Cutting the Rohloff Cable Housing

[Slammin Sammy]

Hi Thornbirds!

Attila the Nomad is almost finished, and I'm at the point of cutting the housings and cables for figment into the EZ box. The manual talks about removing the nylon liner from the housing and cutting them separately, but I can't see any liner in my housing. There appears to be an internal metal ferrule which seems to be permanently bonded to the housing. I can't pull it out with fingernails, and I'm not game to try anything stronger.

Is the manual off the mark and is this another new part revision like the "new" twist shifter? Can I just cut the housing as-is to fit flush into the cable adjuster?

As usual, thanks for your expert advice.

Sam

[julk]

Sam,
If you got standard brake housing from SJS for the gears then there is no liner to remove and it works well enough without one.
This is what they fit by choice for Rohloff gear cable outer as the brake outer resists flexing at the headtube for longer and will fail more gracefully when, or if, it eventually goes.

The Rohloff branded cable outer has the separate nylon liner.
Julian.

[Slammin Sammy]

Hi Julian,

Thanks for the swift reply. I bought a new Rohloff hub (not from SJS) and it came with the cable (presumably from Rohloff) included in the box. The cable housing is spiral, and both ends terminate in a metal internal ferrule that appears bonded to the housing. The ferrules look like they could be a liner, but it isn't nylon (at least not the visible part), and I can't budge it. It looks nothing like the photos and diagrams in the manual, where I expected to see a flanged white nylon liner protruding from the twist shifter end that I could fairly easily draw out of the housing.

Am I missing something? Is the liner behind the metal ferrules?

Cheers,
Sam

[julk]

Sam,
I do not have any experience of the cable outer you have, but some other cable outers I have chopped have had a nylon lining which stayed in place. I just had to make the cut end circular to get the inner to thread in.

So I recommend chopping the outer to the length you want - show it who is boss!
If there is a liner just leave it in place making sure to get the inner inside it.
If there is no liner then problem solved.
Julian.

[Slammin Sammy]

Hmmm....

In Rohloff's video on the subject (http://www.rohloff.de/en/technology/workshop/videos/external_gear_mech_cable_routing/index.html), you can see the cable outer on the left in the intro/parts-layout section. The cable itself is on the right. There is no white nylon liner shown. But the installation starts from the point where the cable housings are already at the  correct length (as in a cable replacement on an existing bike). There is no video that corresponds to the manual instructions to remove the liner and cut it separately, so that it can protrude 20mm beyond the housing and protect the cable right through the adjuster. So, if there's no liner, then only the cable goes through the adjuster? I'm just looking for some confirmation that the manual is out of date with this part, as well as with the new twister.

The video is easy enough to follow, but there's one curious thing... When he pulls the second cable taut prior to cutting it (using the 200mm measuring tube), the other cable doesn't withdraw into the housing. This seems odd, and the manual says it should come back to 85mm long. So I'm left wondering, "Do I need 200mm protruding from each side in order to wind the cable onto the click box spool, or should I cut each cable as described and hope there's enough tail to mount onto the spool as in the video?"

Perplexed...
Sam

[NZPeterG]

Hi Sam
Your right in thinking that the cables may have changed.
All Rohloff gear change cables had a inner lining which you had to remove, cut your outter and refit the inner lining.
But a few years ago Rohloff changed the Outer cabling to a new all in one.

So you have the new all in one cables and you just cut your cables like STD Brake cables.

All the Best

Pete  

[Slammin Sammy]

But a few years ago Rohloff changed the Outer cabling to a new all in one.

So you have the new all in one cables

Thanks Pete! That's a relief - at least I'm not seeing things! 

And can you confirm the video procedure - cut all but 200mm tail from the end of each cable and wind them equally on to the spool? (Meaning that, by my reckoning, there will be less than 200mm protruding from each end when the two tail are the same length?)

Sorry to fret about this - I don't want to blow the cable cut, and have to wait a few weeks for another to arrive from the old country!

Regard,
Sam

[julk]

Sam,
I have never needed to do this particular job.
The video is certainly confusing, I would have expected the first cut cable to shorten as the second is pulled out to cut to length.

One way of checking is to measure/estimate the amount of free cable needed,
roughly = length of cable adjuster + once round the bit the cable fastens into and which fits in the ex box.
Julian.

[NZPeterG]

Thanks Pete! That's a relief - at least I'm not seeing things!  

And can you confirm the video procedure - cut all but 200mm tail from the end of each cable and wind them equally on to the spool? (Meaning that, by my reckoning, there will be less than 200mm protruding from each end when the two tail are the same length?)

