Toying with a rohloff hub setup. I have a kinesis XC2 and is a great bike esp for wet/winter weather. My dropouts are not convertable. I guess I would need a new frame and therefore might at well go for a new build? Lookes that the Thorns, Orange P7 buildups etc. Don't mind what material really but thinking HQ Steel or Alu/alloy d.t. price.

Additional Questions 😉

1. Are they any good?
2. Does the handling change with the extra weight in the hub (although the weight I see is similar on the back end to a std mech/cassette setup)
3. Longevity of FR and Rear rings/cogs better?

Cheers guys!

1) yes and no – reliable, some efficiency losses in some middle gears, good chainline, gear change when stationary, easy panic gear changes possible, weight distribution changed, low maintenance, easy to install and remove if you constantly swap between SS and Rohloff as I do.
2) yes – and its quite a bit heavier than a conventional set up (XT weight comparison anyway) and its all centralise din your rear wheel. but a) you get used to it and b) its not a big deal
3) yes, much. Can run 1/8 SS specific ring and chain and chain stretch isnt much of an inssue.

I have mine in an O-O Ti29 when its not singlespeeded.

The slotted drop outs work fine with a bodged speed bone like mine, or a monkey bone and Post mount disc caliper.

photos in here
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/northmalvern/OnOneTi29

Hi Foxy,

I have have owned a Thorn Raven Enduro for the last 4 years and it has been fantastic.

1) Are they any good – yes especially if you don't like chain suck, gear skipping and grinding, cleaning derraileurs, replacing chains, cassettes, rings a lot.
2) Yes they are a bit heavier in the back end and you do notice this to begin with, but I think the benefits outweigh this.
3) Rear sprocket and chain ring – both lasted 4 years, chains about 18-24 months.

I have the frame currently available for sale (not yet posted here) as I am converting the Rohloff hun onto a 29er. It is a Thorn Raven Enduro in Large size (19" seat tune centre of BB to top). It has Rohloff specific stainless steel rear drop outs which take the OEM type 1 plate with integrated torque arm (very neat), rohloff specific cable guides, Steel 853 main tubes and 725 rear stays.

Email me (see profile) if you'd like more info.

Regards

Hi,

I have a Rohloff and have just bought a Sanderson Soloist with EBB which should hopefully be easier than slot drop outs and tensioners.

I bought a second set of shiters so i can run hub on either HT or FS bike by simply swapping wheels in a bid to get more use and value out of hub.

1. Is Rohloff any good? Yes having got used to it i think it is great and requires very little servicing – an oil change once a year.

2. Have not built HT yet, but weight not an issue on FS bike.

3. Longevity miles better. Have had Rohloff 2 years and not changed rings. Was previously replacing drivetrain about every 8 months or more frequently if destroyed a mech etc. Chain does not come off, or jump gears (obviously).

There is an HT full bike with Rohloff for sale in the classifieds somewhere at about £800 i think.

E-mail in profile if you would like more info or to view setup if you are localish to Edinburgh

Cheers

EDIT: jsut saw you are Devon based so not to near Edinburgh then!

I've been running one on a Cotic Simple for the last 6 months. Hub gears are the way forward and the Simple is a fab frame. BUT it is a faff getting the wheel out of the horizontal dropouts with the speedbone and stuff, so I'm now looking at swapping frames for possibly the Kona Explosif that's floating around the classifieds at the moment, or stumping up more money and going for a Singular Hummingbird or Sanderson Soltitude.

Skyhigh – I'll mail you in a minute 😉

Would it be worth trying to convert my current setup as I love the frame:

Kinesis XC2 with Hope Mono Mini's? Looked on Rohloff website and seem quite a deal I think to convert a std dropout bike to internal gearing?

Liked the look of teh P7 with hub or poss the kinesis Decate frame with a rohloff setup?

Would an Eccentric BB be better?

