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#11
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Getting down to 1 bike - what would you pick
Per Chalo:
Forget about internal gearing. The opinion of someone who's never lived with a Rohloff. It's a hassle to set up initially, it has handlebar compatibility issues, it weighs four pounds, and it's very expensive. But it blows away any other kind of gear changing mechanism, bar none. Derailleurs are as smooth and sophisticated as pipe wrenches compared to this. Here's a review I wrote quite a few years back, but which still holds for me: ======================================== Pros: - Wide shifts: Probably a substitute for proper technique, but I can clean inclines that I couldn't before. Hammer in to it in, say, gear 8, then jump down to 4, then to 1 as needed. Also, on long climbs I like to alternate in and out of the saddle which, for me, is a 3 or 4 gear shift on each change. With the der I used to do it a lot less frequently that I really like and in the spirit of "Gee, I sure hope I don't miss this shift and take the saddle horn up my butt (again...)". Now I just snap those wide shifts without even thinking about it. Any time, any place.- I'm always in the right gear, since shifting is essentially trivial; seems like shifts take less than a fiftieth of a second. - No more rear cog problems: no taco'd cogs, no more vines/small branches/grass wrapped around the cog/der. - It *seems* pretty-much bombproof. Time will tell, but I was spending more time than I cared to adjusting my der and bending a cog wheel while riding was a PITA. - Greatly-reduced frequency of missed shifts. "Reduced" and not "Zero" because there is a 'gotcha' between 7 and 8 dumps you into gear 14 if you forget and shift under load. It pops back into the intended gear as soon as the load comes off, but it's nothing you want to make a habit of doing. As I write this little addendum, I cannot remember the last time that happened to me... so, with a little experience, I'd say it becomes a non-issue. - Ability to shift down when stopped. I think I make more than my share of unplanned stops and I used to have to lift up the rear wheel and rotate the cranks to get down to a starting gear. Also, my technique sucks and probably won't get any better and it's nice to be able approach an object and slow way, way down before negotiating it without worrying about getting stuck in too high a gear to get over it. - I don't have to keep mental track of which chain ring I'm on. Sounds trivial, but I don't have any brain cells to spare. - Maybe not so much of a strength, but it should be mentioned somewhere that 14 speeds are enough. My original 44-32-22 der setup took me from 18.5 to 104. With the Rohloff on a 44 I get 19.9 to 104.9 in nice even, uniform 13.8% increments. That's only one less gear and, since I never used 104 it's a wash for me. With the 38 that I've since gone over to it's 17.2 - 90.6. I don't get spun out in 90.6 until about 25 mph - and there's no way I can hold that speed for very long anyhow. I left the old 32 in the middle position just because it weighs next to nothing and, on a big bump sometimes the chain drops (you're supposed to have a front-der-like dingus up there to keep it from doing that ....but I never go around to getting one) the 32 catches the chain. Also allows shifting down to a usually-ludicrous 14.something if things get really bad.... Cons: - It costs an arm and a leg. If my wife ever finds out I spent close to a grand on a rear wheel, she'll start to doubt my sanity. - This hub weighs a *lot*. It added 1.9 pounds to my already-heavy bike - same rim/tube/tire/spoke gauge. Anybody who says it only adds a pound must be using a really, *really* heavy cog/hub/der/shifter setup. I was using SRAM 9.0 with twist shifters. - The installation instructions could use a re-write. I'm no rocket scientist, and after studying them long enough I pulled it off - but it could have been a *lot* easier. - It's heavy. Are you ready for an 8-pound rear wheel? - The torque arm mounting that came with it was decidedly un-German (downright kludgy, I'd say...). Hose clamps! Also sometime during the first hundred miles the little clevis pin that held it all together disappeared. Wasn't a catastrophic failure because the normal riding pressure pushes everything together.... I probably installed the c-ring keeper wrong or something - but it seems like a weak point. Replaced it with a marine shackle set in LocTite. I have since discovered that there is a more elegant torque arm setup that Rohloff calls the "SpeedBone". Uses the disk brake mount and does not interfere with using a disk brake. - Evenly-spaced shifts: From me, this is strictly a theoretical "con", but if somebody were in good enough shape to be riding in/having to keep up with a pace line, they would want closer spacing in the upper gears. It's no problem for me, bco my pathetic physical condition and riding style (or lack thereof), but it's pretty sure tb an issue with a more competitive rider. - It's heavy. - It's noisy, especially in gears 1-7. Supposedly this mitigates with age, but it is still an issue with me at 1,000 miles. Late breaking