Most of the people here sure gear their bikes low! I can't imagine needing gearing in the 'teens and losing my top end.
Well, yes! But...
1) You are able to pull high gears without injury (like Jawine, who does this regularly as well).
2) You have great knees (also like Jawine and unlike me, who donated mine to a car accident while in high school).
3) I greatly admire you, Jawine, and Jobst Brandt for 1) and 2) above. Perhaps in my next life, I'll do it too.
Meanwhile, it is "gear low and pedal like a hummingbird" with a light, fast cadence for me, never dropping below 80RPM under load, 60RPM at worst. If I do that, I'm fine with no complaints.
You make a very good point about diminishing balance returns at low speed. For years, I did trackstands at traffic lights while commuting (till a police officer issued me a USD$50 ticket, arguing a single-track vehicle could not truly be balanced at rest without toppling; therefore, I must be moving and had run the stop sign though I was well behind it at the time he collared me), and that may have helped with the low gear-balance thing. I find I can manage okay fully loaded on 16-24% hills down to 2.5mph/4kph before dabbing a toe, but that's it. I've got the tandem geared with a 46x13 high (92") and a 22x28 low (21"). Yes, we spin-out pretty quickly, but the last time I had my father on the back (age 87 at the time) we still managed 63mph down a local hill with the Arai drag brake lightly on. Would have been more if the light at the bottom of the hill had stayed green; Dad was disappointed, as he wanted to go for 65 or even 70 (former motorcyclist who also donated his knees to a youthful car accident in which he broke his cervical vertebrae. We bounce well).
On downhills we frequently exceed 30 mph and occasionally reach 45+ (mid-40's is my stoker's limit.)
Above 45, does your stoker do the kidney-pinch thing? I've had some that did...! Not Dad or Sis, but Others.
On the subject of chaincases...I've never seen one [in the PNW]
They're pretty rare down here in Eugene, too. I recall seeing a couple on bikes brought by Dutch students at the local uni, but that's about it. They just don't seem to be on anyone's radar. I think there may be a perceptual barrier to overcome. Be ideal for commuting, so that's where we might see them first, introduced by a company like Civia, whose offerings already sport top-run covers.
Steering the ship of discourse back toward Rohloff gearing, I have decided to go with 40x17 (and a pie-plate/bash-guard protector) on the Nomad. I had planned to go with 38x16 to allow for a Hebie Chainglider, but I think it best to go with the Thorn default spec for now to allow the hub to break in at the usual rate. I can always adjust gearing at some point in future, but this will give a great, standardized start for this Rohloff newbie, and the low will be low enough for my loaded touring at 17.1". The high is 89.8, which is the stuff of my dreams on the flats but might see occasional use screaming downhill. One of the really nice things about this choice is it puts Gear Eleven at 61.2, and either 58 or 62 gear-inches are my favorites for cruising on flats, so will see lots of use. I figure with time and familiarity, I will gain a better idea if the Rohloff needs further adjustment.
Oh! Nix on the Chainglider for desert touring for the very reasons Andre cited -- the sifting, silting talc would get inside and wreak havoc, and I have great concerns about the possibility for wear on the hub by the chaincase especially in those conditions. I'm going to let Pete (Il Padrone) try his first!
Lookin' forward to full reports on using it in your red clay and bulldust, Pete.
Best,
Dan. (who thinks good knees may be a Super Power akin to x-ray vision)