Sorry to fret about this - I don't want to blow the cable cut, and have to wait a few weeks for another to arrive from the old country!

Regard,
Sam

Hi Sam,
Yes you pull on the inner cable and cut to 200mm. Then you pull on you 2nd cable inner and cut to 200mm.
So when you pull the cables (inners) back and front would you go for one cable being 200mm long to the next being 200mm long.

I must ask why you are getting you Rohloff Hub and spare parts from the UK? As you have Rohloff OZ to get your Rohloff Hub and parts from!

I must say here that I'm looked after by Puresports New Zealand Chris is great at looking after me for the last 8 plus years.

But I'm Sorry to say He can Not help you as Rohloff is set up so People can only Buy Rohloff parts and Hubs from there own Country! Buying from out side of there Country is a Big No No! if Rohloff Germany find out that one of there supplier's is senting Rohloff Hub's etc outside of there Country! it is the end of them Selling Rohloff.

Sorry to say this But I like that you can not Buy from outside of your Country, Its all about looking after their Supplier's, and that there Supplier's look after You the end user.

Pete  

[Andybg]

Hi Pete

Just a quick addendum - to the best of my knowledge the point about buying Rohloff / parts from another country is mute between EU members as it is a free trade zone and would be illegal to impose or for that matter sanction wether or not Rohloff wanted to. I know it does not effect you but will effect the majority of Thorn owners.

Andy

[NZPeterG]

Hi Pete

Just a quick addendum - to the best of my knowledge the point about buying Rohloff / parts from another country is mute between EU members as it is a free trade zone and would be illegal to impose or for that matter sanction wether or not Rohloff wanted to. I know it does not effect you but will effect the majority of Thorn owners.

Andy

Hi Andy it is you in the end that misses out in the end as the end User! (not having a Good Back Up)

For me I would be Mad to Buy from overseas as we in New Zealand Have One of the lowest Price's in the World.

Pete 

[Andybg]

I would whole heartedly agree with you on supporting your local suplier. Unfortunately for me there are no suppliers of quality touring bikes and accessories in Bulgaria so I am forced to source 95% of my bike supplies from abroad. When in the UK, I put probably 75% of my purchases through my local bike shop and got the great backup that comes with it. You are in a very fortunate position that you get the great service and the great prices too.

Andy

[NZPeterG]

You are in a very fortunate position that you get the great service and the great prices too.

Andy

Hi Andy,
Some Supplier's (try) to sale there Bicycle parts for too much in New Zealand too! (Note: Not Rohloff).
I work part time at my LBS and a few supplier's prices are too high at Wholesale prices! Like a Pair of cranks cost $500 plus (NZ) wholesale and I can land them to my door for overseas (with shipping) for $240 (NZ).

By the way I have been to Bulgaria a few times back in the 1995, when I drive Tour Buses around Europe.

Pete  

[Slammin Sammy]

You're right, Pete. I forgot about my Aussie supplier(s), mainly because, when I went to buy my hubs (both the SON and the Rohloff), I found they were going to cost me an extra A$600 to buy them here! This was when the A$ was 15% stronger that it is now, but the Aussies never dropped their prices, so the differential was just too great.

I searched for reasonable prices for these components here, but found they are rare and expensive. Because of that, and the fact my nearest dealer is a 3 hour drive away, and doesn't stock parts, and sells so few Rohloffs they mostly wouldn't know how to support them anyway, I bought them like commodity components. Yes, it would have been convenient to be able to call up someone in Sydney or Melbourne to talk through my current quandary, but then I wouldn't have started this great discussion between mates! 

Thanks,
Sam

[il padrone]

$2000+ for a Rohloff hub from Australian suppliers versus $1120 delivered from Germany when I bought both of ours. That is an awful lot of service backup !!  

In recent years the on-line sales boom seems to have persuaded the Rohloff distributor to push their price down to around $1600, but I still lack confidence in their value.

But I'm Sorry to say He can Not help you as Rohloff is set up so People can only Buy Rohloff parts and Hubs from there own Country! Buying from out side of there Country is a Big No No! if Rohloff Germany find out that one of there supplier's is senting Rohloff Hub's etc outside of there Country! it is the end of them Selling Rohloff.

I really think this may be bollocks. Suppliers like SJS, Bike24, RoseVersands etc are all routinely doing on-line overseas sales and Rohloff must be well aware of this. Rohloff has an international back-up service and provides repairs/replacements on warranty to all sorts of international travellers. I doubt they interrogate all on their place of purchase and whether they were in or out of country at the time.