Rohloff Speedhub and 20 Inch Wheels

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Shrubs Don't Bounce

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"Jeff Grippe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Does anyone know if the Rohloff 14 speed internal hub can be built into a
> 20 inch wheel?

Yes, it definitely can be. I have ridden a Greenspeed trike equipped with
the Rohloff hub (406mm/20" rear wheel). I didn't care for it much. Not
sure what the benefit really is, since it is very heavy, very expensive, and
adds significant drag to the drivetrain.

OTOH: If your main goal is low maintenance and weatherproof durability, the
Rohloff hub might be a decent choice.

Just my $.02 worth.

SDB
 
Does anyone know if the Rohloff 14 speed internal hub can be built into a 20
inch wheel?

also

If you are using this hub and have chainrings in the front are there size
limitations on what size chainrings you can use?

Thanks for the help.

Jeff
 
Jeff Grippe wrote:
> Does anyone know if the Rohloff 14 speed internal hub can be built into a 20
> inch wheel?
>
> also
>
> If you are using this hub and have chainrings in the front are there size
> limitations on what size chainrings you can use?
>
> Thanks for the help.
>
> Jeff
>
>
Is the Greenspeed which uses Rohloff not 20 inch wheels?

B
 
On Tue, 5 Oct 2004 12:48:27 -0400, "Jeff Grippe" <[email protected]>
wrote in message <[email protected]>:

>Does anyone know if the Rohloff 14 speed internal hub can be built into a 20
>inch wheel?

Absolutely. Saw one last week. It was close to the limit for
sensible spoke angles though - I saw a 20" wheel with an electric
motor hub built into it, God knows how they got that together, the
spokes were only a couple of inches long!

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University
 
I think I would use it for the same purpose that Greenspeed does. I agree it
is expensive but in combination with 24/34/44 chainrings I should be able to
get a nice range of both high and low gears. The weight doesn't bother me
and I like the ability to downshift while not moving.

Is there a limit to the tension that you can put it under?

If you find yourself in the middle of a steep hill can you just downshit
even while there is a great deal of force on the pedals?

Thanks

"Shrubs Don't Bounce" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:LeA8d.335737$Fg5.286565@attbi_s53...
> "Jeff Grippe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Does anyone know if the Rohloff 14 speed internal hub can be built into a
>> 20 inch wheel?
>
> Yes, it definitely can be. I have ridden a Greenspeed trike equipped with
> the Rohloff hub (406mm/20" rear wheel). I didn't care for it much. Not
> sure what the benefit really is, since it is very heavy, very expensive,
> and adds significant drag to the drivetrain.
>
> OTOH: If your main goal is low maintenance and weatherproof durability,
> the Rohloff hub might be a decent choice.
>
> Just my $.02 worth.
>
> SDB
>
 
On Tue, 5 Oct 2004 12:48:27 -0400, "Jeff Grippe" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Does anyone know if the Rohloff 14 speed internal hub can be built into a 20
>inch wheel?
>
Yep, a few even found their way into 16" wheels (Brompton and Birdy).
>
>If you are using this hub and have chainrings in the front are there size
>limitations on what size chainrings you can use?
>
http://www.rohloff.de/produkte/speedhub/kettenuebersetzung/entfaltungstabelle.de.pdf

Since you're only limited in how low a gear you can use (with the same
limitations for all size wheels) you can actually get a lower gear
with 20". And if you can place the chain tensioner someplace else, no
more chain hanging inches from the ground! (I put a custom single-arm
tensioner under my seat).

I have been using a Rohloff for about 50.000 to 60.00 km, and would
under no circumstance revert to deraileurs.
I can now shift gears in every circumstance, with blinding speed, can
buy cheap chains (a great saving with extra-long chains) and have
probably saved most of the price differance re. a deraileur setup on
maintenance and cassettes and chainrings.
I'd strongly recommend going for the version with external gear mech:
the "plain" version works best with standard DF frames.

Mark van Gorkom.
 
Mark van Gorkom wrote:

> On Tue, 5 Oct 2004 12:48:27 -0400, "Jeff Grippe" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>
>>Does anyone know if the Rohloff 14 speed internal hub can be built into a 20
>>inch wheel?
>>
>
> Yep, a few even found their way into 16" wheels (Brompton and Birdy).
>
>>If you are using this hub and have chainrings in the front are there size
>>limitations on what size chainrings you can use?
>>
>
> http://www.rohloff.de/produkte/speedhub/kettenuebersetzung/entfaltungstabelle.de.pdf
>
> Since you're only limited in how low a gear you can use (with the same
> limitations for all size wheels) you can actually get a lower gear
> with 20". And if you can place the chain tensioner someplace else, no
> more chain hanging inches from the ground! (I put a custom single-arm
> tensioner under my seat)....

