HubBub on my touring bike
10-14-21, 08:12 PM
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HubBub on my touring bike
I am going to go back to using drop bars on my Rohloff equipped touring bike. I know that Tourist in MSN uses one on his Thorn. So Tourist in MSN: please send me any pictures you may have of your setup.
10-15-21, 12:14 AM
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There's a way better way. I made one with a piece of 7/8" handlebar and a piece of cut up bike frame. Or anything 1/16" thick metal.
Then paint and hose clamp it to my top tube near the stem. It points up and back a bit so the cables go under and along the TT.
This way I can shift with either hand and there's ZERO cable flopping around the front.
This was in 2014, a month before I took it to Vietnam. I've made a bunch of CF changes and additions since.
That's just a silly rag hanging behind it. I guess it also helps that the TT curves up an inch and a half. Now 19,000 miles later, the cable is still as installed. And besides that, it has been hanging around while I was using my SA rear wheel and shifter for 4,000 miles.
This pic was at 64 miles, in the middle of a day ride this year.
This pic with my SA XL-RD5w setup, shows a shorter knob post really well.
My TTs are all 23.5 inches or more, so that also helps standover clearance.
Then paint and hose clamp it to my top tube near the stem. It points up and back a bit so the cables go under and along the TT.
This way I can shift with either hand and there's ZERO cable flopping around the front.
This was in 2014, a month before I took it to Vietnam. I've made a bunch of CF changes and additions since.
That's just a silly rag hanging behind it. I guess it also helps that the TT curves up an inch and a half. Now 19,000 miles later, the cable is still as installed. And besides that, it has been hanging around while I was using my SA rear wheel and shifter for 4,000 miles.
This pic was at 64 miles, in the middle of a day ride this year.
This pic with my SA XL-RD5w setup, shows a shorter knob post really well.
My TTs are all 23.5 inches or more, so that also helps standover clearance.
Last edited by GamblerGORD53; 10-15-21 at 12:46 AM.
10-15-21, 07:31 AM
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I pasted below in italics the text that I previously sent by private message to Rick in case anyone else is curious. Rick specifically asked about knee clearance, thus my comments on that.
No knee clearance problems at all, but I never stand on the pedals to accelerate, I keep my butt in the saddle, my knees could not take standing on the pedals.
Very happy with it. I built my Nomad up in 2013, tried several locations that were closer to the steering axis, thus when my hand was on the shifter i had no leverage on steering.
Decided in summer 2016 while going up a hill that when I got home I would order the adapter, which I did. That hill was steep and I lacked leverage for steering when my hand was on the shifter. And my hand typically was at the end of the handlebar for leverage, and then I could not take my hand off the bar to move it to the shifter in difficult terrain where steering was a constant chore. With the HubBub being on the end of the handlebar, I can have both hands on the drops and have all the leverage I need for steering on difficult terrain, and that includes when one hand is on the shifter.
Have had it for a bit over five years and I am quite happy with it.
I can't attach photos to a private message. Have you seen photos of mine on a different thread? If so, you noted that I used two V brake noodles to route the cable forward from the shifter, thus my knees are not even close to the cables. I have never seen anyone else route the cables with V brake noodles like I do, most people would route the cables closer to your knees.
If I recall correctly, they sell two, a Rohloff Version and a SHimano version. I think I had to cut 10mm off of the one I got with a hacksaw, I think the Shimano one is longer.
I put it on VERY VERY tight onto the handlebar. I did not want the adapter coming lose from the handlebar. I can't say what torque I used, but I used a LOT.
BUT you need to measure your bike. The stock Rohloff shifter is designed for a mountain bike size handlebar diameter, which I think is 22 point something mm in diameter, that is what the Hubbub is designed for. Your Co-Motion shifter is probably a much bigger one, so the Co-Motion shifter probably will not work on the Hubbub. I think the Co-Motion shifter is designed for a 31.8mm handlebar.
***
I am providing more detail here than I was asked, as there often seem to be a few readers on this forum that have curiosly about Rohloffs, but are hesitant to ask.
The Rohloff shifter is a twist grip shifter. There are two cables, one cable for downshifts and one cable for upshifts. The indexing is in the hub, so the cables are both slack except one cable will be under tension when shifting. The twist grip shifter was sized for mountain bike handlebar diameter, not road bike diameter. I am using drop bars on my Rohloff bike, and that means that the stock shifter does not fit on my handlebar, thus an alternative is needed.
