Author Topic: Rohloff Stories (the book)  (Read 5767 times)

Danneaux

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Rohloff Stories (the book)
« on: September 22, 2012, 01:10:46 AM »
Hi All!

For some time, I have wanted a copy of Rohloff Stories, a book written by Barbara Rohloff that details the origins and development of Rohloff the company as well as the hub and their other products over the years. It even includes a fascinating section on their raven wildlife-rehabilitation program.

Put off by the high cost on this side of the pond (the Euro-Dollar exchange rate didn't help), I hit the search engines and snagged an English-language, hardbound new copy still in plastic for EUR 18.49/USD$23.87 delivered from ABE Books/European Media Service ( http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?kn=rohloff+stories&sts=t&x=0&y=0 ). I received confirmation of the English edition and condition promptly from their German office, and the book arrived carefully packaged. Unfortunately, one corner of the cover got munged when the USPS apparently used it as a wheel chock, but it came through with the pages unscathed, unlike many of the books I order domestically.

When my sister saw my look of joy on opening it, she offered to make it my early Christmas gift -- how nice, and thanks!

For those who have not seen it, there is a wealth of information on Rohloff's operations and philosophy, and the book even includes photos of each employee. I especially enjoyed the early section showing how the gearsets engage to produce the selected ratios.  

Sure, it's a marketing tool -- one that integrates a guide to their company website and is all-positive for Rohloff -- but it is also a fascinating read, and I keep reaching for it when I have a moment's downtime. I think it is a "must read" for anyone interested in the hub and what goes into it as well as the people who use it.

By far the greater portion of the book is devoted to the stories of Rohloff hub owners, detailing their adventures with the hub near and far and recording the distance traveled. The first user profile is for none other than Thorn's own designer, Andy Blance. At the time of publication, he was riding a Thorn Varius and had put 80,000km on his hub. Andy's story details his and companion Fiona's travels with the hub to South America and his well-known cautions against overfilling. Much of the story is similar to what is available on the Thorn Cycles downloads page here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/downloads.html and Andy's publication, "Living With a Rohloff", available here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/thornpdf/ThornLivingWithARohloff.pdf

The section of the book of greatest interest to me so far is the one titled, "Service Issues or Murphy's Law". I found some of the information surprising because it was new to me, and I learned a few things. Among the revelations...

= A photo is shown of a Rohloff hub shell sliced neatly like dry bologna as a result of chain case friction (this has been discussed elsewhere on this Forum). The part that caught my eye reads, "...This phenomenon is rare, but it does occur if these two components come too close. However, the manufacturer responsible for the chain case is willing to supply a replacement part and cover the repair costs". If this is still the case, it would go far toward relieving any concerns about possible chaincase abrasion and subsequent hub failure.

= The next page has a photo of some very rusted Rohloff hub internals, accompanied by a story that details how the installing dealer forgot to fill the hub with oil, and the new owner neglected to perform the first (annual) oil change. The owner sent the hub in because it eventually required more effort to pedal than he thought necessary (!). The text reads, "[If the owner had even carried out the initial oil change after the first year]...then the gear unit would still be working today....The three small squirts of oil every gear-unit receives in production will suffice until the initial oil change and so there is no reason to panic that a retailer may have forgotten to fill the SPEEDHUB with oil". I might not panic after reading this, but I do think I might be worried if the hub had run for a year or 5,000km with no oil! Nice to hear that can still be "okay". I don't plan to put it to the test.

= There is reference to a run of cogs that were insufficiently hardened and resulted in tooth loss (the cog's, not the owner's) and the Internet forum debate that followed a single, very public case. The company says it was an isolated problem and covered repeatedly under warranty.

= A more amusing report of failure came in the case of accidental gunfire when a 9mm round pierced a hub shell during a police-training camp exercise; the hub was restored to working condition with a shell replacement.

