Rohloff now only gives 13 gears

[Dunroving]

Hi, sorry for a real newbie question, and yes, I have searched for this topic. As per title, my Rohloff now only gives 13 gears (12 "clicks"), whereas it used to give me 14. I've searched the interWeb but every time this comes up as a topic, it is to do with the Rohloff having only 13 gears from original set-up (so, set-up is the issue, such as wrong cable length), or after replacing cables. Neither applies in my case.

In my case, my Rohloff has given me 14 gears since I had it (about 18 months), and I've just realised it's now giving me only 13 gears - and from the twist grip markings, looks like it's gear 14 ("hardest" gear) that's missing. I don't know exactly when the change occurred, as I've not had the need to use the full range of gears my last few rides. However, I did recently remove the "gear control box" in order to remove the wheel and wonder if this could be a clue?

I'm about to ride Ireland and am very wary of doing anything drastic to try to fix it (like cutting the cable!) - I'd rather do the ride with only 13 gears and fix it when I get back than do something that can't be rectified before I leave. But if there are any simple things I can be looking at before I leave, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, all.

[in4]

Sounds like you haven’t put the gear twist shifter into the correct gear before hand. I can’t remember which gear you need to select but it’s in the manual.

[Dunroving]

Sounds like you haven’t put the gear twist shifter into the correct gear before hand. I can’t remember which gear you need to select but it’s in the manual.

IIRC, you put it in top or bottom gear before removing (and don't mess with the twist shifter while the wheel is off). I have done this a handful of times without any issue.

I just removed the gear control box and in doing so realised that one of the cables was jammed up against the bike frame. I'll post photos in a bit, but currently I am unable to get the gear control box to go back on! I know it's supposed to "click" on, but it's not playing ball. I'll try a couple more times and if that doesn't work, I'll put the bike away for the night and post the photos.

[Dunroving]

Sounds like you haven’t put the gear twist shifter into the correct gear before hand. I can’t remember which gear you need to select but it’s in the manual.

IIRC, you put it in top or bottom gear before removing (and don't mess with the twist shifter while the wheel is off). I have done this a handful of times without any issue.

I just removed the gear control box and in doing so realised that one of the cables was jammed up against the bike frame. I'll post photos in a bit, but currently I am unable to get the gear control box to go back on! I know it's supposed to "click" on, but it's not playing ball. I'll try a couple more times and if that doesn't work, I'll put the bike away for the night and post the photos.

I now have the gear control box on and wheel tightened down. I can now get 14 (gears" (13 "clicks" on the twist grip, whereas I could only get 13 "gears" (12 clicks) before. However, when pedalling, it still only goes to the 13th gear.

One thing I noticed when watching the YouTube video on Shand's YT channel is that their torque arm seems torquey - moves, but springs back. My torque arm doesn't seem very fluid in comparison. It wants to be in one position and will move, but not readily (it feels stuck and when I push it, it moves but is then still feeling a bit stuck in its new position).

<<sigh>> I love my Rohloff, but any time I mess with removing the wheel it doesn't seem as straightforward as it should be.

[Dunroving]

Well, I thought I just posted a YT video link and three photos, but when I clicked "Post", it didn't load for some reason. Time for some tea, I think.

[Dunroving]

Cr@p, just tried loading the photos again, but no joy. When I click on "Post" the post disappears, but hasn't loaded.

[PH]

OK, break it down into component parts.
Disconnect the cable box:
Does the shifter turn smoothly from from gear 1 showing to gear 14?
With an 8mm spanner, on the exposed part of the external mechanism, can you get all 13 clicks?
With it on a stand, or upside down, can the gears rotate freely whilst changing gear with a spanner and the cable box disconnected?

If you can get all the gears with a spanner and the shifter is moving freely, then it's just misaligned  - Shifter in 14, nut turned all the way anti-clockwise. It does sometimes need a bit of a jiggle, rocking the shifter can help, just be careful not to lose a position when doing so.

If either the disconnected shifter, or the hub without, isn't offering the full range, knowing which narrows it down.

[PH]

Cr@p, just tried loading the photos again, but no joy. When I click on "Post" the post disappears, but hasn't loaded.

For the youtube just post a link.
The photos might be a size thing, I' don't know, I always host elsewhere.

[Dunroving]

Cr@p, just tried loading the photos again, but no joy. When I click on "Post" the post disappears, but hasn't loaded.

For the youtube just post a link.
The photos might be a size thing, I' don't know, I always host elsewhere.

Thanks for the detailed reply. Photos were a size issue. I'll post reduced size photos and YouTube link tomorrow.