There are lots of alternatives to the Rohloff shifter, but I won't elaborate on that, other than this link provides a good summary to alternatives. The Hubbub adapter allows me to put the shifter on the end of the drop bar handlebar. But, the picture of the Hubbub adapter shows it is wood, that is incorrect, it is aluminum.
https://www.cyclingabout.com/rohloff...op-handlebars/
Rohloff has gone through three (or maybe more?) generations of their twist grip shifter. As far as I know the first was triangular in shape. Second which is what I have is more rounded. The third is a wave pattern.
The round version did not last long before it was replaced with the third generation, it is hard to grip when damp or your hands are sweaty. Also, the rubber abrades quite easily. I added three beads of black Shoe Goo to help me get a better grip on it, that also has reduced the rate that the rubber abrades, as now my gloves do not slip as much on it when I twist it.
Photo soon after I first installed the Hubbub adapter, note the two silver colored V brake noodles on the cables to route the cables forward under the bars. This was in 2016, I was still using a black and white screen GPS.
In the photos above and below you can see how the V brake noodles helped route the cable more out of the way.
The three beads of Shoe Goo, one of which is more apparent in this photo:
I have since painted the V brake noodles black which was a significant aesthetic improvement. Photo below is from my most recent bike tour two years ago, pre-Covid. Initially I tried to paint them black with a brush from a nail polish jar, but that was pretty ugly. Eventually removed the cables so I could remove the noodles and sprayed with black spray paint.
Photo below is from 2015 (still using a black and white screen GPS), at that time I had my Rohloff shifter very close to the steering axis, it was just to the right of my steerer tube. It was convenient to reach to, but as noted above when I was riding in difficult terrain and needed both hands out near the ends of the handlebar for steering leverage, this location proved to be a disaster, as I would have to move one hand from steering to where there was no steering leverage when I wanted to shift. Of the various setups I tried, this was the last one I used before getting the Hubbub adapter.
Yes it is rare when you really need to shift and also at the same time need to have both hands on the handlebars for steering, but that proved to be a deciding factor for me. The road in the photo below was really crappy with a lot of loose gravel on the steep uphills, and that was the day when I decided to buy the Hubbub adapter at my first opportunity.
No knee clearance problems at all, but I never stand on the pedals to accelerate, I keep my butt in the saddle, my knees could not take standing on the pedals.
Very happy with it. I built my Nomad up in 2013, tried several locations that were closer to the steering axis, thus when my hand was on the shifter i had no leverage on steering.
Decided in summer 2016 while going up a hill that when I got home I would order the adapter, which I did. That hill was steep and I lacked leverage for steering when my hand was on the shifter. And my hand typically was at the end of the handlebar for leverage, and then I could not take my hand off the bar to move it to the shifter in difficult terrain where steering was a constant chore. With the HubBub being on the end of the handlebar, I can have both hands on the drops and have all the leverage I need for steering on difficult terrain, and that includes when one hand is on the shifter.
Have had it for a bit over five years and I am quite happy with it.
I can't attach photos to a private message. Have you seen photos of mine on a different thread? If so, you noted that I used two V brake noodles to route the cable forward from the shifter, thus my knees are not even close to the cables. I have never seen anyone else route the cables with V brake noodles like I do, most people would route the cables closer to your knees.
If I recall correctly, they sell two, a Rohloff Version and a SHimano version. I think I had to cut 10mm off of the one I got with a hacksaw, I think the Shimano one is longer.
I put it on VERY VERY tight onto the handlebar. I did not want the adapter coming lose from the handlebar. I can't say what torque I used, but I used a LOT.
BUT you need to measure your bike. The stock Rohloff shifter is designed for a mountain bike size handlebar diameter, which I think is 22 point something mm in diameter, that is what the Hubbub is designed for. Your Co-Motion shifter is probably a much bigger one, so the Co-Motion shifter probably will not work on the Hubbub. I think the Co-Motion shifter is designed for a 31.8mm handlebar.
***
I am providing more detail here than I was asked, as there often seem to be a few readers on this forum that have curiosly about Rohloffs, but are hesitant to ask.
