# Good price on a new Rohloff



## hunter006 (Jan 20, 2012)

Looking for the collective human search engines that are probably better than my own searching. I'm looking to buy a new Rohloff with the following specs:
SPEEDHUB 500/14
CC - Cross country
OEM2 - OEM2 mounting plate
EX - External Gear mech.

(why new? reasons related to warranty. Plus, I plan to run that hub the full 100k warranty )

For those running this setup, how much would you expect to pay for a new Rohloff with this setup? I have a quote from my LBS; they said they'd match an online price if I find one cheaper. Use Seattle, USA (zip code 98109) if you want to include shipping charges. Our state tax does not apply to stores without a presence in Washington state. I'm fine waiting for these hubs to arrive as long as the wait time is less than 3 months.

FWIW, the price quoted was ~$86 for the 160mm Shimano disk, and ~$1650 for the hub itself. I doubt I can find one cheaper (or if I do, the shipping charges will probably make it trickle over) but hey, nothing ventured nothing gained. Also as a FYI - I won't be asking my LBS to meet the online price, but half way between the online price and their quoted price.


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## fokof (Apr 24, 2006)

How about 1200$ ? (960euro)
Even with shipping & all , might be worth looking.

Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 CC DB OEM

And get the OEM2 plate as an extra


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## hunter006 (Jan 20, 2012)

I too thought that would be an awesome idea, until I saw this when I went to the checkout to figure out shipping charges and whatnot:
*The delivery of Rohloff SPEEDHUBs to U.S.A. is unfortunately not possible.*

Thanks for checking though 

FWIW, for countries that don't have to pay VAT, the total sum came up to 844.54 € at the checkout. Around $1100 USD.

EDIT: They also don't deal to Australia or NZ.


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## estutjaweh (Jan 3, 2008)

just so you know...the speedhub doesn't have a 100k warranty, its a standard two year EU thing.


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## hunter006 (Jan 20, 2012)

estutjaweh said:


> just so you know...the speedhub doesn't have a 100k warranty, its a standard two year EU thing.


Whaaaaaaaaaa...... oh man, the cake IS a lie.

Warranty: Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 : www.rohloff.de

Thanks for pointing that out. I guess I was confusing warranty with "expected lifetime". I think I've found most flaws in products inside 2 years so this will probably be ok.


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## finch2 (Nov 13, 2009)

hunter....I am in Australia. I decided to go with the local supplier for warrantee issues. It will cost you more, but on such a pricey piece of gear so what, especially if warrantee bothers you. I really did not want to end up posting suff and communicating with dealers overseas if something went wrong. In Oz the price will be standard whereever you go. Go to an lbs that installs them regularly as most places will not have any clue. The Rohloff distributer is usually very helpful (Marie I think). Like you mentioned...GST, duty plus shipping and the red tape of going over 1k will make it more attractive. For the price oyu mentioned I wouldn't waste my time looking elsewhere. FWIW, I paid $2100 for mine but that was probably when the AUD wasn't so good.


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## hunter006 (Jan 20, 2012)

finch2 said:


> hunter....I am in Australia. I decided to go with the local supplier for warrantee issues. It will cost you more, but on such a pricey piece of gear so what, especially if warrantee bothers you. I really did not want to end up posting suff and communicating with dealers overseas if something went wrong. In Oz the price will be standard whereever you go. Go to an lbs that installs them regularly as most places will not have any clue. The Rohloff distributer is usually very helpful (Marie I think). Like you mentioned...GST, duty plus shipping and the red tape of going over 1k will make it more attractive. For the price oyu mentioned I wouldn't waste my time looking elsewhere. FWIW, I paid $2100 for mine but that was probably when the AUD wasn't so good.


Hi Finch2, thanks for the reply. I'm originally from Perth, and got a bit of a shock last time I went back and had a looksy at some of the local prices for bike stuff, so your price doesn't surprise me at all - although it wasn't too far off the MSRP price quoted here by most places. The Giant Defy (list price ~$1k in the USA) earned me a $1800 hold on my credit card when I rented it - couldn't believe it.

