That's what finally prompted me to get one, Tim. As I said, I'm a true believer and have been since the first speedhub was released, but could never convince myself to get one until they came out with the XL Unlike most people, the thing that always kept me away was the grip shifter. I still hate it, and in fact a snow bike- which is used with thick gloves and/or sweaty wet hands - is the worst possible place for a grip shift. But, for this use, the other benefits finally outweighed that argument. I'm using a Whipperman chain too, but have had good luck so far. Maybe being a fixed length and not shifting helps with wear.
<https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pLlr1fat_gc/VjeU2GysFRI/AAAAAAAAAKo/r6slbBcQZao/s1600/rohloff%2Bfathub01.jpg> <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J1uWHwTK4LQ/VjeU94bb5DI/AAAAAAAAAKw/7Z0_i7IFwNQ/s1600/rohloff%2Bfathub02.jpg> That being said, the shifter isn't "so" bad for summer use on a flat bar. You learn to live with it. All the other normal Rohloff gripes don't bother me at all. Yes, it distributes weight more to the rear than ideal, but you hardly notice when you're actually moving. I can even still bunny hop well enough. Yes, you do have to let up on the pedal stroke between some shifts but, in that sense it's sort of like with a... wait for it... derailleur. Except that it's actually superior because you can pause in the middle of a steep climb - even to the point of nearly doing a track stand, shift down multiple gears at once, and then simply start pedaling again but in a lower gear.. All of which takes microseconds. A derailleur actually requires some amount of pedal stroke before the shift actually takes place. And that's the best thing about it to me, and something I've never heard anyone else articulate: You know how, when trigger shifters were first introduced, *everybody* would argue how much better they were than thumb shifters by saying "I shift so much more often now"? As if there's some universal acceptance that this is somehow better? Well, I actually find myself shifting a lot LESS with the Rohloff, because I know I can always shift whenever I want, if I get in trouble. I don't have to anticipate a climb and downshift before hand, and I can always "'try" to clean something in a higher gear. If I bog down, ANY lower gear is always right there, without needing a partial pedal stroke to gain it. So much more relaxing, and so much more fun. That's why I keep daydreaming about modifying my Quickbeam. Incidentally, this is the OEM 1 plate. See that long tab that engages the extended-length dropout, vertically below the axle? I still don't know why that couldn't be rotated horizontal and used to work with the extremely long dropout slot on the QB / SO. It could even go forward of or behind the axle, based on chainstay length preference. Unlike the torque arm method, this would allow you to route cables under the bottom bracket and along the chainstay, too. On Monday, November 2, 2015 at 7:15:14 AM UTC-7, Tim Gavin wrote: > > Personally, I'm tempted by a Rohloff for winter use. I've had lots or > trouble with derailleur drivetrains with ice and snow. > > My dream build: > Titanium frame > 4-5" fat tires > Rohloff hub > Enclosed chain case, or Gates belt drive > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
