Not one inventor. There's a team of them

as usual one bright mind can change the world and make new inventions for which humanity would have taken a few decades more maybe if it wasn't for him/her/them...

The best inventions are not made by the profit seekers (they most times are inhibited by those people, look at Tesla and J.P.Morgan), but by smart people with a need or a drive for advancement. Or by public funds like the iPhone

Way way too complicated, too heavy, too expensive. A simple derailleur kept clean and free of damage is much better

​@@ainsmas361 you can drive whats you love, i love my electric shimano hub. But for travelling arround the World, a rohloff is like a must have. Install and forgett ( only oil changes need)

Wenn da nicht dieser Öl Verlust wäre...... Ich habe 3 mal Dichtungen gewechselt, es hat nicht geklappt danach habe ich sie in die Firma geschickt, hat auch nicht geklappt.... Diese Schaltung ist absoluter Schrott!!!

Thanks for the comment.

Thank you for the comment.

I agree he's not explaining this vary well, and it's not because the rest of us are dumb, it's because often engineers have the technical knowledge but not communicative skills

Yep, I'm way too dumb for this shit! I'm just gonna have a Rohloff Speedhub and no real idea of how it does what it does!

Darin Johnson What are you talking about? This is not a consumer video. This is for someone who wants to understand the detailed engineering behind the Rohloff. It is delivered in impressively concise language. It assumes that if you don’t know what, for example, an “actuator” is, that you’ll go find out and come back to continue the lesson.

You and me....brilliant engineering

its actually quite a simple explanation, really. you go: ooh eeh ooh aahh ahh, ting tang, walla-walla bing-bang

I ran a VW Golf for a while it may have done 200 or 300 thousand miles. The engines don't go that long, and the electrics are awful but the gearbox was lovely smooth and quiet. I thought when I have sat or drove newer cars - chuck the new gearbox out and put that nice quality gearbox in and the car would become half-decent.

Exactly. The explanation is pretty good but the visualization is serious lacking.

Thank you so much for the comment. Internal hubs are very well suited to hand powered machines. Good luck with your build.

Could you do a video on how you plan to setup your trike? When you say you will build one, does that mean you or a third party? Will your trike be front wheel drive?

Hi - I plan on a rear wheel drive design with two wheels up front, modeled (somewhat) after the Ti Trike. I'm also looking into creating a leaning/tilt suspension, to assist with maneuverability and stability, specifically in high speed turns. Not sure if both a lean and a tilt can be combined (I'm thinking stability, once again). With front wheel drive handcycles you have two factors that limit both maneuverability and stability. As you lean back in a FWD unit (such as the Lightening I have), stability decreases the further you lean back on the trailing wheels (ask me how I know - scars). Maneuverability isn't too bad with the Lightening, as it uses a leaning kind of steering, but with both a lean and a tilt built in you would (theoretically) greatly improve maneuverability. My first inclination is to create a universal joint attachment where the frame Ts to provide the ability to lean into your turn, but I've checked out some tilt suspension designs that I like as well. First, I need to have my nephew clear his stuff out of my garage/workshop. LOL

Regardless no bicycle shop is going to repair this hub .they will pull and replace or send it back to the factory to be rebuilt or replaced

True. If you have knowledge about how a transmission or gearbox operates it isn’t complicated to understand but if you don’t it could be difficult to follow.

1 / .881 = 1.135

Who do you think? The name is on the product. It's actually not rocket science as rockets tend to have no gears at all.

@@SuperDirk1965 Their gears are interplanetary, lol.

The outer bearings are 61807. They are fitted with the seals removed so the oil from the hub keeps the bearings lubed. An outer seal is fitted in the shell to keep the oil in.

In my opinion, the parts most vulnerable to damage or wear would be the locking pawls that couple the sun gears to the axle. The best way to extend the life of these elements is to break torque input when shifting .In other words, ease up on the pedals.

Dan. Thanks for the advice. Was your disassembly for instructional purposes only... or did you have to effect a repair/replacement?

@@alandaugustine8519 It was for demonstration purposes only

No, I don't think that would be possible. The clutches are a ratcheting type, and even if they were not, the sun gears would still ratchet over the locking pawls.

nacra60na check out the pinion gearbox, I think that's what you're referring to.

