Rohloff Hubs

[Get Mounted]

From the pics that have been posted so far, it doesn't appear many riders are running a Rohloff hub or other IGH. I would have thought (aside from the $$$) that an IGH would reduce the risk of drivetrain issues considerably, so would therefore be in favour. I'm in the process of building up a bike for TD 2016 and Im leaning towards a Rohloff, does anyone know what the general number of riders running one each year is? With all the mud in the first few days I bet there were a few pedallers wishing they had one.

Also I can't pick too many front dynamo hubs from the photos. I take it these riders are relying on hotels/motels etc to charge their night time riding lights?

Cheers,

GM

[vikb]

You ride what you are comfortable and familiar with. For most people that's not a Rohloff. Given the cost it's not something people casually try.

I've been using a Rohloff since 2008 as well as a bunch of Alfine IGHs for bikepacking. On my day-to-day trail bike I run dérailleurs.

For bombproof reliability in all weather conditions the Rohloff is hard to beat.

The downsides are cost and weight. Although an IGH will have more drag than a clean perfectly tuned dérailleur add in dirt and some abuse and I don't think there is any difference.

I've considered some SS wheels for my bikepacking rig for a lighter weight setup that is equally bombproof. Wouldn't work for every route, but some are SS friendly.

If you want to use a Rohloff in an event in 2016 I'd get it now and start using it. You want time to learn how to shift and get used to it as well as break it in well.

[Adam Alphabet]

I have a Rohloff and beat on hard for about 18 months. I toured on it, rode it as my regular hard tail mtb drivetrain up here in BC, raced it in xc/marathon races, bike packed it in rugged conditions and commuted on it pretty extensively all on the same bike, my custom steel 29er hard tail. Here are my take aways good and bad...

Good:
*For mixed touring on roads, dirt roads, single track, etc, it's perfect. Wide gear range, super crawly granny if you need it. I toured it in Chile for just under 2000km it was perfect. With the additional weight of bike touring/packing gear and the nature of the route, mixed road and dirt road it was great.
*Perfect winter drivetrain for shit weather riding here in BC; mud, cold, rain, wet, slop, gross, wet...
*Silly, but changing gears standing still is awesome, especially commuting.
*Beyond reliable with a 8 speed chain. Never thought about it not functioning properly.

Not so Good:
*It's a tank and it puts the weight way out there in a weird spot. For proper technical BC single track, (North Shore, Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton) I found it deadend the bike too much. It just made my bike unlively and uninspiring. It functioned very well, never had any drivetrain issues, it just wasn't nearly as fun as the light derailleured (1x10) or dingle speed drivetrains I've run since. As this is the main type of riding I do, it had to go.
*Jumping/Airs/Drops. Forget whipping or boning out, once that back wheel got out from under you there was no way to bring it back in. Made for sketchy and unsafe feeling jumping/airs. No thanks. Drops, it was just an anchor.
*For technical mountainous bikepacking it was way too heavy. Heavy bikes suck for hike a bike and all that weight in the back made carrying and lifting/pushing the bike for extended periods uncomfortable, inefficient and wasteful in terms of energy.
*It's a tank...oh ya, already got that one.

Non-issues:
People talk of the drag, you'll notice it but not to the point of inhibiting performance. It's more an in the bike stand kind of thing.
Shifting: If you can't figure out how to shift a Rohloff without stopping pedalling you've probably got other bike skills that need sharpening as well.

End Points:
From my experience touring the Rohloff and riding it in all types of weather and conditions, many similar to the Divide if I were setting up a bike for the Divide I would strongly consider a Rohloff. It's perfect for a bike that will be pedalled for a long time (on dirt roads and light single track) without the need for overly technical maneuvering, where reliability and lack of maintenance are key.

For the AZT or CTR or other technical bikepacking I would not consider the Rohloff in the slightest. I finished the AZT300 this year on a 1x10 and it was perfect. With all the lifting/carrying/pushing there's no way in hell I'd want that tank on there.

Hope that helps, again just my insights and opinions.
Adam.

[Get Mounted]

Thank you very much for those well informed responses. Much appreciated!

[Briansong]

Here's some pretty interesting weight information. I think if you were to add into your kit, the weight of required chain maintenance items like; lube, chain tool and quick links the 200gr difference quickly dries up. The link isn't really clear as to if the Rohloff weight is using a chain or a Gates drive. The Gates Carbon Drive will reduce it even more.

What you cannot get away from is the massive amount of weight on the rear rotating assembly.

http://www.bikestation.fi/info/en/brands/rohloff/speedhub/weight/