[Dunroving]

OK, I've resized the photos to be < 512kB so hopefully this will work. These pictures show:

(1) the cable box on the bike, in which you can see it was previously re-attached (by me) with the upper cable barrel (not the barrel adjuster; the barrel that sits in a notch in the cable box) at right angles, and the cable jammed up against the frame. I honestly don't remember it being tight up against the frame, but I do recall it being more difficult than it should be to press the cable box onto the external nut/s. If you compare my photo to the point at 0:44 in Shand's YT video (see link below), it's in a completely different position - but that is related to the (I think) torque arm - see also below, comments about torque arm.

(2) the cable box in my hand, showing how "loosey-goosey" the cables are - when fitting the cable box onto the external nut/s, the wee barrel thing does waggle around, hence possibly how it ended up being refitted in the wrong position.

(3) the external nut, torque arm, etc. in position without the cable box, in case someone can see something obviously awry.

Every time I have removed and re-fitted the cable box (about 4 times now, to remove the wheel in order to attach/remove mudguards), it's always seemed much more of a faff to get the cable box back on than in the video I typically use (Shand's video, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0CtpowOi9I&list=PLTuqXgTZqht1OJRn3pnd8AGW2SNXPJlHH&index=2).

Specifically, at about 1:18 in the video, when Russell is re-inserting the wheel, the torque arm seems like a torque arm - moves back and forth with pressure, but is "springy". Mine doesn't seem like that - it is stiff and needs to be pushed backwards, and forwards, until it's in a position for the cable box to go back. I'm wondering whether that is causing the problem.

I haven't done anything this morning as I'm still fearful of messing up something that makes it worse, and that I can't remedy. Going to call the local bike shop to see if they have experience with Rohloff - time is tight at the moment and I've only just discovered this problem shortly before taking the bike for transport to Ireland. If the LBS can't sort it, I may just leave it as is and report back here in August after I get back.

[Dunroving]

I've just had another go at removing and replacing the cable box, trying to replicate the position in Shand's video. Now the twist shifter is REALLY loose. Normally, it would waggle about half a gear marking on the shifter before clicking into the next gear. Now I can waggle it back and forth about two gear markings before it engages and clicks. I feel like I am making a bad situation worse!

[Dunroving]

OK, break it down into component parts.
Disconnect the cable box:
Does the shifter turn smoothly from from gear 1 showing to gear 14?
With an 8mm spanner, on the exposed part of the external mechanism, can you get all 13 clicks?
With it on a stand, or upside down, can the gears rotate freely whilst changing gear with a spanner and the cable box disconnected?

If you can get all the gears with a spanner and the shifter is moving freely, then it's just misaligned  - Shifter in 14, nut turned all the way anti-clockwise. It does sometimes need a bit of a jiggle, rocking the shifter can help, just be careful not to lose a position when doing so.

If either the disconnected shifter, or the hub without, isn't offering the full range, knowing which narrows it down.

I have followed your steps (1) and (2), above, in conjunction with this very brief but helpful YT video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2p80rzbtP0

With cable box off, using an 8 mm spanner, I do get 14 gears (13 "clicks"). The twist shifter also moves freely from 1 to 14.

When I replace the cable box, following the YT video above (click the nut all the way anti-clockwise to gear 14, and twist the shifter to gear 14 before replacing the cable box), I still can only get 13 gears/12 "clicks". I haven't tried it on the work stand yet, but I do notice the twist shifter is VERY loose - I can rotate it it one gear in each direction before the gear change engages. This is definitely looser than it used to be (although I have always thought it was a bit loose - I've always been able to maybe twist it a half-gear in each direction without it engaging, which has never felt right).

[mickeg]

The theory is if you always put your gear shifter into 1 or 14, before you remove the EX box, then if you bump the shifter or stress a cable  that can move it before you reassemble, you know where to reset the shifter before you reassemble.

In your case, you say you only have 13 gears.  One is missing, either 1 or 14.

If your shifter won't go to 1 on the number plate, the lowest your shifter will go to on the shifter number plate is 2, then you know that when your shifter plate says you are in gear 2 that you really are in your lowest gear which is 1.  With the shifter in your lowest gear, remove the EX box, move your shifter to 1 on the number plate, reassemble. 

If the EX Box does not want to go on, you have to jiggle your shifter cables a bit so that the hex shaped hole on the cable spool in the EX box lines up with the hex shaped knob on the wheel that your EX box goes over.  Just make sure that you did not jiggle the cables so much that you moved the shifter so far that it is no longer in the right gear on the shifter number plate.

Or, if instead your shifter won't go to 14 on the number plate, the highest the shifter will go to on the number plate is 13, then you know that when your shifter plate says you are in gear 13 that you really are in your highest gear which is 14.  With the shifter in your highest gear, remove the EX box, move your shifter to 14 on the number plate, reassemble. 
 
