Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Rohloff Internal Hub Gears => Topic started by: wheezy on September 24, 2010, 08:12:45 PM
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2cBGgNkRWA&feature=player_embedded
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Looks like just what I've been waiting for, Is there any further information anywhere?
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Apparently it's a light weight shifter that Rohloff have "in the works". What little info there is, can be found in Wilhelm's post on this thread. There's a load of pictures of alternative shifters there too.
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=653140
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Has any more info emerged anywhere yet? It's odd to see such an explicit promo video and then hear nothing further. I'd have thought it would attract a lot of interest.
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Ha! What happened to Rohloff's lighter duty, wider range hub gear box that we heard so much about a couple of years ago?
Just asking...
Hobbes
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I am a new, and happy, Rohloff speedhub owner. I recently emailed Rohloff regarding the hard to see, black on black, shifter numbers. This is the reply:
Hello Marc,
The decision was made years ago to deliberately leave the numbers black-on-black. The reason for this being to show how intuitive the shifting system really is. It is important to know the gear numbers with a standard derailleur gear system as one should not cycle with such an inefficient chain-line. As the chainline is always perfect when using a SPEEDHUB, the number function itself is now obsolete. One simply shifts up or down and thus the cyclist can concentrate on simply enjoying the ride.
Time has shown that old habits die hard and the new shifter which we are working on will incorporate an aluminum ring with laser-etched numbers. This should be available if all goes well as of next year.
Have a nice day.
Best Wishes from Fuldatal, Germany.
Stewart Stabik,
Technical Support Manager
Rohloff AG, Germany
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Interesting to hear from the source direct. I have never quite understood the fuss about needing to know precisely what gear you're in as long as it feels right for the effort being made at the time, so Rohloff's explanation makes sense, for me at least - as I recently commented elsewhere, the ability to focus on the ride rather than the gears is one of the major advantages of the Speedhub.
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I totally agree with Fred, although it will be nice to see what Rohloff have come up with.
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I totally disagree. Commuting the last few days in darkness, trying to do a hill start, wearing clipless pedals it would be nice to know which gear I was setting off in. Once you are moving its no problem.
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Maybe Rohloff could change their ethos and oblige with an onboard shifter light or luminous numbers for such ocassions?
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Personally, I won't be happy 'til the shifter has a voice synthesizer and can speak the gears.
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Also, don't you all think it's a design oversight by Thorn on it's bikes not have giant, foam arrows
labelled 'Forwards' and 'Backwards' - Cycling can be so confusing sometimes........
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Now that you mention it, Crudson, as a concerned, safe cyclist, I went to Germany and paid BMW money for my bike because no British manufacturer had the good sense to fit his bike with directional foam arrows.
The nanny-state cometh!
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Seriously, I can think of at least one situation where visible numbers on the Rohloff rotary control would be useful to me. I bought my Rohloff bike when we moved up a hill and specified the gears specifically so that I could ride to my front door instead of having to get off and push. There's a section of the ride where I'm coming around the courthouse up a short but very steep section of hill and can't see what's coming on a fast main road just as I merge slowly with traffic that I'm trying to cross to get to the footpath through the park just across this fast road. The fastest way across the most dangerous part of my ride is in fact in third gear -- fourth accelerates too slowly when I'm already out of puff, second is less than walking pace and exposes me unnecessarily sideways on where my lights aren't doing much good in warning motorists I'm there. Stopping, by the way is impossible because I'll never get rolling again; anyway, only wimps stop.
I could well be in the market to replace a perfectly good and unworn but unreadable rotary control for the new model, depending on how difficult it will be to recable.
Andre Jute
Visit Andre's recipes:
http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/fiultra/FOOD.html
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There's absolutely no trace of where the numbers were on my shifter. I can feel which gear I'm in, they all feel different. On the odd occasion I find myself needing to know which gear I'm in as I set off, I twist all the way to 1 and count up. I might give the new shifter a go, it looks like it could be more comfortable as a hand grip.
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How about some stealth shifting. The old favourite a piece of inner tube makes an excellent, if needless, protective cover for the twist grip.
