Oil change therapy

[geocycle]

September, so time for the annual oil change.  I find this a really satisfying job with little risk attached that it could become a major task. This must be the 14th annual change I’ve made since getting the hub in 2006. Rather than spin the wheel with the cleaning oil I’ve found a short hill where I can engage gears 3 and 5 To swash around the mix. One change this year, I swapped my normal Earl Grey for Yorkshire Tea during the 15 min drainage. I’ve just finished my Rohloff oil which I bought as part of a forum group purchase Many years back when only litre sizes were available. Given that I’ll likely be still riding the hub in another 14 years, I’d best get some more ordered.

[PH]

I’ve just finished my Rohloff oil which I bought as part of a forum group purchase Many years back when only litre sizes were available. Given that I’ll likely be still riding the hub in another 14 years, I’d best get some more ordered.

I'm just finishing my split litre from about the same time, I kept 500ml, I've used more flushing fluid than gear oil, so that's gone first. 
In the intervening years, Rohloff seem to have caught on to people splitting what were sold as workshop tins, and now sell in 250ml quantities, cleverly priced to be substantially dearer per ml than the big bottles, but not quite substantial enough to bother with the hassle of splitting... The new oil looks considerably different to the grey stuff we've been using, though the SJS photos show different oils depending on the quantity, I have no doubt that whatever they're selling will be fine.  I haven't decided which quantity to buy yet, my Rohloff collection has grown to three, but I can't imagine I'll be doing the same mileage in another 15 years.
I'm tempted to start using the method in the "Living with a Rohloff" brochure - double flush, add 25ml oil, mix, drain most of it out again.  But that obviously uses twice as much flush as oil and I haven't seen them sold other than together(Though I haven't looked hard)  I'm also tempted to do them all every January, maybe the same weekend, save having to remember which is due when, though the most used bike might need an extra one mid year. 

[Matt2matt2002]

One change this year, I swapped my normal Earl Grey for Yorkshire Tea during the 15 min drainage.

Never mind the oil permutations, I'm more concerned about your change of tea.
I'm a confirmed Earl Grey man myself.
I always get a perfect oil change with that brew.
Yorkshire sounds a bit risqué.

[geocycle]

Yes Matt, I am braced for reduced performance for the next 12 months due to the tea faux pas... worrying times!

[Andre Jute]

Earl Grey with extra lime and honey was a famous energy drink* among pioneer cyclists. A long time ago I saw an ancient advertisement of a bicycle with odd-diameter wheels which had a boiler on a cantilever frame over the rear wheel so that tea could be made instantly at any stop. (A dangerous contraption, I would've thought.) Or maybe the tea was already in it, say Red Bush Tea, the soldier's comfort, which is stewed rather than infused.

*For the enlightenment of the younger members, you pour the tea into the cyclist, like a can of Red Bull, not the Rohloff.

PS I was saving up this vivid memory for a game of True or False next April, if the Chinese Pandemic lasts that long, but since it was obviously an engineering reality (or at least the drawing had all kinds of details of interest to engineers), I'll fledge it here.

[Pavel]

What are the fine points in regards to the differences between the Earl Gray and Yorkshire teas?

Myself, I’ve not noticed a second drain plug for tea of any sort on my Rohloff. I know I really should read the instructions, but then forum members always save the day. I’m due for a change soon as well.

For better performance, is it milk in first?

[geocycle]

Sorry for the in-joke Pavel. It stems from Thorn’s Oil change video which suggests drinking tea while waiting for the oil to drain. Yorkshire Tea is a good work day blend whereas Earl Grey with essence of bergamot is a little more refined.

[Danneaux]

A long time ago I saw an ancient advertisement of a bicycle with odd-diameter wheels which had a boiler on a cantilever frame over the rear wheel so that tea could be made instantly at any stop.

GB_vintage_lightweight_cycles on Instagram has photos of a nifty on-bike tea-brewing kit based around a No. 96 Primus stove.

See: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEuMJSCFUBk/

Surely something similar could be adapted to a Thorn Rohloff-equipped bike to ensure proper tea brews and oil changes while on the road?

Best,

Dan.

(photo attached below courtesy of the link above)

[Andre Jute]

Surely something similar could be adapted to a Thorn Rohloff-equipped bike to ensure proper tea brews and oil changes while on the road?