I wouldn't want to have 2 HT's in my garage as wouldn't use them enough if you know what I mean?

to use a vertical drop out you would need to use the torq arm – which is an ugly bit of meccano that takes torqe forces to the NDS chainstay.

The speedbone and monkey bone transfer torqe forces to the brake calliper mounts.

With my bodge of the speedbone on the slotted dropout there's zero faffing because the axle plate engages with the torque transfer pin at the front of the track end, i.e. inline with the direction of insertion of the axle.

Point taken – Maybe new frame and wheel setup would be the way to go as the rest of the stuff is OK although would have to change teh front cranks and BB so maybe cheaper to get a new bike ?

The kineseis is a standard iso disc mount. No bodging required with a speed bone it is simple, safe and neat.

The only thing you would need is a chain tensioner unless you could get it dead right with a halflink.

I ran my ti456 with this set up with zero problems. I would recommend a rennen rollenlager, easy to fit and reliable.

Rolloff is a bit heavier but actually makes somethings easier with the weight distribution like manuals and jumps, it give a more neutral weight distribution with suspension forks rather than front heavy.

foxy – just convert your current cranks to SS in the outer ring.
The Rohloff users a 54mm chainline (outer ring position on 3 ring MTB)

The Rohloff kit comes with a torq arm free so you can try it out on your kniesis first then if you like it look for a rohloff specific frame (one with oem drop outs) or get a speedbone for your kinesis for a slicker look.

the_pilot – my bodge is specific to the slotted drop out design as the speedbone isnt long enough to reach past the drop out.

Hi Foxyrider.
I bought a secondhand Thorn Raven Enduro 853 frame two years ago and have not regretted it. Lovely to ride.

I don't believe the handling is much affected by the weight. The Thorn is so much more nimble and responsive anyway than my previous old-school GT alloy hardtail, I'm not really comparing eggs with eggs. Certinly I don't notice the weight at the rear.

The Rohloff does everything they say it does. I'm really pleased and wouldn't go back. Drag in some low gears is slight, but compared to running muddy cheezy jockey wheels and d'ers, it wins every time for me.

I am using a similar number of chains as I did on the D'er bike (in circulation). My front ring (RaceFace alloy) and Rohloff sprocket have lasted about 8000KM of dirty off-road. I hope to get another~2000KM out of them both. Over that time I'll have used up about 6 chains.

Stoner – that's a piece of art! Genius!

[rushes off to study the dropouts on the Cotic…]

Bugger. Won't work 🙁

Best frames I reckon are a Nicolai Argon Rohloff Specific, and a Whyte 19. Both use a similar method for chain tensioning. Whilst the Whyte dropouts aren't specifically for rohloff, they look the same (though you'd still need a bone!)

ir_bandito – yep, just works for the slotted dro pout.

For a normal calliper mount outside the rear triangle then an unadulterated speedbone or monkeybone is fine.

Love mine for all year round no fuss riding. I commute off road and it goes even when I can't actually see any of the drivetrain for mud. I've just changed the chain after 3 years, it was still working fine but an oil change was due so I decided to change it reverse the chainring and replace the rear sprocket. I could have just reversed the rear sprocket as well but went with a new one as the outer of the sprocket forms a seal with a gasket and after 3 years I'd have been running a far from perfect surface against the gasket potential wearing it faster and the tool required for replacing it is more expensive than a new sprocket.

Apart from the very low maintenance what I really like is the ability to change gear when stopped. You have no idea how useful that is until you have it. I have a Thorn Catalyst which is similar to the Enduro but has longer chainstays to allow a rack to be fitted and is V brake specific. My bike is very heavy but then it does have Magura Oder forks and a Son dynamo hub as well and being less than 60kg myself I do feel that on the ups. If I were to go buy a bike with de-raileurs then it would have to be with a frame that I could easily put the Rohloff on. Whyte 19 is top of my wish list at the moment.

As for the weight shift to the rear I don't see how it differs from the weight shift to the front that front suspension brought. It's just something you get used to. I would think the point of balance on a Rohloff hardtail was very similar to a fully rigid bike.

