Inside a Rohloff internal hub gear

[9w2xyz]

how does this compare to a NuVincci? Anyone know? I am new to this....

[GTAstuntking]

Ther is missing a gear

[ripflick]

So now that the gears in the hub are protected from dirt and stuff. Do you ever have to lube it?

[harshbarj]

@ripflick , You do, on average once a year is best. That said I have gone up to 3 years with no maintenance on a hub before it was clearly time.

[215alessio]

Is it better as the old Strumery Archer hub? I know those lasted 20 to 25 years, but when you didn't tune the cable right it may cost your nuts into the frame

and another fail they had was that they had only 3 gears the 1 st and second were too light and the 3 rd was too heavy.

The hub added also alot of weight to the bike

[stephmc111]

now combine that with an electric hub motor,

[ilikeponie]

Cyclist for life!

[huoletonpoika]

I´m curious to see some test results about power loss. With internal hub gear solution all gears are in motion all the time increasing friction and heat.

Not the place where the motion energy should go.

I havent seen this product used in road racing cycles,

probably because its relatively heavy also.

I do like the idea of service free hub. It doesnt also surprise me that its made in Germany. Technical, reliable, hygienic. Same reasons why I drive a German made car.

[fixedgearforlife]

Too many intricate parts. Could this hub gear perform just as many trouble free miles as my fixed gear?

[CaptainCocaine]

@fixedgearforlife Hipster alert!

[Stadtpark90]

I'm driving a Rohloff since 2005 every ay to work, and I wouldn't use anything else anymore. (For comparison I also have bought a nuVinci first generation just because I was curious: it wasn't worth it: but I guess they made some progress by now.).

[obaidCarkey]

@Stadtpark90

have you had any problems with the Rohloff?

Do you ride uphill with it?

[Stadtpark90]

@obaidCarkey

No problems whatsoever - but on my way to work aren't any hills, and I'm doing only some 1500 km per year.

My weight is 83kg. Switching gears only takes a split second and shifting uphills is not a problem; you can easily shift 3 or 4 gears at a time, when you don't feel the need to use all the steps in between.

I haven't used a fixed gear in years, so I can't tell the difference. Maybe there are others out there that have a fixed gear and a Rohloff and can talk about that.

[obaidCarkey]

@Stadtpark90

How often do you change the grease/oil?

[Stadtpark90]

@obaidCarkey

I haven't changed oil yet - but I know I should: Rohloff says one time per year or one time every 5000 km, whichever comes first.

I haven't had a malfunction and I can't tell if it would work more quietly or with less friction if I had the oil renewed. But most time I feel my bike getting "slow" it's because my tires need air. And sometimes the chain needs cleaning and a little oil. Although on my new bike (since 2009) I use a Gates Carbon Drive instead of a chain.

[mizike000]

@jamy313 Hope there are no hills where you live. You never see single speed bikes where I live even though you can't throw a rock without hitting 20 hipsters as it's just way to hilly to get around practically without at least a couple of gears...

[04023088]

@mizike000 there's plenty of hills here in BC where i live... and we rock singlespeed full time on trails or street. tell the locals around there that it's time to get out of granny gear and build some real muscle.

[kincaid05]

@mizike000 it's not a single speed gearbox.

[jamy313]

or just run a single speed. essayer cheeper and look better

[twostrokejerusalem]

Has to be power hungry as so many cogs are in mesh and turning in oil which creates a drag, even if they aren't transmitting drive. Just like an auto box in a car, hence the new dual clutch manuals ( vw dsg etc )

[bcubed72]

@twostrokejerusalem Well, It's not meant to win races. It's about providing a reliable alternative to the standard derailleur system, which repeatedly stresses a chain laterally, where it is weakest.

The few seconds you add to your commute is more than compensated for by not having to worry about being stranded for an hour with a broken chain.

[mimlato]

Awesome.

[brapboys503]

That would wear out so friggin fast. It's too complex.

[Mr632838]

My Question is Is This thing Power Hungry like the Ordinary 3-speed Bicycles because My Parents and I used to have one and I find it Energy Hungry to ride the bicycle.

[pimpb0tt]

@Mr632838 Yes, it is draggy. Not as bad as you would think, but you can feel it. At least I could.

Amazing piece of bike tech, tho.

[bobbelsekwol]

holy cow try an fix that at the road side. me thinks not!!!

[psibyrion]

@bobbelsekwol they seem to not break.

[ronnysoeberg]

Anyone else miss the old skool 2speed kickback hubs? Really wish they started making those again. With those you didn't need any wires going anywhere, except front brake, and i never had those. So clean and pretty.

[Armando2012102]

@ronnysoeberg: Do you mean the ones that you could change gears with the pedals, but allowed you to brake with the pedals as well? Yeah, I always wondered how they did that!

[edscoble]

Love them, work beautifully, SA is releasing a kickback hubs soon again, luckily.

[Grousuba]

did not get

[SoloArtForm]

are you kidding me ?

[KhmerD0g]

what is this gear for?

car transmission ?

