Why do I ride the Rohloff Speedhub?
Glad you asked: Because I like technically elegant solutions, and because
it is one of the very few hubs strong enough for off-road tandems. After
all, it carried my through the 2001 TransAlp
Challenge, the toughest MTB race on earth.
A look at the two shifter cables
and the hydraulic line for the disk brake.
Pros
Cons
Stronger rear wheel due to perfectly symmetrical flange
spacing (will survive even the toughest off-road terrain, even on a tandem
and with the additional stresses of a disk brake)
Only 32 spokes: No more hunting around for hard-to-find
40- or 48-hole tandem rims
Almost no maintenance (oil the chain regularly and
change the oil in the hub once a year)
Less maintenance costs: Chain and chainring last longer;
cog lasts longer AND can be turned around and reused AND is cheaper to
replace than a cassette
Less problems after a crash: A bent derailleur hanger
will not affect shifting
Perfect shifting even in inclement weather: Two shifter
cables ensure trouble-free operation
Easier to clean
Only one shift lever
Perfectly even gear spacing (always 13.5% jumps between
gears)
Same or greater gear ratio than on most derailleur
MTBs; much wider ratio possible if combined with front derailleur
Single-side drive on tandems possible without problems
(cheaper AND stiffer drivetrain!)
Shifting possible during standstill
Shifting possible while coasting
No more breaking chains
No more chainsuck
No more hub problems: So far no Speedhub has failed
even under the strongest tandem loads,
while even some of the most expensive most cassette hubs on the market
have been reported to fail eventually (I know first-hand reports about
failed hubs from Edco, Hügi, Phil Wood, and Hadley).
It's not from the monopolist!
Shifting under full load not possible (though this
will likely lead to chain or cog failure on a derailleur-equipped bike,
too)
Extremely wide gear ratio not possible without front
derailleur (though this is not possible without a front derailleur on a
derailleur-equipped bike, either ;-) )
About a pound heavier than XTR.
Weight distribution different: More weight at rear
wheel
Impossible to repair at home if it should fail (that's
a big IF)
Twist shifter only
Taking out rear wheel more difficult (not with OEM-dropout)
Shifts between 7th and 8th tricky under load
Slight grinding noise in a few of the lower seven
gears (5th and 7th on my hub) - supposed to improve with new oil available
in 2002
Not compatible with Arai drum brake.
Special disk rotors needed (rotors for all popular
brands of disk brakes are available, though)
Depends on a small company
Hans Christoph Timm
<hans.christoph.timm@politik.uni-freiburg.de>