@Phil Weatherley I'm waiting to see how this pans out. www.veercycle.com/

I was going to mention Pinion, they have gear hub mounted at pedals but that requires specialised frame to support it and Pinion is even more expensive than Rollhoff :)

Hi Steven. Thank you for your comment. I tried to reply to your other message but the system wouldn't let me.. The Rohloff would be overkill anyway if you are not riding hills unless you are planning loaded touring. Sram has announced they are exiting the IGH market entirely later this year, so I would not recommend it as an option. Parts support for Sram hubs has been pretty much non existent in North America anyway, so it's never been a good choice. I really like the Shimano Alfine 8 speed although some riders are aggravated by the uneven ratio steps. I find it a very robust and smooth operating hub. If you want to avoid gear steps altogether, you could go with the Nuvinci CV hub. The model numbers denote the ratio range, 360% or 380%. That puts the 380 just short of the 409% range of a Alfine 11 speed. I do not have a Nuvinci myself, but I do know people who have them, and they like them a lot. Also have not heard of any failures with this hub.

The Rohloff is an heirloom product. Less expensive in the long run. It will outlast every bike you put it on. It will outlast you. Leave it to your next of kin.

The electronic Rohloff shifter comes with Bosch systems (and I think some Shimano ones now), and the controller will maintain a reserve of battery power for the shifter after cutting off the pedal assistance. If the battery goes completely dead (which you shouldn't do because it's not good for the battery), you're stuck with the gear you're in.

schlump drive crank. gear box

Let us know when you hear about the latest great swiss drivetrain system.

Gears more like Babbage's Difference engine

It is tough to let go of that kind of money , I did and am glad I did.

chemicallust77 I'm saving up for one to use with my bafang mid-drive.

That hub is an option on a Luna Cycle Bafang mid-drive bike.

JULIUS SINKALA it is a bit depending on the type of outer finish and which axle is used but here in Europe it is approx. 1100 Euro including VAT. Plus shifter and cables for sure. But it need service only every 6000 miles and I personally know people which where traveling the world on bikes with a Rohloff which hab no problems during 35000 miles of ride. Since I am not riding so much the price always kept me from buying one. Fun fact the Rohloff is the only hub drive which can be combined with stronger Ebike mid drive motors (above 50 Nm of torque).

The control is a rotary shifter with two cables. It pulls the shift mech in both directions, there is no spring return. I hope I understood your question.

Magic.

There would be no way to mount a freewheel on the non drive side without some extreme engineering. The axle plate and shift mechanism would be pretty much impossible to work around.

Extreme engineering? Only a sufficient axle length is required. Hundreds have been built in this way by two different solar/human powered hybrid companies. They place it next to the disk brake to attain dual chain rear hub drive. But the quality of Shimano or Sturmey Archer 8 speed hubs is not so great for precision shifting with an extra long shift cable run.

Are you talking about using the hub as a mid drive, or in a wheel? I'm guessing you have not seen one of these up close, and I will stand by what I said about the extreme engineering required to fit a freewheel around the axle plate and shift mechanism. I did not say impossible, and if you are able to accomplish it, I would be very interested to see how you do it.

Hub. Accommodating this application would open up a market for the human/solar powered velos.

I can see a way to do it with a fixed cog if you can build the freewheeling mechanism into the drive unit. Machine a flange to sit outboard of the disc rotor (using the same mounting bolts) far enough to allow chain clearance and mount a cog to it. Note that the rotor bolts and the hub cap bolts will be subjected to shear stresses that were not designed into the unit.

Stock shifter is mechanical, with two cables in a pull/pull configuration. There is an aftermarket shift unit out there which I have only read about, never actually seen.

@@2wagondragon The Co-Motion twist shifter is a superior option for drop bars, I put one of those on my Vaya and it's far better than the stock Rohloff shifter that can only install on bar ends. Super smooth, solid aluminum, and mounts all the way up the bars on the fatter clamping surface right past the taper. It has hollow cable channels for the brake lines to neatly pass right beneath it. Bit pricey, but then again if spending 1500 on the hub, what does a little more for a really nice shifter matter lol

There has been studies and tests done on various gearhubs to compare their efficiency to derailleur systems. I don't have the time to look it up right now, but Rohloff has a reference to one such test on their site.