news: After 5,000+ miles the noise has mitigated, my hearing has deteriorated, or I've been drinking less coffee or something bc the noise is no longer an issue with me. - It's definitely less efficient in gears 1-8. There's a web site somewhere (in German) that supposedly graphs a Rohloff against one of the Shimanos and claims no loss in most gears and 1-2% in the lower gears. I would disagree with that web site's figures. - Did I mention that it's heavy? ------------------------------------------------ Bottom Line: This is definitely not for everybody and the torque arm thing bugged me until I got the more elegant replacement. Having said that, I find that me and the Rohloff are a good match. I've quickly gotten so used to getting any gear I want any time I want and never having to stop and pull brush/branches out of my rear der that I can't imagine going back. It also appeals to the exhibitionist in me... You, on the other hand, might hate the thing. Oh yeah, I almost forgot: it's heavy. -- Pete Cresswell |
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#12
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Getting down to 1 bike - what would you pick
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#13
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Getting down to 1 bike - what would you pick
On 1/20/2012 12:37 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Oh yeah, I almost forgot: it's heavy. Besides the cost and weight, the issue is that you really still need a front derailleur with at least two chain rings. On one of my folders I have a Nexus Dual Drive 7 x 3 which works well and is much lighter achieving a good gearing range with no front derailleur and at low cost. |
#14
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Getting down to 1 bike - what would you pick
Per SMS:
Besides the cost and weight, the issue is that you really still need a front derailleur with at least two chain rings. Not for me - and I'm about as un-fit a dedicated cyclist as there is. I also climb some pretty steep hills. 14 gears is plenty for me and the range is more than adequate. But it *is* heavy..... -) -- Pete Cresswell |
#15
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Getting down to 1 bike - what would you pick
Per kolldata:
http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&g...29,r:13, s:18 I think I had one of those things for awhile when I was living in Hawaii. Some dealer got a bunch of them in from one of the UK countries. I'm pretty sure they were police bikes. That one introduced me to the meaning of "English rust proofing: oil seals". -- Pete Cresswell |
#16
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Getting down to 1 bike - what would you pick
Per (PeteCresswell):
I think I had one of those things for awhile when I was living in Hawaii. Some dealer got a bunch of them in from one of the UK countries. I'm pretty sure they were police bikes. That one introduced me to the meaning of "English rust proofing: oil seals". I retract my statement. Reading the web page, I see the brand is "Greeves". Mine was a "Matchless". Sure looked similar though... -- Pete Cresswell |
#17
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Getting down to 1 bike - what would you pick
The frame says "Fuji" on the seat tube and "Gran Tourer" on the down
tube. I hastily swapped my components onto one of my spouse's frames when the brake bridge on my Raleigh Carleton failed, so I don't know more than that. Wheels 27" x 2 1/4". Good for roads and moderate off-road; anything they can't handle I go around, or I get off and carry the bike. Easier than hauling mountain-bike tires over miles of good road. Full fenders. I took the lights off about five years ago because an important part fell off and I don't leave home after noon any more. An AA-powered blinkie on the back just in case. (Just went out and checked: batteries still good.) (Took a while to find the switch.) A ToPeak rack supports folding wire panniers I bought at an anchor store fifteen or twenty years ago; look a bit heavier than the pair I wore out. Never fold 'em because I've bolted red reflectors through the joints. The panniers were designed to fit a standard paper grocery bag -- a trait much less useful than it was thirty years ago. When I got the first pair, I thought I'd swap them for nylon panniers on tours, but wire panniers turned out so convenient that instead I checked into hotels carrying paper grocery bags as luggage. (The bell boy carried the bike.) At the time, plastic bags were the same size as paper bags, so it was very easy: put the paper bag in a plastic bag to protect against splashes and provide a handle, line with another bag, put in tomorrow's clothing, fold top of bag over the clothes, line with another bag, put in nightwear . . . top with bag of stuff that might be needed during the ride, drape yet another bag over and tuck in all around. I got caught in a downpour so severe that I couldn't see to get off the road, and arrived at the hostel with dry luggage. Pedals -- dunno what they call them. Bought a "serviceable" pair and they never wore out. I may have had the bearings changed once. Wear slot-cleat shoes in the