# Anyone using a Rohloff 14 speed hub



## SimpleJon (Mar 28, 2011)

I am finally getting round to building the expedition / touring / bike packing rig I've always wanted. The Al hybrid will be relegated back to the commuter only.
I've done my fair share of touring and apart from tires, problems with cables and front and rear mechs, hangers etc have definitely been the biggest mechanical problems I've encountered whilst on the road / trail.
I am prob going to get a custom designed built steel 29er frame and fork that can be loaded up with front and rear panniers for expedition type stuff also want to get a set of 100mm front XC forks, probably go for Rebas, for bike packing or rear loaded racks only. I am seriously thinking about the Rohloff 14 speed with 526% gear range and a 13% to 14% difference this should be good enough for me - I can just change the drive sprocket / chain ring to a higher or lower ratio to suit application.

Anyone tried hooking up a Rohloff onto a 29er rim and used it for a while, would be interested to hear your thoughts, advice on lacing rims to go for etc - I would probably want to set it up with a 36/16 for trail riding with the larger wheels. (I know this is lower than recommended but I very much doubt I can generate anywhere near the 150Kg of force this is based on). I would be interested to here the experiences of those using rohloffs for general trail riding 
As far as the rear rim I want rims on which a V brake can be used for expedition stuff - I have a set of XTR's knocking about. Also Disc for bike packing - The front is not an issue will get a dyno hub for expedition and a separate wheel to go with the sus forks / probably ZTR Flow on a hope pro II or something


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## sfelter (Dec 19, 2006)

*Do it.*

I have ridden a Rohloff for years. I really cannot say anything negative about them, other than the initial cost, and the obvious rear-biased weight. There are definitely deals to be had on them, if you do your homework.

I think they are ideal for bikepacking, from a maintenance / reliability standpoint. On the Kokopelli / Moab / AZT trip that myself and a few others rode last summer, three of the four bikes were Rohloff-equipped and not one had any issues. The bike with the coventional drivetrain had two rear derailleur failures, FWIW.

On said trip, I ran a 35/16 combo, and it worked very well on the 29er on techy trails : 
The Current State of the Hunter - Full-on Touring Setup | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I run Stan's 29er Arch rims both front and rear with DT Supercomp spokes. Bomber. I do, however, weigh 150# soaked in IPAs.

Check out while out riding for even more Rohloff-love.

I say GO FOR IT!

Scott


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## Crimargia (Jun 12, 2011)

*Rohloff*

@SimpleJon: I do ride our 29er with a Rohloff with 32/16. No problems at all. It´s not cheap, but you will love it.

m,
2SoulsCycles


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## Crimargia (Jun 12, 2011)

@all Rohloff Fan´s: when your wife is asking you for a nice gift for your birthday:

www.Singlespeeder.de


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## SimpleJon (Mar 28, 2011)

Thanks guys, the most frequent breakdown hassle I've had whilst touring has been derailleur gear related, apart from once when I was using a cheap wheel - my own stupid fault. Frame wise I am looking at a Bruce Gordon 700c rock n road, 700c long haul trucker and the Thorn Nomad Mk 2 - If they made the Nomad to take a 26 or 29er wheel it would be a no brainer for me that would be my choice.


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## sfelter (Dec 19, 2006)

*Ogre?*

I would also have a look at the Surly Ogre. 29er frame, bomber Surly build quality, insanely versatile in terms of setup for different purposes, and built with Rohloff in mind.

The new Troll / Ogre dropouts are a very smart solution for using an IGH.

Food for thought...

Scott


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## She&I (Jan 4, 2010)

I'd say go for it. We run ours way under the reco ratio (on a tandem), and my only regret is too little high gear as-is. One could use multiple drive chainrings with a Rohloff/tensioner, either with a front der or just yank the chain over by hand. No huge mileage on ours yet, but so far, so good.

I'm sure the IGH forum has boatloads of Rohloff info.

Mike

PS: Hi, Scott


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## sfelter (Dec 19, 2006)

Hey.


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## SimpleJon (Mar 28, 2011)

Pretty good idea that, running a compact road crank 36/50 or something along those lines with an FD, with 14 speed rear would hardly be anything more than a minor headache when it breaks, potential pain in the ass if you break the tensioner though. Would be awesome if they made a 36/50 hammerschmidt to pair with a speedhub.
I've not ridden a troll or ogre so can't really comment, my main concerns would be my big feet - with the shorter stays than the LHT and clearance for rear panniers. Also geometry looks like it may be a little more prone to flex when loaded on descent than a LHT (been there before and don't like that one little bit) , but that also depends on the tube butting, and not as comfortable for longer expedition type stuff - Looks great as a 29er or offroad lightweight bike packing though. I've been pretty interested in the other thread discussing this topic


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

I've just built up a 29er hardtail with a Reba/Hope Pro II up front, Alfine 11 in back using Stan's Flow rims. I've been running a Rohloff in my Surly Big Dummy cargo/touring bike for years with no issues.

I think you are correct that using a lower than recommended input ratio won't cause a problem for you. However, I would keep in mind that about ~1% of new Rohloffs develop shifting issues that need to be adjusted back at the factory/service center. This is covered under your warranty so it's worth riding the bike for 1K-2K kms legally to make sure you don't have this issue [shows up in the first thousand KMs or so if it's going to happen]. After that you can roll on with a lower input ratio without much reason to worry about needing warranty support.

IGH's for bikepacking seem like match made in heaven...:thumbsup:


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

SimpleJon said:


> Would be awesome if they made a 36/50 hammerschmidt to pair with a speedhub.


I used a HS for two seasons on my MTB and recently switched back to a conventional 2 ring crank. The drag in the higher range of the HS is so high you really wouldn't be encouraged to use it unless you are bombing downhill. The end result is an expensive heavy front gearbox that you rarely take full advantage of.

I really wanted to love the HS, but in practice a single ring or dual chainring setup is a better option IMO.

For gravity type MTBers who aren't pedalling the flats or uphill much at all the HS has some benefits. For touring/AM/XC riders not so much


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## Crimargia (Jun 12, 2011)

*Springtime! ;-)*

Upgrade: 17er








Rohloff: love it:









m


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## Sometimes (Jun 21, 2009)

vikb said:


> I used a HS for two seasons on my MTB and recently switched back to a conventional 2 ring crank. The drag in the higher range of the HS is so high you really wouldn't be encouraged to use it unless you are bombing downhill. The end result is an expensive heavy front gearbox that you rarely take full advantage of.
> 
> I really wanted to love the HS, but in practice a single ring or dual chainring setup is a better option IMO.
> 
> For gravity type MTBers who aren't pedalling the flats or uphill much at all the HS has some benefits. For touring/AM/XC riders not so much


What about the Schlumpf?


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

Sometimes said:


> What about the Schlumpf?


I've never tried the Schlumpf so I can't comment on it specifically, but it's going to have addition drag in the step down or step up gear [depending which version you buy].

Personally I wouldn't ever mate an IGH to a multi-speed BB because you are going end up with a noticeable power loss from both sets of gears.

An IGH makes a ton of sense in harsh conditions, but get one that meets your gear range needs on its own without any additional transmission elements.


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