Thorn Cycles Forum

Community => Rohloff Internal Hub Gears => Topic started by: geocycle on September 22, 2015, 08:28:13 pm

Title: The sound of rohloff
Post by: geocycle on September 22, 2015, 08:28:13 pm: Came across this on you tube. Interesting to hear and see how the hub functions in different gears
http://youtu.be/yx-7_pfMGJc
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: Donerol on September 23, 2015, 12:51:59 pm: Very interesting - thanks for posting that. It relieves my mind somewhat as my Rohloff is relatively noisy in gear 12. It was second hand, though not much used, and I was afraid that it had been damaged by neglect. Even if it has been I am not going to be able to put a huge mileage on it, and I do oil changes religiously, so I'm hoping it will see me out. So far it is working perfectly :).
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: Andre Jute on September 23, 2015, 01:32:38 pm: Quote from: Donerol on September 23, 2015, 12:51:59 pm
Very interesting - thanks for posting that. It relieves my mind somewhat as my Rohloff is relatively noisy in gear 12. It was second hand, though not much used, and I was afraid that it had been damaged by neglect. Even if it has been I am not going to be able to put a huge mileage on it, and I do oil changes religiously, so I'm hoping it will see me out. So far it is working perfectly :).

Fascinating video; thanks for posting it.

That Rohloff in the video must have been brand new when they cut away the case. A Rohloff grows appreciably more silent as the miles roll by under it. But many owners, especially if they come from Shimano's IGH, have entirely unrealistic expectations about how soon the Rohloff will become dead silent. Chalo Colina, a bicycle mechanic for whom I have a lot of respect, who owns several Rohloff used in his family, once said, "About the mileage at which you retire a Shimano, your Rohloff will start running in." You need an entirely different perspective with a Rohloff, much longer than with a lesser gearbox. We're talking about a lotta miles to make a big difference.

My Rohloff has something over 5000 miles on it and gear 11 is more silent than the noise made by the Big Apples; on a smooth road and riding on the white line, you don't hear either. We're talking here about 6dB down from gear 11 in the video, which is why I suspect that box in the video is new, not run in at all. All other gears on my bike are still noisier, and the gain in silence in 8.5k klicks has been less than in the direct drive of gear 11. However, I've always made a point of being in gear 11 as much as possible, and fitting a hub motor has made that a very valuable habit, because it is the strongest gear junction so it is a habit that will preserve my Rohloff longer in the high-torque environment of a mid motor.

It is also worth noting that the two noisiest gears on any Rohloff, 7 and 8, with their irritating sighing sound, are the gears where the noise has been abated least on my box, perhaps because I tend to avoid those gears. Just where relief is need most -- Murphy wins again!

Donerol, I'd say a noisy gear 12 is just a sign that the previous owner didn't use his box much, and that you haven't put on big miles either. Here's a tip that I got from an American Rohloff owner: if immediately after an oil change any noisy gear doesn't run very much softer, there's nothing wrong with it that time won't wear down... You gotta put your expectation much further out: thousands rather than hundreds of miles of running in.

***
What I've noticed, and that is very welcome, is that gearchanging has become much smoother quite a bit faster than the box has become quieter. Of course, that may just be a better cable adjustment (as Sheldon used to say, "loosey goosey") or even cable stretch, but, whatever the cause, my box in the most-used gears now offers changes that are at least in the same room with the Shimano (which has always had a change that absolutely slices through butter, a standard of smooth civility) though I don't expect the Rohloff ever to beat the Shimano. It's been a long time since I needed to think about changes on my Rohloff, except for unconsciously counting gears shifted so that I can return to gear 11 for most of my riding.

***
BTW, my Rohloff has long since run further than any Shimano Nexus internal gear hub I've owned.
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: Donerol on September 23, 2015, 09:25:05 pm: Quote from: Andre Jute on September 23, 2015, 01:32:38 pm
Donerol, I'd say a noisy gear 12 is just a sign that the previous owner didn't use his box much, and that you haven't put on big miles either. Here's a tip that I got from an American Rohloff owner: if immediately after an oil change any noisy gear doesn't run very much softer, there's nothing wrong with it that time won't wear down... You gotta put your expectation much further out: thousands rather than hundreds of miles of running in.