The Rohloff shifter is a twist grip shifter. There are two cables, one cable for downshifts and one cable for upshifts. The indexing is in the hub, so the cables are both slack except one cable will be under tension when shifting. The twist grip shifter was sized for mountain bike handlebar diameter, not road bike diameter. I am using drop bars on my Rohloff bike, and that means that the stock shifter does not fit on my handlebar, thus an alternative is needed.
There are lots of alternatives to the Rohloff shifter, but I won't elaborate on that, other than this link provides a good summary to alternatives. The Hubbub adapter allows me to put the shifter on the end of the drop bar handlebar. But, the picture of the Hubbub adapter shows it is wood, that is incorrect, it is aluminum.
https://www.cyclingabout.com/rohloff...op-handlebars/
Rohloff has gone through three (or maybe more?) generations of their twist grip shifter. As far as I know the first was triangular in shape. Second which is what I have is more rounded. The third is a wave pattern.
The round version did not last long before it was replaced with the third generation, it is hard to grip when damp or your hands are sweaty. Also, the rubber abrades quite easily. I added three beads of black Shoe Goo to help me get a better grip on it, that also has reduced the rate that the rubber abrades, as now my gloves do not slip as much on it when I twist it.
Photo soon after I first installed the Hubbub adapter, note the two silver colored V brake noodles on the cables to route the cables forward under the bars. This was in 2016, I was still using a black and white screen GPS.
In the photos above and below you can see how the V brake noodles helped route the cable more out of the way.
The three beads of Shoe Goo, one of which is more apparent in this photo:
I have since painted the V brake noodles black which was a significant aesthetic improvement. Photo below is from my most recent bike tour two years ago, pre-Covid. Initially I tried to paint them black with a brush from a nail polish jar, but that was pretty ugly. Eventually removed the cables so I could remove the noodles and sprayed with black spray paint.
Photo below is from 2015 (still using a black and white screen GPS), at that time I had my Rohloff shifter very close to the steering axis, it was just to the right of my steerer tube. It was convenient to reach to, but as noted above when I was riding in difficult terrain and needed both hands out near the ends of the handlebar for steering leverage, this location proved to be a disaster, as I would have to move one hand from steering to where there was no steering leverage when I wanted to shift. Of the various setups I tried, this was the last one I used before getting the Hubbub adapter.
Yes it is rare when you really need to shift and also at the same time need to have both hands on the handlebars for steering, but that proved to be a deciding factor for me. The road in the photo below was really crappy with a lot of loose gravel on the steep uphills, and that was the day when I decided to buy the Hubbub adapter at my first opportunity.
10-15-21, 09:51 AM
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Tourist in MSN I failed to mention in my PM To you that I no longer use the Co-Motion shifter. I also moved the Co-motion shifter to another location still close to the stem and didn't like it there also. I currently have a lefty Rohloff shifter mounted on a Crazy bar. I have a Nitto Noodle drop bar I will use with the HubBub. Were did you get your brake noodles?
once I have everything changed over and my panniers on I will Post some photos
once I have everything changed over and my panniers on I will Post some photos
10-15-21, 10:01 AM
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I forgot to list the link.
https://hubbubonline.com/?product=hu...op-bar-adapter
You can also buy it from some other retailers.
https://hubbubonline.com/?product=hu...op-bar-adapter
You can also buy it from some other retailers.
10-15-21, 11:32 AM
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Tourist in MSN: I ordered the HubBub yesterday. Did you need to modify the noodles so they would fit the Rohloff shifter.
10-15-21, 12:09 PM
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I have no clue where I bought the noodles. Maybe a bike shop, maybe Ebay. A local bike shop is probably best, no shipping charge. Any shop that has mechanics on duty to do repairs should have them on the shelf.
No modification needed. But they come in different angles, I think mine are 90 degree.
If you want them sprayed black, do that first and let them sit for a few days for the paint to harden.
No modification needed. But they come in different angles, I think mine are 90 degree.
If you want them sprayed black, do that first and let them sit for a few days for the paint to harden.
10-17-21, 07:13 PM
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I have no clue where I bought the noodles. Maybe a bike shop, maybe Ebay. A local bike shop is probably best, no shipping charge. Any shop that has mechanics on duty to do repairs should have them on the shelf.
No modification needed. But they come in different angles, I think mine are 90 degree.
If you want them sprayed black, do that first and let them sit for a few days for the paint to harden.
No modification needed. But they come in different angles, I think mine are 90 degree.
If you want them sprayed black, do that first and let them sit for a few days for the paint to harden.
