Life with a Rohloff Speedhub.

[NZPeterG]

Well I have been thinking this for the last few weeks?
Only to read the new http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/thornpdf/ThornLivingWithARohloff.pdf
where Andy has said this!
2012 UPDATE. Rohloff hubs are now significantly quieter
than they used to be and seem to require little or no running in.
I have My second Rohloff hub (QR) after selling my Old Rohloff Hub (Nut) it was over seven years old and with about 20,000 to 30,000+km's of hard use  (I sold it for more there a New one cost)
My old 1st one needed 2000+km's to run in! But My new one which has only 350km's on the clock is loads better  No need to Run in    Has anyone here find the Same?
If only I had one of the New Rohloff hub's before My Africa trip this year, I would have run a Rohloff on the Tour.
O' well I will next time, when I get to going Solo Cycle Touring Up/or Down Africa..
 

Pete.....
 

[Danneaux]

Hi Pete!

Being on my first Rohloff, I have nothing to compare it to except the experiences of others. That said, mine seems to be breaking in much more quickly than reports of those produced even a couple years ago.

Perhaps Rohloff have done something different in recent manufacture or assembly to make the latest hubs quieten sooner. Limited reports I've read across the 'Net appear to agree -- recently-produced Rohloffs seem to break-in pretty quickly (as indicated by increased smoothness and reduced noise).

All the best,

Dan.

[keleher]

Mine ('10) quieted down a bit after 500-1000 miles, but it's still quite loud in sixth and seventh.

I've got to admit, even after two years I still cringe when people turn to look at the incredibly loud bike cranking up a hill.

[fleur]

Yes, same experience with our new Rohloff on our new Pino tandem. 

Very fast break in, after a 2 - 300km, it shifts easily even under load. 

The 7 lowest gears are of course noisier than the 7 upper but the noise level on the 7 lowest gears remains very acceptable while on the 7 upper there is no noise difference wrt a derialleur bike .  The only difference in noise with a derailleur system on the 7 upper is the freewheel noise which is specific to the Rohloff, it is not louder but the frequency is different (the freewheel noise on the 7 lower gears is very soft).

[swc7916]

Yes, same experience with our new Rohloff on our new Pino tandem. 

Very fast break in, after a 2 - 300km, it shifts easily even under load. 

The 7 lowest gears are of course noisier than the 7 upper but the noise level on the 7 lowest gears remains very acceptable while on the 7 upper there is no noise difference wrt a derialleur bike .  The only difference in noise with a derailleur system on the 7 upper is the freewheel noise which is specific to the Rohloff, it is not louder but the frequency is different (the freewheel noise on the 7 lower gears is very soft).

We've put close to 2,000 miles on ours and I'm still not sure it's completely broken in.  Ours will not shift under load.  I have to shift early when going into an incline because once the load gets above a certain point the shifter will not budge.  On our regular ride route there is an underpass where we try to hit it hard on the downhill and maintain speed until we crest the other side.  On a recent ride - while jamming hard on the uphill side - there was a loud snap and the hub jumped out of gear.  At first I thought the chain had broken.  I shifted back into gear and the hub operated like nothing had happened.

As far as noise is concerned, I think that in the upper 7 gears it is actually quieter than a derailleur.  I've never paid attention to the freewheel noise, since all hubs have it and they're all different.

[NZPeterG]

Hi All,
Look my 1st Rohloff No: 47043 was very nosey, But the Hub was like driving a Truck!
When My New Rohloff No:147013 is not nosey, after only a few km's is like driving a Sports Car.
It's like Night and Day!
Just love it..

Pete...
 

[geocycle]

We've put close to 2,000 miles on ours and I'm still not sure it's completely broken in.  Ours will not shift under load.  I have to shift early when going into an incline because once the load gets above a certain point the shifter will not budge.  On our regular ride route there is an underpass where we try to hit it hard on the downhill and maintain speed until we crest the other side.  On a recent ride - while jamming hard on the uphill side - there was a loud snap and the hub jumped out of gear.  At first I thought the chain had broken.  I shifted back into gear and the hub operated like nothing had happened.

As far as noise is concerned, I think that in the upper 7 gears it is actually quieter than a derailleur.  I've never paid attention to the freewheel noise, since all hubs have it and they're all different.

I have to say this doesn't sound right.  I'd say you have a cable or shifter problem. Check the cables, maybe grease the shifter and oil the cables.  Check the tension of te cables, not too tight or slack. The loud crack sounds like the chain to me, is it too slack?

[swc7916]

I have to say this doesn't sound right.  I'd say you have a cable or shifter problem. Check the cables, maybe grease the shifter and oil the cables.  Check the tension of te cables, not too tight or slack. The loud crack sounds like the chain to me, is it too slack?

No, it doesn't sound right but that's what happened.  The chain would have to pretty slack to cause this problem and not derail (I'm assuming that you are thinking it may have jumped a cog.)  Also, I can see why a tight cable could cause this, but I can't see how a slack cable would result in anything other than a lot of play in the shifer.  I called the folks at Cyclemonkey - the US Rohloff distributor - and was told that the Rohloff hub is built to strict tolerances and requires all parts to fit precisely right; if tolerances are off somewhat, this sort of thing can happen.  I didn't make note of whether the hub jumped to a lower gear or if it went into "neutral" because we stopped pedalling as soon as this occurred (the pedals dropped suddenly as if the hub had gone out of gear) and I shifted immediately to get it back in gear.  We've had the hub do this at least one other time under similar circumstances and if it happens again, the hub is going back to Cyclemonkey to have the innards replaced.  (We're reluctant to do this because we don't want to suffer through another break-in period.)

[geocycle]

Hope you get this sorted. I honestly think that once its properly sorted 'breaking in' will not be needed.  I certainly never experienced anything resembling this when my hub was new.  Over a very long time it has got progressively smoother but was never rough at any stage.

Slack cables can be an issue.  I've just replaced mine and didn't get them quite right first time resulting in problems shifting.  I think the cable derailed out of the guides in the shifter or snagged against the cable stops.  I am using some quite stiff teflon coated rohloff cables which I don't think are still available.

[swc7916]

I honestly think that once its properly sorted 'breaking in' will not be needed.  I certainly never experienced anything resembling this when my hub was new.  Over a very long time it has got progressively smoother but was never rough at any stage.

I don't know what you mean by "properly sorted" and how that would eliminate the breaking in period.  As we have put mileage on the hub it has gotten smoother and the level of effort required to power the bike has gotten lower (i.e.: we're going faster with the same level of effort.)  It was never rough, but it is quieter in the lower gears than it used to be.  (I have never objected to the sound it makes in the lower gears. Some people describe it as "grinding" but it doesn't sound like that to me at all; it sounds to me more like the old bottle generator I had on my bike as a kid.)

[geocycle]

I don't know what you mean by "properly sorted" and how that would eliminate the breaking in period. 

Simply, that I don't recognise the concept of a breaking in period with a rohloff.  Mine was fine from day 1 -maybe I was lucky.  True they do get gradually smoother over a very long period and mine is still on that track after 16,000 miles, but to my miond this not breaking in like say with a brooks saddle.  Anyway I hope you get it fixed satisfactorily.

[revelo]

My experience was like that of geocycle: basically fine from the day 1. 6000km so far. Maybe the hub got slightly smoother after the two oil changes I've made so far, but the change, if any, was minor. Also, it's hard to separate hub from chain. My chain gets filthy very quick on my tours, which are mostly on dirt roads, and cleaning and lubing the chain can make a big difference in how the transmission system works, big enough to swamp any change due to the gears of the hub running more smoothly.