Author Topic: Rohloff flush and filling oil...what is it? Maybe...  (Read 4178 times)

Danneaux

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Rohloff flush and filling oil...what is it? Maybe...
« on: August 14, 2017, 12:33:27 am »
A fascinating analysis of Rohloff's oil flush and operating oil appears here:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum/board/message/?o=1my&thread_id=793758&page=1&nested=0&v=M

Let the discussion begin...!

Best,

Dan.

John Saxby

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Re: Rohloff flush and filling oil...what is it? Maybe...
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2017, 02:11:15 am »
Thanks, Dan, for posting this -- I was about to do the same.  Interesting stuff, for sure.  I have a good supply of both flushing & filling oil -- prob good for another 5 years at least. So, I reckon I can wait a bit to see how the DIY/generic approach plays out.

mickeg

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Re: Rohloff flush and filling oil...what is it? Maybe...
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2017, 02:31:24 am »
Response number 8 on Crazy Guy is from me.  It has been over a decade and a half since I looked at lab reports on petroleum products, so I was curious to see what kinds of tests they were performing.  And all I saw was an analysis of the non-hydrocarbon components, so unless there are a bunch of pages missing from the lab, I would say that it is less than reliable.

I am quite content with my purchase a few years ago of the 250 ml bottles.  If I have to buy another pair of 250ml bottles later, I will consider myself fortunate to still be rolling along at that age.  At that time I will be happy to buy another pair of bottles.

John Saxby

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Re: Rohloff flush and filling oil...what is it? Maybe...
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2017, 04:50:16 pm »
Quote
At that time I will be happy to buy another pair of bottles.

Yep. Me, I'd be flushed with delight.

geocycle

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Re: Rohloff flush and filling oil...what is it? Maybe...
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2017, 06:15:53 pm »
I don't think it is really that expensive as folks make out.  The problem is that until recently you either had to buy a very expensive single shot, or a full litre that would last longer than the shelf life of the oil or the owner.  Both were significant expenses.  I went down the 'cartel of friends' model and shared a large purchase via this forum.  I have now got to the end of the cleaning oil and have bought one of the new 250 ml volumes. Compared to many bike purchases it is not that bad IMO.
 

energyman

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Re: Rohloff flush and filling oil...what is it? Maybe...
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2017, 08:02:05 pm »
If you can afford a Rohloff then you can afford their oil ?
I had a three speed Sturmey Archer and ran it on "3 in 1" oil, as I did as a student.
The bike would still be going if some fellow student hadn't thrown it into the dock
QED

Andre Jute

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Re: Rohloff flush and filling oil...what is it? Maybe...
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2017, 09:22:07 pm »
I am quite content with my purchase a few years ago of the 250 ml bottles.  If I have to buy another pair of 250ml bottles later, I will consider myself fortunate to still be rolling along at that age.  At that time I will be happy to buy another pair of bottles.

I stand with George and John. I'd be delighted to be cycling at that age, and to live in a place cycling is still possible. Not off-topic at all: I remember when we used to cycle in the dark after dinner on main roads that today only the stupid and the reckless would go on.

And with Geo: for the fifty or sixty Euro that my next ten years' worth of oil cost, you can buy maybe half a Brooks saddle, and you'd pay more than that for a headset that you know will last ten years, or for a bottom bracket that you know won't last ten years.

I think that oil is cheap, given the fact that Bernd Rohloff probably keeps up with modern chemistry and availabilities and agonizes over the changing formulation of his oil. Rather him (and George) than me, because, as the Chemistry teacher said after I blew the windows out of a wing of the school that had stood since time immemorial, "Jute, I'll thank you to stick to throwing ink bombs from the clock tower into the quad."

In any event,  it seems a small price to pay for what is in effect an extended guarantee of the most expensive component on the bike.

mickeg

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Re: Rohloff flush and filling oil...what is it? Maybe...
« Reply #7 on: August 14, 2017, 11:16:43 pm »
I don't think it is really that expensive as folks make out.  ...

...
And with Geo: for the fifty or sixty Euro that my next ten years' worth of oil cost, you can buy maybe half a Brooks saddle, and ...

When you see comments on-line about people complaining about the high cost of Rohloff supplies, you might be seeing comments on the cost in USA.

Cycle Monkey is the main source of Rohloff stuff in USA, at this time they want $107 USD for the 250 ml bottles before shipping cost is added.  If you are in California, you would likely have to add a sales tax (similar to VAT) too.
https://www.cyclemonkey.com/tools-lubricants/rohloff-speedhub-oil

SJS at this time asks 40 pounds (including VAT) before shipping cost added for the pair of 250 ml bottles, if shipped to USA then VAT not charged so the price is reduced from that.  I just checked Reuters for currency conversion, $107 USD is 82.54 pounds.  That shows how much markup there is on Rohloff related stuff in USA.  Before shipping cost is added, the cost of oil is more than twice as much in USA as in the UK.

I got my oil from Bike24 a couple of years ago, I just checked their website and they say they no longer sell that size.  But when I got it, even with cost of shipping from Germany to USA I paid less than half of what I would have had to pay in USA.

A lot of European bike supplies have a big markup when sold retail in USA.  When I recently built up my Titanium bike, I think I got about $250 worth of stuff from SJS and a bunch more stuff from a German on-line seller.