Gattonero wrote:To me, a different type of actuation for a Rohloff shifter is just to complicate something that is already good and works well
As a former Rohloff user, I won't disagree that the system works well, but would argue that the feel of the shifter, with its inherent free play unless you get the double cable tension just so, is worse than a conventional twist shifter with the single cable tensioned by the rear mech. It may have been the longer than usual cable runs (on a 'bent), but an affordable e-shift was on my wish list at the time!
the way a rohloff shifter feels is, I think, more dependant on the condition of the cables than normal. If there is the slightest problem with the cables, that makes them in any way draggy, I'd expect the shifter feel to become very poor, very quickly. The basic reason for this is that the detent mechanism is inside the hub, and there are two cables to worry about. The result is that when the shift cables go draggy (which may be the first thing that needs attention BTW) the shift force will quickly become very high and the feel of the cables will be terrible; it will feel as if there is backlash (and there will likely be some simply because the cable tension is much higher than normal before anything happens at the hub) and most of the effort you are putting in will be lost in the cables and not usefully applied at the mech itself.
Most IGHs are sensitive to cable condition such that the hub starts to misbehave when the cables are in a bad state, because the indexing is affected. With a rohloff, bad cables do not usually mean that the hub itself starts to misbehave, because the chances of the mech sticking between shift positions are not great, even with terrible cables. What will typically happen with a Rohloff is that the shifter will carry on 'working' for a long time, but 'working' in a very poor way, such that much effort is required to shift, and the feel of the index positions at the shifter becomes virtually non-existent. Because this usually arises through a gradual deterioration, rather than suddenly, often the owner does not notice just how grim things have become.
Well my Rohloff shifter works just fine. Changes are crisp and effortless. It is not 'draggy' and there is little play. Rohloff owners who complain about their shifters either haven't adjusted the cables properly or have failed to install them or the shifter correctly. The Rohloff installation instructions are very clear and straight forward. I lubed the inner cables on mine so perhaps this is why mine doesn't have any 'draggy' problems. Maybe the OP is looking for a solution that will potentially create more problems and certainly cost a fortune in the process or maybe he wants an adaptation to suit his own personal requirements which I think is more the case? There is no way I would pay €600 for an hydraulic shifter or indeed €250 for any other system as the Rohloff shifter works fine. The only thing I would like is for it to be illuminated for when riding in the dark which would mean some sort of power supply and bulbs or fluorescent gear numbers on the shifter? But in the dark I tend to know which gear I am in from my speed and cadence showing on my Garmin GPS anyway. Alternatively the shifter could be supplied with wireless gear indicator technology to link it to your phone or GPS. Not sure if you can already do this with Shimano's Di2 electronic shifting technology as it's derailleur based.
"Zat is ze reel prowoking qwestion Mr Paxman." - Peer Steinbruck, German Finance Minister 31/03/2009.
My bike has the internal mechanism with a cable run via the top tube and down, Mrs H has the external mechanism with a fully enclosed cable run that goes under the bottom bracket and along the chainstay. The shifts on my bike are always a lot crisper. Whether that's the mechanism or the cable run I couldn't say. It doesn't affect operation though, only feel when comparing the two.
Tiberius, pwa, I'm the same, why would we need to know?
IIRC there are three gears in a little gear train in the ext mech. They must have a little more friction in them, even when well lubricated, so this will presumably affect shift feel a bit. How much, I don't know because I have never set up both systems side by side and compared them directly.
Cable runs that go along the chainstays can work quite well, but water will penetrate such cable runs (at the mech end) that bit easier vs seatstay runs, even if the cables are notionally 'sealed'. The effect of this is that you are well advised to do more frequent maintenance on chainstay-mounted gear cables.
I have a Rohloff with Cinq5 paddle shifters, on a drop bar. It's important to keep the cables in adjustment - but easy enough with the adjusters on the paddles. The Cinq5 has no way of indicating what gear you have selected, but I agree with others that it's not a problem.
After watching that video, there's no way I could cut and bleed the hoses when fitting it with only one hand. Luckily my hydraulic brakes comes with the tubes the exact length need to work on a recumbent trike, so no cutting/bleeding is needed when fitting new ones because the old ones have failed.
I'm interested in it, but I'd really have to see the shifter in real life to see if it could be worked with the little finger due to USS on a recumbent trike. Also how likely the pistons are to fail if situated vertically. I found to my cost that the brake do fail that way.
OT Don't know about hydraulics but I find that my rohloff shifter (ext. box) becomes very difficult to shift with sweat and suntan oil soaked gloves. Made worse by my bad timing and balance problem - hands and feet don't synch well and backing off the gear, rotating the grip and full power on quickly can be impossible on hills. Slow speed re- starts on hills are quite impossible. For me the benefit of a rohloff is the ability to change gear when stopped, that and the fix and forget nature of a rohloff. Now I'm riding a trike the whole process is easier, if I miss gear on a hill I can stop, change and go. Bliss. I wish I'd swapped to a trike years ago! Incidentally, I've fitted a triple giving my a wider range of gears. Surprisingly rohloff says they have no issue with that arrangement.
As long as you don't under-gear a Rohloff by too much, then you'll be fine ..... Minimum chainring/sprocket size recommended is 1.9, but I run 1.8 on my bent trike .....
Working from a multi of 1.136-1.29-1.466 for an extra 1-2-3 gears then the best workable 'legal' combo I worked out for a triple was a 30-44-56 with a 16 sprocket for an extra 5 (3+2) gears. climb to a 17 sprocket for non-legal setup. A 26-38-49 triple with a 13 sprocket gives the same range. 98% or 10"-100". A 26-38-55 triple gives you an extra 6 gears but you'll probably have to mod the front derailleur for it to work. A Schlumpf HSD gives you an extra 7 gears. And a Schlumpf HSD with a 38-55 double gives you an extra 10 gears, 19 sprocket for 'legal' and a 21 sprocket for not. My range is 183% or 9.4"-172"........
Does anybody know who sells this hydraulic shifter? Can't find it for sale on the net. Or Google can't! is there a quoted price for it? Seems an interesting piece of kit!
