Consumables required for maintenance

[j-ms]

Hi

My first post on the Thorn forums.

I have just received an email from Thorn informing me that the two Thorn Ravens I ordered for my wife and I are complete and are ready to ship to South Africa (we're very excited as one can imagine). 

Before they ship, I want to make sure what consumables I need to perform the annual/5000km oil changes.  Being in Africa means I can't just drop in at St John Cycles to pick up oils, flushing liquids etc.

For the first oil change I understand that I will need at least a Rohloff Full Oil Change Kit but what do I need on subsequent oil changes?  Is it possible to buy the cleaning oil and SpeedHub oil in larger quantities ?  It will be a right PITA to have to order the full oil change kits every year when all I might need are the oils themselves.

Jean-Marc

[Paul S]

Hi Jean it is exciting I have just been told my nomad is finished hooray.

SJS sell the oils in 3 sizes

A) same size as the kit
B) 250 ml I think
C) 1000 ml

Thorn say to beware about buying large quantities because the oil only has a shelf life of about 2 years.

Enjoy you ravens!!

Paul.

[j-ms]

Hi Paul

Thanks for the heads up regarding the shelf life.

A quick calculation on two bicycles doing around 7500km per year suggests that I would need 150ml over two years, so the 250 ml bottles might be worthwhile.  However, I have heard that refilling with 25ml sometimes leads to small oil leaks and that a smaller amount might be better.

At the end of the day, it still seems to make sense to me to order 250ml now.

Jean-Marc

[julk]

I have been using oil from 250 ml bottles.
The cleaning oil ran out and has been renewed, the normal oil has a little left - so I have been using oil from 2010 for 6 years with no obvious ill effects…
I only do 1k or 2k miles a year.
julian.

[mickeg]

I can't comment on shelf life, but I ordered the 250ml bottles a year or two ago for my Nomad.  I only have one Rohloff to worry about and I expect to use it over more than a two year span.

Thorn has a good video on their website on oil changes.

I use 15ml of lube oil, not 25 in an oil change.  I think that is the current consensus.

I re-use the screw, but I reapply blue Loctite to the screw each time I do an oil change.  Dave in the shop has mentioned the possibility of dissimilar metal corrosion on the screw which encouraged me to consider the importance of a thread locker compound on the screw.

The complete oil change kit is needed to obtain the syringe, the plastic tubing with threaded adapter.  And I think it has one spare screw.

I have a Nomad, not Raven.  Thus, I can't comment on other spares you may want to have for the shifting cable setup.  I think the Raven has some form of internal cable that you might want to ask SJS if you should have a spare or not.  I think the other gear cables can be replaced with standard Shimano or Campy type road cables.

If you bought a leather saddle or two, a tin of Brooks Proofide may be a good thing to add to the order.

[rualexander]

These guys are the Rohloff distributor in South Africa and would presumably be able to supply you with any consumables you might need.
http://www.bruces.co.za/
https://www.rohloff.de/en/company/contact/rohloff-world-wide/index.html

[j-ms]

Thanks for the point about the cables for the internal hub (I've asked Thorn to add a spare to my order) and the drain screw as well as the info re Bruce Reyneke Cycles (I'll give them a call in the morning). 

The Raven has the old internally connected cables but the Step-Through (which is what the missus has ordered) as the EX hub.

I already have Brooks Proofhide and a well worn in B17 that will be moved to the new bike.

Regards
Jean-Marc

[mickeg]

I bought a T20 wrench at the local hardware store, you do not need the full assortment of Torx wrenches, only the T20.  It is needed to open up the EX box and also if you want to make any adjustments to the grips on the handlebars.