First Time Rohloff Owner

[martinf]

Anyone gone with the Thorn accessory bar and just really hated it? Is there an inherent problem with that positioning?

I didn't hate it, but with drop bars I tend to spend most of my time with hands on the brake hoods.

And from there, it just felt more natural to go to the bar-end for shifting. Perhaps partly because I was used to having bar-end shifters on derailleur bikes. When I had derailleurs I never "upgraded" to the integrated brifters, partly because I used 5 to 8 speed freewheels/cassettes and didn't want narrower spacing than 8.

With the Brompton handlebar (not enough length to fit the shifter in the traditional poition next to the brake lever), I find the under bar location (similar to Thorn accessory bar) quite OK.

One possible problem with the Thorn accessory bar could be interference with a handlebar bag or with bulky accessories (GPS ?) mounted on the centre part of the bars.

I don't use these, but I do have repeater brake levers, which I consider a safety feature when riding on the tops of drop bars. I had no issues of interference between the latter and the Rohloff shifter when I had it on the accessory bar.

[mickeg]

I have not tried the shifter on the accessory T bar, but I did try a shifter slightly aft of that location, but oriented differently.  First photo, I use the 55mm T bar to hold my handlebar bag bracket.  I then put a mountain bike handlebar end on that T bar and put my shifter on that bar end.

Second photo shows the road conditions that I rode for a 14 hour day in 2016.

On that 14 hour day, there were several hills that I was climbing and I had to have both hands on the bars for better leverage and control, but being on a hill I wanted to downshift but did not want to take my hand off the handlebar to downshift.  And about half way through that day I decided that when I got home I would buy the Hubbub adapter and mount my shifter on the right side of my handlebar.  Then I could have my hand on the handlebar for leverage and also shift gears without moving my hand off the handlebar.

The Hubbub adapter comes in two lengths, if my memory is right, the Rohloff version is shorter.  I think I bought the Shimano one and cut it to Rohloff length, but that was six years ago so details are long forgotten.  But one thing I do clearly remember, I read that some people found the hubbub adapter could come loose from the bars so I installed it REALLY tight with threadlocker on the threads to make is as permanent as I could because if I put some leverage on the bars, I did not want it to work loose.  It has remained solid.

I used a couple V brake noodles to change the angle of my cables coming out of it so the cables are farther from my knees.  See third and fourth photos.

Very happy with that setup.  That said, I have bar end shifters on three of my other bikes and have used bar end shifters off an on since the 1980s, so it is natural for me to reach down there to shift gears.  If you have not used bar end shifters before, that position might not work as well for you, at least not at first.

[John Saxby]

Preferences vary, but on both my Raven (for 8 years) and my current Mercury (6 months) I've mounted the Rohloff shifter on a Thorn acc bar.  I cant it rearward by about 30 degrees, so that I approach the shifter in a slightly-modified "doorknob" fashion.

I ride about 90-95% on sealed roads.  I've found the acc-bar positioning fine, no problems.

Have attached a photo so that you can see how I set up the shifter on my Raven.  There are two acc bars, the lower one used for mounting an Arkel handlebar bag in this photo.  Currently, I'm not using the Arkel bag and brackets.  The lower acc bar can be used to attach a Revelate Sweetroll.  I also use, on occasion, an Axiom small or ditto large handlebar bag.  These attach to the handlebars, and the lower acc bar conveniently pushes the lower part of those bags outwards, so that the main and auxiliary pockets are easier to reach.

Good luck - but remember, as they say in Nigeria, "No condition permanent", so you can also change things around.

[Matt2matt2002]

Good luck - but remember, as they say in Nigeria, "No condition permanent", so you can also change things around

That reminds me of the Nigerian airways slogan from 20+ years ago:
" We're only half as bad as you think".

Nice picture btw.

[Prince of Darkness]

I don't actually have a Thorn T-bar, but have a Minoura Space Bar, which gives a very similar set up. Personally, I find the shifter to be in exactly the right place and would not consider any of the other setups I have seen, except, perhaps if I was fitting a bar bag. Even then, I would look to try to keep it there if practical. Each to their own though

[GamblerGORD649]

All my IGH shifters are on hoseclamped DIY posts, pointing up on the top tube near the stem. The 2 cables then naturally go along the TT, then down thru the rack. ZERO chance of breakage or flopping cables grinding the paint. I mostly shift up with my left hand and down with my right hand.