Anyone got a piccy of a STD dropout frame with a rohloff hub and speedbone? So I can get my head around it? I guess that doing this then seeing if I like it then perhaps migrating to a specif frame eventually is a good idea 😉 Thanks for all your helpful comments so far guys!

foxy – not a great pic (zoomed from original) but this is my rohloff in my old vert dropout scandal.

the speedbone mounts on the outside of the standard IS calliper mounts and holds the torque pin out the back. The axle plate on the hub then engages with the pin to transfer torque to the frame.

aha found a better pic

ahh Cool Stoner – thanks very much – I got the idea now – you don't find you bask the chain tensionser do you – I guess is up out the way 🙂

I guess I would need therefore "the kit", a hope 160 rohloff compat disc from hope, +/- speedbone and build up a new wheel – does the kit come with spokes to build up teh new wheel if you order it as a kit or do you have to order those separately and I guess is fairly easy to built it up – is it just as cheap to get it pre-built and therefore have a spare std wheel?

although SJS Cycles can be mercenary with their P&P and Im a bit peeved at them for not mentioning that the "special rotor bolts" were in fact bog standard chainring bolts before I ordered them 🙄 they are the best place to get a rohloff from (or ben at Kinetic cycles).

You will need to arrange to have the hub built into a rim of your choice by your favourite wheel builder (or do it yourself, but NB the spokes must be arranged a specific way in relation to the case bolts on the hub)

"bask" the chain tensioner?

bash – oops sorry !

Have built a few wheel up – I have a spare XC717 rim on the wwall so I could prob do it myself really (got a wheel rig etc) then I could go back etc if I didn't get on with it 🙂

the rohloff tensioner is no bigger than a rear mech.

you could also use a more compact tenisoner like the surly/mr control/On-One doofer ones.

Thanks guys – I'll price those up and see how my budget is doing – thanks for all of your help with this !

Edit: Blimey didn't think the speed hub was nearly £1000! Hmm – think I'll have to save up for that one – take me while!

On-One full bike with Rohloff for sale at £800 link below or you can pick used hubs on E-bay

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-on-one-inbred-with-rohloff-hub-gear

That one for sale is the v brake model that I have. If you want to convert it to disk you'd have to send it back to Rohloff and get it modified. By the time you've done that and bought the click box I'd guess you'd have spent another £200 – £250. It's one reason I wish now that I'd bought the Raven Enduro rather than the Catalyst as if I do want to move mine to another frame I'll have to send it off to be changed.

thanks avdave2 – yup saw that – cheers for the heads up 🙂

chucks the word "alfine" into the ring.

i didnt get on with hub gears in the end – im a weight weenie at heart.

i ran mine on a scandal with a tensioner – dont do this punctures are a knightmare

Changed over to a dialled bikes love/hate i.e. EBB with vertical drops, worked perfectly none of this speed bone, torque transfer pin, grip shift only 🙄 nonsense.

6 gears less but also weighs a lot less, i have had mates who have come off onto the gear changing box thing and ruin a ride with an expensive repair. There is nothing more complicated outwith the alfine than a cable actuated shifter on the bars.

frame cost me ~200, hub built onto wheel cost me ~200 (at the time) with spare dosh to build up the bike. I wouldnt spend £1000 on a hub unless i was very sure I would keep it for years.

i have just put a bike together with an alfine but it's a whyte,, so after a lot of messing i can now use the whyte big gripper so have an alfine which is quick release,,
first ride yesterday founf shifting was good,, range is good but the steps are big, i love the being able to shift while standing still,,

off to scotland next week with it so we will see how it stands up

lasted a year in scotland in all conditions. also lasted a week in the alps so no problems over rocky terrain.

Stoner, thats a cool bodge, I have a temporary 29er inbred and was running the toerque arm, which is effective but very unpleasant to look at!

Are there any alternatives to the IO Id? I want an Alfine bike to keep costs down.