Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
Almost all of the drive train components commonly used for touring were designed for other uses, so I would not say that is a problem with Rohloffs. Of everything on my Rohloff bike or my derailleur touring bikes, I can't think of one drive train component that was specifically designed for touring - although I suppose you could argue that bar end shifters were mostly used for touring decades ago before the time trial and triathalon competitors started using them.
There is a difference between not specificallly... and not designed. It may not be the case that the early evolution of some stuff was done specifically or exclusively for touring, but touring was at one time big and plenty of components were designed as touring components, and many people used bikes in a touring mode without the degree of product segmentation that we now have. A bike that was durable could carry gear, and travel long distances was a military application since at least the first world war (1914).
Something like a dérailleur designed for MTBs gets more of a pass because the modular design makes it possible to use a Phil touring hub, and a cassette that was designed for touring, etc... And a dozen folks make everything from racing to tandem gear, so there is no actual problem with the fact that the original folks didn't think it through.
My Rohloff is 36 spokes, bought it about two and a half years ago. Did they stop making 36 hole hubs?
No, more like they only started making it two years ago, and you bought the 36 right? Sounds natural to me but one used to get a lot of arguments from people who thought 32 was the perfect only choice, despite the fact there are well documented cases of the flange tearing off. Now 32 is enough for a lot of stuff. I am legitimately and also slothfully at the upper weight limits of bike gear. Cancer wouldn't get me light enough, however, and alive. I do tend to look at the heavy uses end of the spectrum.