@@2wagondragon I've read that Rohloff is one of the best. Next down comes any of thin oiled Sturmey-Archer (British made) hubs. Clean derailleur are comparable to SA. Then the greased gears and bearings are at the bottom.

It is a 14-speed, but it actuall only has 7 gears. The first 7 speeds are on a gear reducer. The reducer is what makes noise. The hub is quiet in the top 7 speeds. The noise doesn't mean it is junk. They have been producing that hub since 1998. Not a Hub has failed, yet.

I have not experienced this hub I have a lovely smooth quiet Sturmey-Archer FW. The freewheel pawls are not over-driven in some speeds but are disengaged. Although both have straight cut gears, although they are quiet in the FW, straight cut gears do whine and lose power. This is why helical gears are used if practical they do not suffer velocity modulation as the driving gear tooth slides up the pushed gear tooth.

@@AndrewLohmannKent Filled the hub with 25cl oil instead of the 15cl recommended. The noise/raunch sound disappeared! There is no leaking of the hub and the gears inside works well.

@@normand5847 funny, I just read a comment on another YT channel saying he went through 3 Rohloffs. "No failures" is a bit of a stretch. Now I understand this hub is tandem rated and has a great history with high-torque off road tandem use. That's an excellent test. However, "no failures" of pretty much anything is a very high hurdle indeed. Google it and you'll quickly disabuse yourself of this notion. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y5p_oKppuZ25lZc.html thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=12265.0 I should add that the hub's large flange diameter can be problematic with certain wheel builds, causing spoke angle issues at the rim. Frequent spoke failure can result. Again, not without some issues.

Sure, if you feel you need more than 526% ratio range. Some recumbent trikes paired the Rohloff with a Schlumf 2 speed crank for a mega range drive train.

The standard chain tensioner from Rohloff can work with chainring differences up to 10. I ride it with two chainrings 52 and 60 on my hp scorpion recumbent trike and it works really well.

That would be where two rotating members are coupled together with positive engagement rather than a freewheel ratcheting mechanism or a friction clutch.

Regularly move through out the gear range, just like a car. Even if that means on a stand while you turn the pedal by hand.

These don’t require pedaling to shift - they can shift between gears at a standstill. You just twist the shifter to the appropriate gear, that’s all there is to it.

Here is the data as published on Rohloff's web site. www.rohloff.de/en/experience/technology-in-detail/mechanical-efficiency/

Well, I did have oatmeal for breakfast.

Hi Nicolas. I will try to do one some time, but I have too much going on right now to get into that. Could you be specific about the problem you're having? Might be able to throw some ideas out.

I think something is wrong with one of the springs that actuates the clutch mechanisims on the central axxle

Agree in part.. they should be selling parts to everyone.

Really? This definitely puts me off buying it. Rohloff can sod off.

@Phil Weatherley I ride a bike that is easily maintained and fixed. That's what cycling is all about. Try fixing this fucker on a snow topped mountain.

@Phil Weatherley That hub has been around for over twenty years. Nothing new.

Phil Weatherley. I'm not an engineer, just yer regular smarty pants. Yes, the magical powers of helical gears, by stealthily whirling about in awesome silence they burden the giddy rider with powerful delusions of solitude while he sniffs diesel exhaust amidst the crushing mayhem of rush hour traffic... but I fear that this bit of sorcery is even beyond modern Germany's Rohloff's grand ambitions to conquer Poland -- ahem -- the world. The gears are, well, not exactly humongous, I'm not sure that they could withstand the lateral forces. These forces might introduce further complications elsewhere in the mechanism, alignment comes to mind... temperature changes which may bring different rates of expansion because of the different alloys currently SOMEWHERE in the product might suddenly also become a problem... but yes, fine engineering could even overcome these challenges if it turns out that my theories are the end result of something other than mixing up my medication once more. But if so, at what cost? It might add quite a hefty chunk to this dreadnought.