I never bother to set my shifter to 1 or 14 before I disassemble because I simply forget to do it.  The first time I only had 13 gears on reassembly, it drove me nuts until I realized that I must have bumped the shifter or pulled on a cable which moved the shifter position.  Once I figured out how to remedy it, I never worried about it again, it is a simple fix when it happens.

That said, you stated:

...I just removed the gear control box and in doing so realised that one of the cables was jammed up against the bike frame. ...

If one of your cables is not properly threaded through the frame cable guides or has been damaged, that could cause problems that prevent it from working right.

On torque arm issues, I can't comment.  I have a Thorn bike which uses an OEM plate instead, not a torque arm.

[Dunroving]

The theory is if you always put your gear shifter into 1 or 14, before you remove the EX box, then if you bump the shifter or stress a cable  that can move it before you reassemble, you know where to reset the shifter before you reassemble.

In your case, you say you only have 13 gears.  One is missing, either 1 or 14.

If your shifter won't go to 1 on the number plate, the lowest your shifter will go to on the shifter number plate is 2, then you know that when your shifter plate says you are in gear 2 that you really are in your lowest gear which is 1.  With the shifter in your lowest gear, remove the EX box, move your shifter to 1 on the number plate, reassemble. 

If the EX Box does not want to go on, you have to jiggle your shifter cables a bit so that the hex shaped hole on the cable spool in the EX box lines up with the hex shaped knob on the wheel that your EX box goes over.  Just make sure that you did not jiggle the cables so much that you moved the shifter so far that it is no longer in the right gear on the shifter number plate.

Or, if instead your shifter won't go to 14 on the number plate, the highest the shifter will go to on the number plate is 13, then you know that when your shifter plate says you are in gear 13 that you really are in your highest gear which is 14.  With the shifter in your highest gear, remove the EX box, move your shifter to 14 on the number plate, reassemble. 
 
I never bother to set my shifter to 1 or 14 before I disassemble because I simply forget to do it.  The first time I only had 13 gears on reassembly, it drove me nuts until I realized that I must have bumped the shifter or pulled on a cable which moved the shifter position.  Once I figured out how to remedy it, I never worried about it again, it is a simple fix when it happens.

That said, you stated:

...I just removed the gear control box and in doing so realised that one of the cables was jammed up against the bike frame. ...

If one of your cables is not properly threaded through the frame cable guides or has been damaged, that could cause problems that prevent it from working right.

On torque arm issues, I can't comment.  I have a Thorn bike which uses an OEM plate instead, not a torque arm.

Thanks for the added information, Mick. [I have looked for a "thumbs up" button to thank responders, but can't see one]

Couple of developments: (1) I discovered another very brief but helpful YT video from the same folks who created the other very brief one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HInYif8GIa0 - it's related to cable play, which I interpret as also being related to twist shifter "wiggle" or "loosey-gooseyness". Therefore, after checking this, (2) my cable end barrels were pretty tight in the cable box, so I loosened the barrel adjuster a little and now I do get 14 gears, although Gear 1 does seem a bit "tight" (twist shifter only just agrees to go into 1st gear). I take this as meaning that it just requires a bit of fine-tuning of the cable tightness.

Regarding your comment about whether the shifter will "go to" 1 or 14, my shifter is so slack that even when I can only get 13 gears, the shifter would go to the 1 or 14 position, it just wouldn't change gear. I've read that the twist shifter should have a little play in it, but mine has always had more than what I'd call a "little" play.

I am still a bit concerned that the position of my torque arm is rather random, and the torque arm is pretty stiff. However, I now know what it should look like when it's in the right position, with the two cables running parallel to the chain stay, roughly, so am OK at the moment with the fact my Rohloff does work across all 14 gears and will look into that when I come back from my Ireland trip. Don't fix what isn't broke, as they say.

[PH]

Forget this, start with my post below then come back to it!

I am still a bit concerned that the position of my torque arm is rather random, and the torque arm is pretty stiff.

That would concern me as well. the torque plate (i assume we're talking about the OEM2 version) should only fit in one place, with an appropriate fitting holding it there.
Other than that, I think your cables are too loose, it isn't possible to tell from photos, though I can't imagine anyone fitting a cable that didn't require the adjusters to be further out than you have yours.  There's also a slight possibility, that a loose cable has come out of the pully grove, don't be frightened of taking the cover off and having a look.  This youtube gives an idea of what it should look like
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_ha9__3VLg&t=95s
If you've got all 14 gears with a spanner, the shifter is moving freely and the OEM plate is positioned correctly, I really can't see it being anything other than a cable issue.