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I appreciate that Rohloff's over-riding philosophy doesn't meet everyone's precise individual needs - but would also argue that keeping eyes on surroundings rather than the shifter has an overall safety benefit (in addition to enjoyment benefit alluded to earlier) that makes Rohloff's stance even more logical.
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As someone who uses the hub off road in the dark at this time of year I would like to be able to see what gear I am in when I stop. One of the great benefits of the hub for off road use is that you can change gear when stopped. I frequently have to stop and go through gates and I don't want to be changing down and slowing down as I approach them, I want to ride up to then at my normal speed and as I go through them select the right gear to set off again. The excuses, for that is what they are, offered by Rohloff are laughable, if you don't need to know what gear you are in then don't put an indicator on at all, if you do need to see then put one on you can read. And who of their customers would be in the slightest bothered if they could see the numbers. The answer is none. They simply got it wrong at the design stage and up till now have been reluctant to change it because of the cost involved. The numbers start visible and then become invisible with use and they want me to believe that's a design feature!
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I never look at my shifter gear numbers - If I stop I automatically twist down two gears before setting off again...
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"If I stop I automatically twist down two gears before setting off again..."
Seems like a basically good idea. Though I am in the i-want-to-know-what gear-i'm-in camp so I'll nitpick :->.
How do you adjust the rule for slow approaches, versus fast arrival & sharp braking? Or rolling to a halt or a short incline.
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I emailed Rohloff regarding the expected arrival date of the new shifter.....looks like next month.
Hi Marc,
I am currently in the process of translating the instruction manual. This should be finished next week.
I am however unable to state exactly when the shifter will be available as we are still waiting upon estimated lead times for the various components from our subcontractors.
I am hoping that we will be able to deliver by mid-February at the latest.
Have a nice day.
Best Wishes from Fuldatal, Germany.
Stewart Stabik,
Technical Support ManagerRohloff AG, Germany
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Seems the new shifter is 'live' now. On the Rohloff site you can see a photo of the new shifter, with no sign of the 'old' one.
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And here it is: http://www.starbike.com/php/product_info.php?lang=en&pid=14671 (http://www.starbike.com/php/product_info.php?lang=en&pid=14671)
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I received my rohloff from starbike last week and was pleasantly surprised that it arrived complete with new 'lite' shifter, it appears new hubs are now being shipped with this as standard.
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Got mine now and fitted it last week. Gotta say, I am pleased to be able to tell at a glance which gear I'm in and it does avoid those nasty surprises I used to experience sometimes between 7 and 8. The feel to the hand (being round) is different to its triangular predecessor and a bit strange initially but overall, It was worth changing.
It came without any instructions and it did take me a little bit of faffing around to establish how to feed the cables correctly. I would hope its coming as standard now on new bikes.
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Peddles
I'm tempted, but my bike fitting skills are "intermediate". Is it a -swapping brake pads- job, or a -changing a cassette- job?
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Hi Alcyst,
Somewhere twixt the two I guess, I was most nervous about getting the cable inners cut the right length and without mangling the ends. Good luck.
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Well that wasn't too painful. Though the bike was out of action for a week or so, & the kids & wife left the kitchen during both painful sessions (I am not a DIY person).
I got the new shifter (from starbike). The instructions were in German, though the English version is available as a PDF on their order page. You do need to remove the old gear cables, & while a mechanically minded friend did have ideas on how to re-use those, mortals will be advised to buy 2 new cables along with the shifter (doing this cost me a week). Some other brand may work, various LBS insisted that the Rohloff brand cable was the only choice. They admitted to little experience, I have less, so I ordered 2 new cables & some new bayonet connectors (mine had been well salted & one of the headless bolts refused to budge).
Doing the job was easier than I realised, the cables did slip into the right slot. I agonised a lot over which was the "1/down" cable & which the "14/up".
Finally, there is a video on YouTube by none-other than Thorncycles.co.uk, aka SJS, which takes you through the process. The matter of fact tone is soothing, the advice on getting the cable length right works. It's great. Those guys should go into the bike business!