New Rohloff model

[JC]

Has anyone any word on the new Rohloff hub we've heard about? I've been postponing buying a new touring bike so I could out the new hub with a wider range and lower weight but talk of it has gone strangely quiet in the past months. We were expecting it next year. All news will be good news.

[freddered]

If it happens then I suggest you would be unable/unwise to get one for 2 years.

1) The aren't available so it will take quite a while to get one should they start shipping to distributors.
2) Would you trust a brand new product?

The existing Hub had several years of proven reliability when I bought it.  I am very reluctant to buy 'leading edge' stuff (I have only just moved to Windows XP for this very reason)

[geocycle]

There was some discussion of this on the now deceased rohloff users forum earlier this year.  I seem to remember someone from Rohloff reported they were working on a new hub with a 590% range across 14 gears that would be 400g lighter (if I remember the figures correctly?) but that it was still only a prototype and the testing could take 1-2 years.  Once tried and tested these would be worthwhile improvements but personally I wouldn't wait a year or more for a saving of 400g (equivalent to a pair of trousers in your pannier) when you could be riding!

[freddered]

Agreed.  Also it depends on what gear range you are waiting for.  Do you REALLY need a wider range with bigger jumps between each gear?  What, specifically, is missing on current hub?

I wouldn't really want bigger jumps between each gear than the current 13%.

If you were waiting for a 20 speed version then I could understand.

The only gear I am really missing is a big gear for charging downhill but I am happy to trade that for one that winches me UP hills.  I never have any problem getting to the bottom of a hill.

[cmreddy]

Hi JC,

not to discourage you and stick to the point you have raised, i spoke to the Rohloff representative in California around couple of months ago and they are tentatively planned for Fall of 2009. I assume the new hubs in the road tests now..

Cheers,
Cm..

[Arnaud]

Hi all,

Yesterday I received the following message from a reputable European bicycle manufacturer:

"I know there are several options on the market but we find this not the best solution. Probably next year Rohloff will introduce a special shifter for the drop bar."

Has anyone out there more information regarding a new version, drop bar compatible, of their twist shifter ?

Happy cycling from Down Under.

Arnaud

[stutho]

Hi all,

Yesterday I received the following message from a reputable European bicycle manufacturer:

"I know there are several options on the market but we find this not the best solution. Probably next year Rohloff will introduce a special shifter for the drop bar."

I wouldn't hold my breath - Every year there is a whisper of a new shifter coming out - In the mean time I continue to enjoy my drop equipped RST.  If it happens great but if there is anyone delaying a purchase because of a 'maybe' then personal I think you are making a mistake.     

[cmreddy]

Hi Guys,

i pulled up this email from MTBR forums.. This must put an end to any speculation about the new hub coming out any time sooner.. All those who are on the wall can jump the Speedhub 14 way..

Cheers,
Cm..


************************************************************************************************************************************
Hello Justin,

We are indeed working on a newer, lighter version of our ever popular SPEEDHUB 500/14.

It is not possible (as with other bicycle components) to simply replace the material from which the SPEEDHUB is constructed with that of a lighter metal. Instead we must try to reduce the surface area of the entire system and this means completely revising the construction of the hub. This process as I am sure you can understand, is not exactly a light task.

To date, the designs themselves are not satisfactorily completed, for this reason we have no prototypes which we can start testing and therefore will most probably take a good couple of years before we are ready to release something into the open market place.

Again, because we have not yet completed the designs of the newer SPEEDHUB version, I am momentarily not able to say anything more about the construction.

The current version (SPEEDHUB 500/14) weighs approximately 1760g and therefore the weight lies only a few hundred grams over that of a derailleur gear system of the same quality. For this excess weight you receive a product which saves maintenance and repair costs, time by cleaning and adjustment, and by shifting the entire weight of the shifting system to the rear of the bicycle, the total weight of a bicycle will be evened out and centrally balanced (balancing point over the BB).

More information over the current SPEEDHUB can be found on our internet site www.rohloff.de .


Best Wishes from Fuldatal, Germany.

Stewart Stabik,
Technical Support Manager
Rohloff AG, Germany
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* contact:
* Rohloff AG, Stewart Stabik,
* Mönchswiese 11, D-34233 Fuldatal
* phone: +49 561 510 80 0, fax: +49 561 510 80 15
* http://www.rohloff.de, mailto:stewart.stabik@rohloff.de

* Aufsichtsratvorsitzende: Iris Doepfer * Vorstand: Barbara Rohloff
* Handelsregister: Amtsgericht Kassel HRB 4472
* Sitz der Gesellschaft: 34233 Fuldatal
* USt-ID-Nr. DE 113 084 808