[silkdestroyer]

It is a 14 speed hub for a push bike. Costs about £600 and has a good reputation for performance and reliability. I wish that I could aford one.

[1993gandy]

bicycle

[cragwinboi]

bicycles!

[CappaDriver]

bicycles

[gtarbmx]

how much does this weigh? and seems like there's a lot of parts to break. i wouldn't want to be the guy to service this unnecessarily complex hub

[mrlowdangle]

theyre usually quite heavyish,but if you think of all the parts+work theyre doing its quite impressive size+weight wise,compared to other set ups

decent hub gears are built to last,and should need zero or very little internal maintenance.

[drglinski]

has anyone done this for the 1960s Bendix hubs? I'd be curious to see that.

[miko1975guitar]

Looks like I missed a good fight in here! and over a bike gear hub video?!?

Anyway, this is one hell of a piece of equipment. Looks like a miniaturised car gear box for a bike. Seems a bit complicated, must be expensive for what it does.

[evilamish]

Yeah it has 23 gear

[SkillzPayDaBillz]

Nice... like the thought that went into it... I'll have to stick with my Sun Ringles and Hope Pro's for the meantime as I'm not as rich as I want to be to afford these! :)

[heavyboxes]

Geeze, I had no idea the inside of a wheel hub was so powerfully complicated. I thought it was filled with slime and ball bearings and magic.

[5milliamps]

lol :)

[Kontowarnung]

this is German Engineering!

Shimano gears are available at every DIY store cycle.

Drive Rohloff and you never want ....

[BlenderFreak777]

...to drive again lol

[chabbalato]

Hitler was german engineering also... dont brag about it like German's are all scientists and intellects... nazi scientists and occult chief preists maybe

[sucknals]

Fuck off Chink

[chabbalato]

go design a more efficient gas chamber you retarded genocidal blockhead!

[sucknals]

stay in your asshole country and fuck an ape! lol

[JanJanych]

olive1913,

Gitler kaput.

[JanJanych]

Lern to suck, bitch!

[JanJanych]

@olive1913, my moms cock? May be you mean my dad?

[ZXR750Froggy]

Nice to see whats on the inside of this amazing piece of kit (the best invention for a bike since the wheel!).

I sincerely hope I never see the inside of my own Rohloff speedhub though!

[dickbutty]

I have Rohloff hub - best features - change gear when stood - huge range as good as a 21 speed deraileur - no maintenance - no chains coming off - fantastic piece of kit

[BigTwitchy]

Want...no, seriously, I am assembling an MTB and I am wanting something bulletproof, which is why I am going to get a Rohloff hub.

[politicalbiker]

BigTwitchy,

I am an competitive cyclist, and I want you to know that rotational weight is a big factor in the usablity of you mtn. bike. That is a main reason why we as engineers obsess over the weight of wheelsets and cranksets. If you are competitive like myself, then I would NOT suggest this. If your just a casual rider, then go for it. But I would also consider the Nuvinci rear hub. It is much less complicated. Enjoy!

[bstiff929]

Wheel mass becomes a problem as it moves closer to the rim. The hub's mass adds mass at the, well, hub. The biggest problem with a Rohloff drivetrain is the unsuspended mass that a dual-suspension bike has to tolerate. Nuvinci? Nice Try. Those are even heavier. The money I spent on my Rohloff was the best I've ever spent on bikes.

[politicalbiker]

Wheel mass on the rim is an initial power sucker (Getting to the speed). But, the weight of the hub after you have reached the speed (At the speed) you will sustain then all extra mass still needs to be rotated.

Also, could you cite your work? I am not questioning your facts with the weight of the comparative hubs, I just would like to see proof, so I can compare the weights.

And, I wasnt attempt to sell anyone the Nuvinci hub. So the "Nice Try" Comment, really, it isnt needed.

[cogs5555]

Newtonian dynamics tells us that, at a constant speed, mass is irrelevant, since F=ma.

This means that if you are not accelerating (i.e, at a constant speed), the overall force is zero, so the force on the pedals acts to counteract wind resistance, which is proportional to your frontal area.

Since the rear hub is shielded by the frame, it does not contribute to wind resistance, hence no additional energy is required to keep the bike moving, at least on the flat.

[l0lr0flm40]

EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY!

[Engineer9736]

@cogs5555 About not needing extra energy when having a constant speed, you're theoretically right. But you completely forget about friction. All those gears, and the chain, and the bearings, and the contact between the bicycle wheels and the ground, take a huge part of all the energy you put in the pedals as well.

[sv650touring]

Even if I was a competitive engineer, I'd want a Rohloff hub. Almost no maintenance, effortless shifting, and lasts many times longer than a conventional derailer system. The weight is only an issue to a RACE bike. IF your point is FUN, TRANSPORTATION, or just EASE OF WONERSHIP, then Rohloff would be nicest option. Get one with disc mounting so you have more frame options.

Plus if you ride it enough, it shouldn't be any more expensive than nice conventional parts over the long run.

[croscoe85]

Very cool.

[Gchoob]

Hi, that's a nice animation. Was it made using Solidworks?