Originally Posted by
GhostRider62
That study referenced in the link was conducted/sponsored by Rohloff. Chester Kyle's response to the study in the journal is worth considering unless one can pedal at 400 watts. Kyle thinks 200 Watts at 75 rpm are more realistic test method parameters than what Rohloff used although he seems to agree that the Rohloff's efficiency is relatively improved at higher wattages but contends the rankings would stay the same. So, the Rohloff might be even less efficient at brevet speeds. 200 watts is a massive of power to average on a long brevet. Another study used 1 HP input. Also unrealistic. Kyle's assessment of the Rohloffs efficiency might actually be optimistic at brevet speeds.
I read that article several years ago, I am not going to re-read it now.
I previously noted in my first post on this thread that:
I would prefer a derailleur system for brevets. If I was starting from scratch today on setting up a rando bike for PBP it would probably be a 3X10 system, cables (not electronic shifting). But I am saying that in part because most of my bikes have triple cranks and I am used to them. I would investigate the latest wide range 1X systems before I firmed up the choice of 1 or 3 chainrings, as there are advantages to a 1X system with a single sequential shifter.
And I noted in a previous post that:
Is my Rohloff less efficient than a well lubed new derailleur system? It probably is. But I noticed it was running much smoother by the time I did the first oil change. It just seems to get better year after year.
I am not trying to sell anyone on a Rohloff here, I was just trying to provide a comparison between a Rohloff and derailleur bikes because I am one of those rare people that have both and ride both.
When I ride my Rohloff bike, I do not notice any extra drag from the hub. But to put this in perspective, this is on a bike capable of expedition use, it is a heavy bike and I usually have 57mm wide off-road or mountain bike tires on the bike. I am going to be slower on this bike regardless of drive train. When I am in low range (gears 1-7), I suspect that there is additional drag as the third planetary gear is used, the studies also show more drag in gears 1-7. And the hub is noticeably noisy in gears 1-7, but when I am in those gears I am going pretty slow up a hill.
The studies that I have seen do not specifically compare Rohloff hub drag to the drag from a dynohub with the lights on, but the wattage values for drag that I have seen are similar. When I ride my rando bike (SP PV8 dynohub) or light touring bike (Shimano dynohub) I often leave the lights on, even when on trails that have no vehicle traffic because I can't feel any drag. Usually the only times I turn the dyno powered lights off are when I want to use the USB charger to replenish my GPS battery.