= There is the story of a hub burned almost beyond recognition in a failed attempt to steal a bike secured in a shed, a story of oil leakage caused by a grain of sand working its way under a seal and further cautions against overfilling), and a caution to register your hub with Rohloff so they can develop a service history and register the hub ownership against future theft. There are several more stories in this section: One relates to a bicycle lost and "drowned" at sea, the other talks about a broken hub flange and spoking issues, and the last relates to immediate warranty coverage for a broken axle thrust plate (an earlier, two-piece brazed version rather than the current design milled from a single piece of steel).

The very last section is a visual listing of manufacturers using the Rohloff Speedhub at the time of publication, with contact information. Thorn is included with their Sterling in the MTB section (publication date on my copy is 2010).

All in all, an interesting read for the Rohloff enthusiast, and worth a look if you can snag a copy at a discounted price.

Any other Forum members who own or have read a copy?

Best,

Dan.
« Last Edit: September 22, 2012, 05:15:21 PM by Danneaux »

Andre Jute

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Re: Rohloff Stories (the book)
« Reply #1 on: September 22, 2012, 03:37:11 PM »
Lovely account of the book, Dan. Does she tell the story of how he got the idea for the hub on their honeymoon?

Danneaux

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Re: Rohloff Stories (the book)
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2014, 08:32:18 PM »
Hi All!

Several members of our Forum have recently expressed interest in obtaining English-language copies of Rohloff Stories.

I just received a fresh coupon code from ABE books, where I purchased mine. You're welcome to the code for a 10% discount if you wish. The code is good from now till 28March and is E76PB2. Occasionally, ABE offers free shipping.

This morning, I saw several English-language versions available from various vendors under ABE, but they tend to sell fast but come back in stock occasionally, so check back often.

Amazon has a copy for £9.25 here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rohloff-Stories-cyclists-reports-increase/dp/3000318992

Gettextbooks has a much wider selection of listings here with an array of prices: http://www.gettextbooks.tk/isbn/9783000318993?tab=all

Be sure to check shipping as as you tally costs; sometimes the higher-priced editions give a break on shipping and so may be the better bargain. Also, be sure to confirm the English-language with the vendor's listing to avoid surprises.

There are links on the 'Net to download e-book versions of the book, but they are not only illicit, most collect your email address for sale elsewhere and/or download malware. I have checked these out as a matter of course and due diligence for others who might not have looked further; these torrent links are not good an should not be pursued.

Best,

Dan.

Dave Whittle Thorn Workshop

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Re: Rohloff Stories (the book)
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2014, 08:47:19 PM »
OK Forum offer:

Anyone that wants an English copy, call me, pay by card and I will send you one for £9.99 free UK shipping.

Dave 01278 441542

Danneaux

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Re: Rohloff Stories (the book)
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2014, 09:06:16 PM »
Wow, that's a whale of a good deal, Dave; thanks!

Many happy member-sales to follow, methinks.

Best,

Dan.

phopwood

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Re: Rohloff Stories (the book)
« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2014, 10:15:21 PM »
Dave,

I will give you a call tomorrow.

Peter.

fossala

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Re: Rohloff Stories (the book)
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2014, 05:17:00 AM »
OK Forum offer:

Anyone that wants an English copy, call me, pay by card and I will send you one for £9.99 free UK shipping.

Dave 01278 441542
Dammit, just after I ordered on from rohloff. :) Good book though.

il padrone

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Re: Rohloff Stories (the book)
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2014, 12:38:10 PM »
We have a nice copy that came with my son's hub, ordered from Bike24..... but all in German  :o :(

So anyone posting on here who wants a copy in German (maybe for your German grossmutter) feel free to give me a PM. I'm in Australai of course.

stevendpclark

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Re: Rohloff Stories (the book)
« Reply #8 on: April 10, 2014, 04:08:03 AM »
I loved the book as well. I got mine from Cycle Monkey so I didn't have to deal with the Euro exchange.