New hub, sticky gear: has IT happened to me...?

[jawj]

Hi everyone! I've just started riding with my Rohloff and first impressions are mixed: it's great (no, actually, REALLY great!) to be able to change gear while stopped at traffic lights BUT I do have a little trouble when shifting into gear number 11...
On page 2 of 'Living with a Rohloff' Andy mentions this as a potential problem with new hubs. I'll describe the symptoms and if anyone recognises this problem, please let me know.
When I shift up from 10 into 11 the hub seems to shift into a much higher gear (maybe 14?) and stay there until I back off a little. I'm not putting in any more pressure than changing up from, say, 9 to 10, it's just that particular shuft that has a difficulty.
Has the written-about teething trouble happened to this hub and will it need to be sent back to the technical Teutons...?
Thanks for reading :-)

[geocycle]

How much have you ridden it?  I found it took a few trips to be really precise and to change without thinking about it.  It will jump to 14th if there is pressure on it.  Even after 600 miles I find my thumb searching for a shifter, or occasionally move the twist the wrong way!

As you say this is a potential problem and you may be the unlucky 1/100, but my advice would be to give it a couple of weeks to see if you/it beds in.

[stutho]

Has the written-about teething trouble happened to this hub?
Maybe - but before you send it back here are a few things that may improve the shifting.

•  Check the shifting cable tension. It needs to be relatively loose for it to operate correctly.
•  If you have the TS version of the hub (solid axle) check the tension of the Axle nuts - too much compression on the hub can have an adverse effect on the shifting.


•  Give the hub a little more time to bed in.  I noticed an improvement after the first oil change. (Although it was very good from the start.)
  

Good luck

Stutho

[jawj]

Thanks for your replies, peeps.

It's a QR hub and the cable tension has been a bit of a fiddle: it still seems like there's too much play in the shifter but when I tighten the barrel adjusters on the EX box it then gets too tight.

Maybe I'm just panicking! I HOPE I'm just pacicking...

Admittedly I've only done about 60 miles with the new hub so it may well be that it needs more time to bed in, it's just that it's was such a leap of faith to hand over so much cash, even with so many positive testimonies (know what I mean?), and this little stickiness does seem to be very 'positive' i.e. it feels like there's something definitely not right. Let's take it for another spin...

I think you're both right and I should give it some more time. Let's see what it's like off-road! (And see if I bed in, Geocycle!)

[jawj]

Hello again all, thought I'd update the situation.

Put another 60 miles on it and, if anything, it was worse: I was accelerating away from some lights and changed from 10 to 11, not under very high pressure, when the gears slipped... it could have been soooooo nasty but my loss of control somehow ended with me mounting the pavement and, incredibly, staying on the bike! I'll put it down to the Pace forks and badly laid kerbstones.

Anyway, I was very shaken and a little reluctant to stand on the pedals again so I pootled along like a vintage shopper. It was quite a relaxed ride actually!

I emailed a detailed saga to Rohloff who replied, at about 5am, asking me, if possible, to send them the wheel. I had asked them if they thought an oil change would solve it, but they were quite keen to have the hub back. Hmmm...

It has now been duly posted, so let's see what those wizards can make of it this time 'round.

I want it back: it was fun while I had it!

[stutho]

Sorry to hear you are still having problems.  Let us know hat happens.

[geocycle]

That's bad luck, posting a wheel must be a hassle. I hope they find what's wrong.

[Swislon]

What did Thorn say or wasn't it from Thorn ? If it was I would have thought they should have changed it for you rather than send it back to Rohloff yourself.
How do you package up a wheel so it doesn't get damaged ?

[Andrew]

Hi Jawj,

Is your Rohloff fitted to a Thorn?

[jawj]

Uh oh, now I feel like a spy... No, I didn't buy my hub from SJS and it's not fitted to a Thorn, but thanks anyway. This seemed like an appropriate and friendly place to talk about the issue, so here I am. I've no doubt Thorn's bikes are great and if I could have afforded one I would have very carefully considered it. :-)

ANYWAY... I sent the wheel to Germany and it was quickly returned. Their note said they had "re-calibrated the shifting parts of the speedhub" and that the 10/11 problem will lessen as the hub wears in, so fingers crossed!