I've been touring with my new Thorn Raven Tour. I cannot measure any chain wear after 1150 miles. None at all. I've never seen anything like this. Is this usual? With derailleurs you would be replacing a chain at this juncture.
There are several reasons for this:
Modern derailleurs have shallow teeth to help with quick shifting, and thin sprockets, especially on 10 speed cassettes. This results in drastically increased wear. A Rohloff sprocket, by contrast, has large teeth and is of a thicker steel. The same goes for the chainring if you use a thicker one like a Middleburn or a Thorn single chainring. That means a significantly larger surface area for the force to be applied to on each tooth's griding edge, and therefore significantly reduced wear.
The chain is, or should, always be in a straight line. On a derailleur, running the chain from, say the large chain ring to a sprocket halfway on the cassette results in the chain changing angle suddenly when it reaches the sprocket. This causes significant wear on a derailleur chain. You can hear the noise.
On a Rohloff you can use inexpensive multi-purpose lube oil for the chain itself. Provided you wipe the excess off leaving the chain's surface dry, it keeps the bushes better lubricated (you can hear how smoth and silent it is when you do this). On a derailleur, the 'scraping' action that occurs when shifting if you use standard oil, results in grime sticking to the chain, making it less efficient. This means the chain stretches less over time, reducing the distortion on the socket's teeth.
I have done an estimated 12-15,000 kms on mine and the sprocket shows little sign of wear.
People are always surprised when I suggest that the cost IS a reason you should buy a Rohloff!
Now you've got extra cash to spend on the Rohloff oil