country and walking shoes in town. One of the times I trashed my derailleurs, the mechanic said something about "beefy, wide-range mountain-bike derailleurs". I think those are still on. The shift levers are on the down tube. Freewheel hubs, six cogs, two chainwheels. By tooth-count, there really ought to be a third chainwheel between those two, but I hardly ever mis-shift or unship on that account. Took a little getting used to at first, I think. Centerpull rim brakes. Durable, reliable, condition obvious to the glance. Drop bars with thick foam padding. Had to switch to junior brake levers when I switched from tape to padding; this required two engineers and a Dremel. -- Joy Beeson joy beeson at comcast dot net http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/ The above message is a Usenet post. I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site. |
#18
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Getting down to 1 bike - what would you pick
On Jan 20, 7:21 am, Anton Berlin wrote:
I am one of those nuts that has 10 machines in the garage. From a custom made Columbus Max with SR an Aquila titanium with a brand new c- record large flange group, to several carbon frames and a collection of disc wheels and H3s etc. I am in the stage where I want to simplify and feel that I could get practical and get down to one bike and be content with that. My current idea is a titanium cyclocross style bike that uses mtb wheels, has a long wheelbase and is set up for touring (fenders, panniers, etc) would be the best compromise of all worlds. I want a bike that is flexible enough to ride everyday, tour extensively on (already have 2 cycling trips around the world and multiple through Europe) The open questions are rim brakes or discs ? Derailleurs or internal gearing (rohloff or sram) ? And the pros and cons of using s&s couplers. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and input. Easy (having only read the subject line and not the details of your options) - for me, if I had to pare it down to one bike, I'd keep the '87 Stumpjumper. |
#19
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Getting down to 1 bike - what would you pick
On Jan 20, 8:21*am, Anton Berlin wrote:
*I am one of those nuts that has 10 machines in the garage. From a custom made Columbus Max with SR an Aquila titanium with a brand new c- record large flange group, to several carbon frames and a collection of disc wheels and H3s etc. I am in the stage where I want to simplify and feel that I could get practical and get down to one bike and be content with that. My current idea is a titanium cyclocross style bike that uses mtb wheels, has a long wheelbase and is set up for touring (fenders, panniers, etc) would be the best compromise of all worlds. I want a bike that is flexible enough to ride everyday, tour extensively on (already have 2 cycling trips around the world and multiple through Europe) The open questions are rim brakes or discs ? * Derailleurs or internal gearing (rohloff or sram) ? And the pros and cons of using s&s couplers. *Thanks in advance for your thoughts and input. if you like the feel of steel, ti is the way to go. it has better road feel than carbon, it is very light. if well made is virtually indestructible. it always looks new. if you buy from china, you can get a custom made frame for less than $1000. If you get it from habanero, custom goes for about 1000. I have a 10 year old ti frame. it looks new. it rides great, and it is very light. it was custom made in china for about 600. |
#20
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Getting down to 1 bike - what would you pick
On Jan 20, 10:33*am, AMuzi wrote:
Anton Berlin wrote: *I am one of those nuts that has 10 machines in the garage. From a custom made Columbus Max with SR an Aquila titanium with a brand new c- record large flange group, to several carbon frames and a collection of disc wheels and H3s etc. I am in the stage where I want to simplify and feel that I could get practical and get down to one bike and be content with that. My current idea is a titanium cyclocross style bike that uses mtb wheels, has a long wheelbase and is set up for touring (fenders, panniers, etc) would be the best compromise of all worlds. I want a bike that is flexible enough to ride everyday, tour extensively on (already have 2 cycling trips around the world and multiple through Europe) The open questions are rim brakes or discs ? * Derailleurs or internal gearing (rohloff or sram) ? And the pros and cons of using s&s couplers. *Thanks in advance for your thoughts and input. I can't help specifically but even I, a well known cheap *******, can't manage with only one bicycle. -- Andrew Muzi * www.yellowjersey.org/ * Open every day since 1 April, 1971 i have two road bikes a steel and a ti one. I had an mtb that I sold cause i got tired of mtbing. The only reason i keep two bikes is because just in case I have guests. the ti one has a 75,5 seat angle. With that angle, I can ride it on the drops forever. Or, if I do a tri, i'll just put aerobars. sometimes i consider getting rid of the steel one, but then i remember visitors. |
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