perhaps you could read that

jim

flecc · May 19, 2009

P.S. I omitted to mention above the issue of the efficiency of the Rohloff. Their claims are beyond what's possible with epicyclics, particularly in the compound modes it uses for all the lower gears. Those gears produce most of the grinding noise, itself an indication of efficiency loss since that is the only source of such noise.

Not a serious matter, but it's true overall efficiency is probably no better than most other hub gears and lower than some of those with only 3 to 5 gears.
.

Fecn · May 19, 2009

I had a look at the Rohloff, but was put off by the high high prices and the fact that the lower gears were ultra-low ratios and not a lot of use to me. As such, I ended up going with a Nuvinci CVP instead. It has a 350% ratio range which is infinitely adjustable (with no fixed gears). I am very happy with my Nuvinci as it means I can change ratios under load and have a range that takes me from 3.5mph to about 30mph, and for me that makes the increased weight totally worth it.

The only real downsides to the Nuvinci are that it's a large and heavy beast (at least twice the weight of the Nexus 7), and it can take quite a a few miles (50-100) before you learn to stop trying to treat it like a set of fixed gears and really start to get the best from it.

And just for completeness.. here's how it looks on my Agattu.

Mussels · May 19, 2009

Fecn said:
I had a look at the Rohloff, but was put off by the high high prices and the fact that the lower gears were ultra-low ratios and not a lot of use to me. As such, I ended up going with a Nuvinci CVP instead. It has a 350% ratio range which is infinitely adjustable (with no fixed gears). I am very happy with my Nuvinci as it means I can change ratios under load and have a range that takes me from 3.5mph to about 30mph, and for me that makes the increased weight totally worth it.

The only real downsides to the Nuvinci are that it's a large and heavy beast (at least twice the weight of the Nexus 7), and it can take quite a a few miles (50-100) before you learn to stop trying to treat it like a set of fixed gears and really start to get the best from it.

And just for completeness.. here's how it looks on my Agattu.

I didn't know they were available for pushbikes, I would have thought they were too inefficient. Does it work well?

Beanie101 · May 19, 2009

I have a Flyer T14 HS which uses the Rohloff hub. I think it's excellent for the mountainous area where I live (the ultra low gears are as useful for going up the inclines as the high gears are for going down again). I don't find it noisy, but then I have so much wind in my ears that it's difficult to hear anything else. I did a review of the whole bike on this link (sorry I've forgotten how to do it properly)

bikehttp://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bike-reviews/2808-flyer-t14-hs-review.html

flecc · May 19, 2009

Here's the link for you Beanie101:

Flyer review
.

flecc · May 19, 2009

Fecn said:
The only real downsides to the Nuvinci are that it's a large and heavy beast (at least twice the weight of the Nexus 7)

Fecn's NuVinci weighs 4 kilos, but the good news is that the latest version has lost a kilo from that, without any loss of it's performance.
.

Fecn · May 19, 2009

Mussels said:
I didn't know they were available for pushbikes, I would have thought they were too inefficient. Does it work well?

Yes - it works extremely well. When I first read about the Nuvinci and the traction fluid inside it, I was concerned that maybe it might be inefficient, but in everyday use, I have been unable to notice any loss of power or increase in effort over what I had with the Nexus 7. It doesn't feel spongy, or like you're working hard to push the hub round - it just feels normal... like all your pedalling effort is going to the wheel. No diminshed range from the battery compared to the Nexus + 18-tooth sprocket either.

It did take me a while (100 miles) before I really started to love it though. Under moderate loads (unassisted or low-power mode) you can change ratios freely, but as the power transferred increases, the shifter on the handlebars becomes more and more difficult to move. However, at the top of each pedaling stroke, there's a drop in the power being delivered from your legs and then you can make small changes - this means that you can accelerate away from a standing start very quickly by leaning on the shifter and allowing the ratio to progressively increase with each pedal stroke. The other technique I found for getting the best is to momentarily pedal slightly harder (for 1/2 turn) and then slightly softer (for 1/2 turn) to allow you to jump wider ranges.

Fecn · May 19, 2009

flecc said:
Fecn's NuVinci weighs 4 kilos, but the good news is that the latest version has lost a kilo from that, without any loss of it's performance.
.

Mine weighed in at 3.7Kg still in the box, including all the cables and the shifter.

flecc · May 19, 2009

Fecn said:
Mine weighed in at 3.7Kg still in the box, including all the cables and the shifter.

Sounds like you may have got the later one then Fecn, I didn't think they'd been in that long, though they had intended the revised weight design when they first launched.

Velovision gave the manufacturer's claimed weight of the old model as being from 3850 grammes, but not sure if that's just the hub or complete.
.

Fecn · May 19, 2009

tillson said:
Did the twist grip and control cables fit onto your bike OK or do you have cable ties around various sections of the frame?

ps Is there a range of rear sprocket sizes available for this hub?

It takes BMX-style freewheels. I have an 18-tooth on mine currently. I have seen them down to 13-tooth and up to 22-tooth in size.

No messy cable ties for me.

The 'crusise-controller' looks nice enough on the handlebars and doesn't get in the way of the brake lever

I installed the two cables nice and tidy One cable ran along the path the Nexus 7 used to take, the second ran along the spare route through the spare hole in diamond frame. I even managed to find a matching grommet.

The cables both run through the frame and emerge underneath the motor the same as the nexus cable did (I had to remove the motor bolts when routing the cables). From there, they go in nice straight lines to the hub. It all looks like it was factory fitted, with no dodgy bits

I can PM you some large pics if you want a closer look at my install job.

I should probably point you to this thread on the 50cycles forum too... which is what actually inspired me to fit a Nuvinci in the first place... Login (thread is probably only visible to members)

Fecn · May 19, 2009

tillson said:
Did you buy the hub from a UK supplier?

Just read the link to 50C's forum. My question is answered there. Thanks.

For the benefit of those who don't have a login on the 50C forums - Yes, I got it from Horsfall Racing who are in the UK and had them in stock when I emailed.

Beanie101 · May 20, 2009

Thanks Flecc

JamesC · May 21, 2009

Beanie101 said:
I have a Flyer T14 HS which uses the Rohloff hub. I think it's excellent for the mountainous area where I live (the ultra low gears are as useful for going up the inclines as the high gears are for going down again). I don't find it noisy, but then I have so much wind in my ears that it's difficult to hear anything else. I did a review of the whole bike on this link (sorry I've forgotten how to do it properly)

bikehttp://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bike-reviews/2808-flyer-t14-hs-review.html

Hi Beanie
Thanks for the review of your Flyer T14 HS.
I have gradually been accumulating the bits to try the Rohloff hub on my ProConnect.

Does the Flyer use the 41T chainwheel on the Panasonic drive, and the 16T sprocket on the Rohloff hub ? I am planning to use 41/15, as the low end gears seem to go towards a very low first gear which might be too slow to retain balance.

James

Rohloff Speedhub

Esteemed Pedelecer

Pedelecer

Member

Esteemed Pedelecer

Esteemed Pedelecer

Member

Esteemed Pedelecer

Esteemed Pedelecer

Pedelecer

Member

Member

Esteemed Pedelecer

Esteemed Pedelecer

Member

Esteemed Pedelecer

Esteemed Pedelecer

Esteemed Pedelecer

Esteemed Pedelecer

Pedelecer

Esteemed Pedelecer

Advertisers