We have maybe one guy who installs them "regularly" in this area for the bike brand Civia, but I'm pretty clued in to the bike scene here and the maintenance quality at that shop has taken a pretty steep nose dive lately. I actually ended up with these options in the end:
1) Wholesale price through a guy I know through work. It would be a legit business transaction, but being that I'd already gone to a LBS to get a quote on this, felt wrong to use this option. Might use it for something else at a future date. *$975* (wholesale QBP price).
2) Starbike don't ship to USA. Next! (they did have a pretty good price though, ~$1100)
3) LBS mechanic who I trust offered $1490 for the hub. I asked him if he'd build it up and throw in the equivalent lifetime wheel warranty as another place, and he said yes, he would, provided they didn't say outlandish things like you can Evel Knievel off the grand canyon on it and they'd warranty it.
4) MSRP: $1950 for the various bits and pieces I wanted. Direct from Germany is marginally cheaper, but we're talking $50 for an additional 3-4 weeks wait while Customs figures their stuff out.

So even though it was a lot more expensive than what I could have gotten it for, I opted for #3 for various moral and "betting that I'll need a mechanic that doesn't feel like I screwed his girlfriend" reasons. I learned some interesting things too; for one, QBP seems to only offer the black hub (which is OK, because i wanted black). They're actually out of stock with an ETA of December 21, so I'm on the item watch list and the order will probably be filled right around New Years.


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## finch2 (Nov 13, 2009)

sounds like you have it sussed. I am pretty sure I paid RRP, but then the other options I had weren't great. I think you have got a good deal. That 1950 from Germany would probably be combined wth the postage, and then you would be charged 15% plus customs fees. What you want is hassle free reliable warrantee which is what I wanted too. Having a direct path to the Aussie distributer should be a good thing. If you are mechanically minded you should have no issue. If you ever need to pull the hub apart, that is a job for someone else anyway.

Oops I see now you are living int he USA...good luck with it all...everything is cheaper there! No woonder you have some nice options!


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## rifraf (Dec 22, 2012)

*Hmmmmmmm*



finch2 said:


> hunter....I am in Australia. I decided to go with the local supplier for warrantee issues. It will cost you more, but on such a pricey piece of gear so what, especially if warrantee bothers you. I really did not want to end up posting suff and communicating with dealers overseas if something went wrong. In Oz the price will be standard whereever you go. Go to an lbs that installs them regularly as most places will not have any clue. The Rohloff distributer is usually very helpful (Marie I think). Like you mentioned...GST, duty plus shipping and the red tape of going over 1k will make it more attractive. For the price oyu mentioned I wouldn't waste my time looking elsewhere. FWIW, I paid $2100 for mine but that was probably when the AUD wasn't so good.


I'm in Aus and recently paid half that price from Germany including shipping. Warranty? Hell if its double the price in Australia, then I could just buy a new one if something goes wrong and I'm still not out of pocket. Still I see your point about the ease of warranty and the possible language barrier on the day your ring (there might not be someone who speaks English).
I find its the time difference that makes it hard for me as even ringing my sister in New Zealand I have to remember theres a 5 hour time zone imbalance. I struggled to get enough dosh to cover the Euro price and trying to go via Aus. would have made it a pipe dream. Hope your hub treats you well!:thumbsup:


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## finch2 (Nov 13, 2009)

rifraf...if that option was open to me when I got mine I would have done the same. I'd be interested to know which type of hub and where you got it from! You avoided GST and duty I guess...


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## rifraf (Dec 22, 2012)

Hi Finch2, Australian buyers can currently buy from Starbike, Bike24 and at least one other German site that I cant remember for within a couple of dollars of each other. Be careful when doing your calculations (exchange rate) to keep it under $1000Au. so you can, like me, avoid any gst/import duties. I bought the Oem dropout version, disk braked, CC - quick release, Ex - external mech. It was 20 euros for insured shipping and in total $998.00. I think later my credit card stung me another $10 on top for the foreign exchange fee.

To give myself some more flexibility as I'm not 100% sure of the frame I'll use, I just won an ebay auction (140898342009) of the long torque arm kit.

If the auction hadn't come up I would have had to order them from SJS Cycles in the UK as they are the only place I've seen with the bits sold separately.

Oh and I dont know if its normal but my hub didnt come with a QR for some reason.

Apologies, its just been pointed out to me that my version is Oem and not the Oem2 that I originally posted. I must have been having a senior moment.


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## finch2 (Nov 13, 2009)

amazing how much things can change. That is a great price. I remember when it was 0.60USD to 1AUD. Things were easier to sell overseas then too.


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## rifraf (Dec 22, 2012)

*Hmmmmmmm*

Yeah their dynamo hub prices for Son are pretty good too!
I'll grab an OEM2 plate when ordering my disk braked Son28 and CX-Ray spokes.
You'll have a stroke when you see the prices of those compared to Aus. as well.:thumbsup:


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## hunter006 (Jan 20, 2012)

finch2 said:


> amazing how much things can change. That is a great price. I remember when it was 0.60USD to 1AUD. Things were easier to sell overseas then too.


