jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, April 9, 2015 at 3:05:32 PM UTC-7, Lou Holtman wrote:
Joerg wrote:
On 2015-04-09 10:17 AM, Lou Holtman wrote:
On 2015-04-09 17:03:26 +0000, Joerg said:

On 2015-04-08 3:46 PM, wrote:
J if real I dunno how you handle it. Just too much dirt/mile

Rolloff MTB ? never thought of that...


Rohloff hubs are very popular with MTB riders in Europe. A friend
visiting Germany rented a MTB there and to his surprise it came with a
Rohloff hub. Considered almost normal there. In the US, not so, never
seen one on the trails and I see a lot of bikes there.

[...]

The idea is that it is not normal/stupid to ride with an open gearbox in
bad conditions. According to that idea a gearhub is the way to go. If
you want a wide range (MTB) and a good efficiency (sportive riding) you
end up with a Rohloff hub naturally.
Your gearbox of your car is also closed and filled with oil. No?


The gearbox in my car does not cost as much as a whole rest of the
vehicle itself. Not even close. The Rohloff does. That is a major difference.


You telling us that you break everything or everything is knocked off
riding your epic trails. I was wondering you didn't mention knocking of
your rear derailleur every ride or two yet. That would also be a reason to
go for a gear hub. Are Americans so poor that they can't save up for a
Rohloff hub if that would be the solution for their kind of riding and we
Europians can? Are we making more money, are we smarter or putting our
priorities different? Just asking.

How many Europeans are using Rohloff hubs? A lot of people don't like
the drag, weight, expense, complexity. There is little if any long-term
pay-off for the type of riding they do. I know a lot of people who race
mountain bikes -- pros, top national riders, strong local riders, and
none of them use Rohloff hubs. None of my CX friends own them. I would
think that if they were clearly superior for the type of riding done by
this cohort (and the length of time they keep their bikes), I would see
at least one. Rohloff makes a great hub with lots of benefits for a
certain crowd, but it is not the crowd I ride with.

-- Jay Beattie.

There is no drag. There is no complexity. The weight is insignificant. Do
you think riding in muddy conditions with an open gearbox is wise? Please
let the pro riders and top national riders out of the equation. In really
tough and muddy conditions I see a lot of trouble with a derailleur system,
skipping chains, chain suck are the main issues. Why do you think the pro
CX riders change their bike for a clean one every 1 or 2 laps?
--
Lou