Did you read the accompanying text on Instagram? There's a whole cluster of these lunatics egging each other on. There's even special hardware (Terry clips*) for attaching the Primus stove to the top tube between one's legs. No, thank you! I'll pass. That contraption is a bomb waiting to go off, right next to the family jewels. Gives a whole new meaning to "taking one for the team".

That'll teach me to believe that any particular lunacy, just because it is ancient, has passed.

*The British value their eccentrics, who are all called Terry. Their patron saint is Heath Robinson.

[martinf]

Did you read the accompanying text on Instagram? There's a whole cluster of these lunatics egging each other on. There's even special hardware (Terry clips*) for attaching the Primus stove to the top tube between one's legs. No, thank you! I'll pass. That contraption is a bomb waiting to go off, right next to the family jewels. Gives a whole new meaning to "taking one for the team".

That'll teach me to believe that any particular lunacy, just because it is ancient, has passed.

If the stove is really ancient (like my old one) it will probably run on paraffin. Which isn't explosive, but the stove needs priming with methylated spirits (or another alcohol). These two fuels have their own problems - UK paraffin and meths both stink, so are best carried outside the luggage bags. I can understand the idea of fixing the stove to the frame.

When I used my paraffin stove for cycle camping it went in a rear pocket on one pânnier, which I only used for the stove and meths, or for tools when not carrying the stove. The paraffin went in an aluminium bottle in a bottle holder under the down tube, a position I don't like to use for drinking water as a bottle here tends to pick up road muck. There are lots of industrial pig farms here in Brittany, so road muck can be quite smelly at times and might pose a risk of microbial infection.

I now have another Swedish product, a Trangia. This runs on alcohol and is much simpler, no pumping needed, and only one fuel. French "alcool à brûler" is easier to find in small quantities than the local equivalent of paraffin and doesn't generally have a nasty smell.

[WorldTourer]

It is odd to read here about UK paraffin stinking. As far as “white gas” goes, is the UK stuff of much lower purity than Coleman fuel, Primus Powerfuel, or the brand of bencina blanca that cyclists rely on in Chile (the one with the atom logo on it)?

None of those really stink; they have a nice, clean smell and can indeed be used as a cleaning product. When using those fuels, if I just leave my MSR pump and stove in the open air for 20 minutes after disassembly, the fuel evaporates entirely and absolutely no smell remains. So, I just pack my pump and stove in a pannier with everything else.

[PH]

It is odd to read here about UK paraffin stinking. As far as “white gas” goes, is the UK stuff of much lower purity than Coleman fuel, Primus Powerfuel, or the brand of bencina blanca that cyclists rely on in Chile (the one with the atom logo on it)?

Paraffin is kerosene rather than white gas, the latter being a refined petrol.  The safety of paraffin is that the vapour at normal temperature and pressure isn't flammable.
EDIT - Guide here
https://cyclocamping.com/blog/2015/08/06/understand-the-different-fuels-for-camping-stoves/

[martinf]

When using those fuels, if I just leave my MSR pump and stove in the open air for 20 minutes after disassembly, the fuel evaporates entirely and absolutely no smell remains. So, I just pack my pump and stove in a pannier with everything else.

I had an MSR stove for a while, but I found it even more fiddly to use than my old Optimus, which is why I went for the Trangia instead. But the multifuel capability of an MSR is probably worthwhile for long-distance touring, especially out of Europe. 

When I did have the MSR I used a tip found on Internet :
- I cut the bottom third off a suitably-sized clear plastic mineral water bottle and used this as a cap, sliding it over the MSR pump, which I left installed on the fuel bottle. The fuel bottle was then carried on the bike in a bottle cage under the down tube. The cap protected the pump from road muck and minor knocks. 

[steve216c]

You can't get Rohloff oil in 1 liter bottles any more? SJS seem to have UK stock available for GBP 120

There are several German stores who also stock it and appear to ship outside of Germany. Just search for Rohloff 8406 on google.

[PH]

You can't get Rohloff oil in 1 liter bottles any more?

I don't think anyone has suggested that it isn't available.
But it used to be common for people to buy what was described as a workshop quantity and split it between two or more users.  After all, with one hub and an annual 15ml change, 1litre  would last 60 years! Even at 25ml it would last 40 years. 
The point I was making earlier is that the price difference per ml between the newer 250ml size and the 1lt is still substantial, but not really enough to go to the hassle of buying the larger and splitting.
Of course the correct answer is to buy more hubs