Thanks, Andre - that's very reassuring. I tend to avoid gear 7 if I am on a quiet country road as I find the noise a bit irritating. OTOH it's useful on a shared-use path as it gives pedestrians plenty of warning and feels less rude than a bell or even an 'excuse me'.
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: il padrone on September 24, 2015, 01:54:48 am: Andre, surely that's a typo and you meant to say your Rohloff has done something over 50,000kms ??

Mine has currently done just over 25,000kms and the gears overall are much quieter than when it was new. All the lower range gears (1-7) are still noisy 'hummers', but the top range is virtually silent. The noisier gears (7, 5, and 1-3) have all settled to the point that road noise often means I do not hear their hum.
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: Andre Jute on September 24, 2015, 02:35:21 am: I'm glad to hear your Rohloff is silent in the top range, Il Padrone. But there isn't a zero missing off my mileages. My Rohloff has done about 8500km, which I translated roughly as 5000 miles.
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: Rockymountain on September 26, 2015, 04:28:10 pm: Great video clip - I enjoyed watching it. I have two rohloff bikes (Raven and Nomad Mk2) and both are noisiest in gears 5, 6 and 7. 8 is quiet and the quietest (as would be expected) is 11.

Fraser
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: jags on September 26, 2015, 05:35:16 pm: my god you guys want your head examined ,what the hell was that all about. ??? :o
i've watched some c..p videos on utube but that takes the biscuit.
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: John Saxby on September 26, 2015, 09:55:31 pm: Well, y'see, Anto, we can watch/listen/talk about Rohloff hub noises 'cos we're not in the workshop adjusting our derailleurs--or worse, at the side of the road on a hill somewhere, still searching for the gear we wanted. ;)
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: Andre Jute on September 27, 2015, 01:22:46 am: 8)
Rolhloff rider
cool, relaxed, organized
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: jags on September 27, 2015, 11:37:56 am: Ah wait until it breaks down on u john your goosed and it will break just like everything else man made. 8)
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: John Saxby on September 27, 2015, 03:15:21 pm: Nah, Anto, usual reliability rules don't apply, 'cos this was made in Deutschland (but not by VW...) 'sides, I've already used up my share of breakdowns in awkward places, all accounted for by my rear derailleur on my Eclipse. Clear sailing from here, I reckon ;)
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: jags on September 27, 2015, 03:25:34 pm: I hope so John but take a rear mech just in case. to be sure to be sure ;)
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: geocycle on September 27, 2015, 04:56:46 pm: Quote from: jags on September 26, 2015, 05:35:16 pm
my god you guys want your head examined ,what the hell was that all about. ??? :o
i've watched some c..p videos on utube but that takes the biscuit.

So you'll not be adopting it as your new ringtone then?
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: jags on September 27, 2015, 05:45:30 pm: Eh that would be a NO. ;D
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: alcyst on November 18, 2015, 11:10:46 pm: One of (the right number of Rohloff-ed bikes is r+1) my hubs was really noisy until it leaked and it had to go back for a re-seal and since then it has been oddly silent. I suspect the leak was because a mechanic at my LBS opened it up to have a look. The other was never as noisy as that video. Think road and wind noise end up being more most of the time.
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: rualexander on November 19, 2015, 04:49:06 pm: The video in the OP is terrible, I've never heard any rohloff hub make anything like that level of noise.
The fact that it is 'cut open' might be the part of the reason as there will be no muffling by the hub shell and oil, but its definitely a misleading video and any potential Rohloff purchasers should ignore it.
Title: Re: The sound of rohloff
Post by: ipswichcycler on November 25, 2015, 09:08:57 pm: Why would you want to listen to someone else's cut open Rohloff? Surely it depends on the sensitivity of the microphone etc. Go out for a ride on a motorbike and then you will appreciate the pure tranquility of a bicycle.

Or get a job where you work 60+ hours a week and then any free time out riding will also seem like pure bliss.