I remember those days... and they weren't so long ago!

I ended up getting the hub for $1495... BUT my mechanic and I came to an agreement where he'll bill me a certain way in January for it so I can claim a $800 work rebate that kicks in 1/1/2013, which effectively lowers the price to $770 for the hub including tax. Christmas came early for me .


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## rifraf (Dec 22, 2012)

*Rohloff*



hunter006 said:


> I remember those days... and they weren't so long ago!
> 
> I ended up getting the hub for $1495... BUT my mechanic and I came to an agreement where he'll bill me a certain way in January for it so I can claim a $800 work rebate that kicks in 1/1/2013, which effectively lowers the price to $770 for the hub including tax. Christmas came early for me .


Congratulations - thats a fantastic price.
Well heres a gift bonus from Rohloff. 
Permitted transmission factor to 2.1 down from 2.38 with the caveat that its targeted only for solo cyclists under 100kg.

The spiel:

News
SPEEDHUB 500/14 revised permitted transmission factor now 2.1!
11.12.2012

The permitted sprocket ratios for the SPEEDHUB 500/14 were set to ensure the hub would not be damaged due to a high input torque. These limits were set identical to the lower limits of derailleur systems of the day (2.35) but these obviously also contained a small buffer.

Current derailleur systems offer lower gear ratios now which are particularly favored by 29er cyclists for hard off-road climbs. Due to the increased interest in these bicycles the Rohloff AG has reviewed our permitted ratios and reduced the transmission factor further to just 2.1 for solo cyclists under 100kg. The 'buffer' that the SPEEDHUB previously had available is not longer present and this new factor must not be reduced further.

SPEEDHUB equipped bicycles may now achieve 1.36m per crank revolution in their lowest gear without risk of losing warranty cover.

Calculating the Transmission factor:

36 tooth front chainring with a 17 tooth rear sprocket = 36:17= factor 2.11 (updated Table can be found in the Owners Manual, page 20).

The Transmission factor of 2.5 still applies for Tandem use and cyclists weighing over 100kg!

rohloff.de/en/news/news_rss/]News-Rss:

There, my work is done - dont say I didnt give you anything for xmas


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## finch2 (Nov 13, 2009)

yay...does that mean older hubs are included?


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## rifraf (Dec 22, 2012)

Good question - I kinda assumed that they were but perhaps an email to Rohloff might be needed.
As its Xmas news, we might have to all pitch in and buy them a Grinch outfit if they say no!:eekster:


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## satanas (Feb 12, 2005)

rifraf said:


> I bought the Oem dropout version, disk braked, CC - quick release, Ex - external mech. It was 20 euros for insured shipping and in total $998.00.


rifraf - If you could let us know where you got the hub from it'd be greatly appreciated. AFAIK, the only German company that might ship hubs to Oz is bike24; and it's really marginal getting the OEM disk hub to come in under $1k; I *really* don't want to pay an extra $300~ because it works out to $1000.00 rather than $999.99 according to whatever rate customs decides to use.

Also, many thanks to those who've posted info on non-Rohloff rotors, and on lower "official" gear ratios. :thumbsup:


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## hunter006 (Jan 20, 2012)

Sadly, being a "fatty fatty two by four, can't fit through the bedroom door" kind of rider, I'm pushing pretty close to the 100 kg limit. A heavy backpack and I'm over the limit... but I have come to the conclusion after experimenting that 37x16 with 29x2.0" tires works out very well for me.


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## rifraf (Dec 22, 2012)

satanas said:


> rifraf - If you could let us know where you got the hub from it'd be greatly appreciated. AFAIK, the only German company that might ship hubs to Oz is bike24; and it's really marginal getting the OEM disk hub to come in under $1k; I *really* don't want to pay an extra $300~ because it works out to $1000.00 rather than $999.99 according to whatever rate customs decides to use.
> 
> Also, many thanks to those who've posted info on non-Rohloff rotors, and on lower "official" gear ratios. :thumbsup:


Hi Satanas
I got mine from starbike.com.
I've heard tales of people getting messages that they dont ship to Australia.
I had no problems and got mine in Dec.
Just under the $1K mark so no GST nor customs charges - it just rocked up via the postie after about 2.5weeks from memory.
Hope this helps


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