dieselrover

And to be fair, I wouldn't shy away from Al due to the small amount of noise that I had. I am just old and wanted something a little gentler on my poor joints. That Nashbar frame is not lacking for rigidity.

-s

mkatz

I've read that the Rohloff is noisy, particular in the lower gear range. Unfortunately, I've not been able to ride a bike having one and thus have been unable to get first hand experience. As I'm thinking of buying a Birdy (folding bike) with a Rohloff hub, I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea of the magnitude of the noise volume, particularly in 7h gear, when new/old, perhaps compared with a good derailleur or an Alfine hub? (Does the Rohloff. Under load sound anything like a derailleur bike's hub when coasting without pedaling?)

I've test ridden the birdy with a derailleur and really like the bike. As one with a Rohloff in the states would have to be special ordered, I won't be able to try before buying.

fietsbob

Its Very Subtile You (I) dont hear a thing .. 1~7 is running thru an additional reduction gear , [see # 16]
7 is high in low range . 8 is low in high range. there is a freewheel ratchet in the driver section
so the pawls ride over when you are coasting like any other freewheel /freehub.

I cannot measure Db, that is what sounds are measured In. that takes a Special Meter made for the Purpose.




'/,

Dan Burkhart 

Both of my Rohloffs emit low level sounds, more like a faint whine than a ratcheting sound. 7th gear is the noisiest, but nothing serious.
It doesn't bother me any.
Oh, and one of them is on a small wheel long wheelbase recumbent, so the hub is much closer to my ears than on a conventional bike. Still not an issue.

Scummer

1-7 is a bit noisier than 8-14. But since on my commute I mostly ride 10-12 the ride is smooth and quiet with the belt drive. I have now close to 3000 miles on the hub. No problems so far and no maintenance done at all. I love that sled.

I'll report back when I hit 6000 next year and have to do an oil change.

GamblerGORD53

The grinder gear tells me I'm going uphill now or I'm in too low a gear on the flats. I can't see the indicator with my setup.
It's just as much a feel as sound I think. It is worse than my SA 5w for sure.
The quiet in the top half makes up for it, puts any derailler POS to shame.
Mine is 46/48 16T, now 10,600 miles bought June 2014, gets better all the time.

The SA 5w is more efficient except for steep uphills of course, with 45 GI.

mkatz

Thanks, all. I feel reassured!

One more question: I read somewhere that if the shifter grip is moved (rotated) with the rear wheel having been removed, when the wheel has been reinstalled one would find that shifting is no longer indexed. Is this really a significant problem? Is it difficult to adjust the shifter cables?

Dan Burkhart 

The indexing is in the hub, not the shifter. If you ensure that the hub is either in first or 14th gear before removing the shift mech, then all you have to do is ensure the shifter is in that position when re installing.
If you forget to do this, you can bail yourself out by turning the shift nut counter clockwise all the way to the stop with a 8mm wrench. This shifts the hub to 14th gear. Turn the shifter all the way to the stop and install the mech.
EDIT: This applies only to the external mech. if you have the internal type, you can just pull on the cable to shift it to the correct position.
If you have less than 14 positions when re assembled, start over.

mkatz

Thank you! It's amazing how much misinformation is out there.