With a single chainring (Schlumpf BB for wider gearing) the idler could
possibly eliminated if the bike has horizontal dropouts or an eccentric
BB. On some bikes, even this may not be necessary if one is lucky,
especially since "half-links" [1] are now available.

[1] <http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/chains.html>

--
Tom Sherman - Curmudgeon and Pedant
 
"Jeff Grippe" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I think I would use it for the same purpose that Greenspeed does. I agree it
> is expensive but in combination with 24/34/44 chainrings I should be able to
> get a nice range of both high and low gears. The weight doesn't bother me
> and I like the ability to downshift while not moving.
>
> Is there a limit to the tension that you can put it under?
>
> If you find yourself in the middle of a steep hill can you just downshit
> even while there is a great deal of force on the pedals?
>
> Thanks
>

I'd consult with Zach Kaplan- he's worked with Rohloff hubs for as
long as they've been available in the U.S. and he's got a couple
trikes under his belt at any one time.

I think you're pushing the limit of a Rohloff hub with a 24-tooth
chainring. Besides, that combination only yields a 67 inch high gear
with a 6.9 inch low- what are you doing, towing trucks? (I plugged a
couple numbers in
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/internal.html , in case you're
wondering.)

There's a little about the Greenspeed/Rohloff combination at
http://www.greenspeed.com.au/newsletter2.htm

The Rohloff site lists the minimum ratio of 2.35 (chainring/sprocket).
That means the lowest you could run would be 40/17, 38/16, 36/15 or
32/13.

Jeff
 
>>
>> Since you're only limited in how low a gear you can use (with the same
>> limitations for all size wheels) you can actually get a lower gear
>> with 20". And if you can place the chain tensioner someplace else, no
>> more chain hanging inches from the ground! (I put a custom single-arm
>> tensioner under my seat)....
>
>With a single chainring (Schlumpf BB for wider gearing) the idler could
>possibly eliminated if the bike has horizontal dropouts or an eccentric
>BB. On some bikes, even this may not be necessary if one is lucky,
>especially since "half-links" [1] are now available.
>
I tried that on a Baron, but found that on a long chain the stretch is
such that you have to re-adjust the chain every few hunderd km's.
I finally got fed up with fiddling with the boom and taking links out,
so fitted a tensioner. Horizontal dropouts would be best, or a much
shorter chain: I had no problems with a Jouta FWD trike with Nexus
7-speed.

Mark van Gorkom.
 
Mark van Gorkom <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> I tried that on a Baron, but found that on a long chain the stretch is
> such that you have to re-adjust the chain every few hunderd km's.
> I finally got fed up with fiddling with the boom and taking links out,
> so fitted a tensioner. Horizontal dropouts would be best, or a much
> shorter chain: I had no problems with a Jouta FWD trike with Nexus
> 7-speed.
>
> Mark van Gorkom.

How about NO CHAIN?!?! Anybody tried this with a BELT? 14 speeds and
no chain to clean!! IIRC there is less power loss in a belt than a
chain... Am I off in the bozone again? dale
 
dalev wrote:

> How about NO CHAIN?!?! Anybody tried this with a BELT? 14 speeds and
> no chain to clean!! IIRC there is less power loss in a belt than a
> chain... Am I off in the bozone again? dale

How would you switch gears?
 
John Smith wrote:

> dalev wrote:
>
>> How about NO CHAIN?!?! Anybody tried this with a BELT? 14 speeds and
>> no chain to clean!! IIRC there is less power loss in a belt than a
>> chain... Am I off in the bozone again? dale
>
>
> How would you switch gears?

An internally geared hub and/or internally geared bottom bracket could
be used with a belt drive.

--
Tom Sherman - Curmudgeon and Pedant
 
dalev wrote:

> How about NO CHAIN?!?! Anybody tried this with a BELT? 14 speeds and
> no chain to clean!! IIRC there is less power loss in a belt than a
> chain... Am I off in the bozone again? dale

One iteration of Izzy Urieli's Grasshopper series did this, using a
Sturmey-Archer 5 speed hub.

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================
 
Jeff Wills said:
"Jeff Grippe" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I think I would use it for the same purpose that Greenspeed does. I agree it
> is expensive but in combination with 24/34/44 chainrings I should be able to
> get a nice range of both high and low gears. The weight doesn't bother me
> and I like the ability to downshift while not moving.
>
> Is there a limit to the tension that you can put it under?
>
> If you find yourself in the middle of a steep hill can you just downshit
> even while there is a great deal of force on the pedals?
>
> Thanks
>

I'd consult with Zach Kaplan- he's worked with Rohloff hubs for as
long as they've been available in the U.S. and he's got a couple
trikes under his belt at any one time.

I think you're pushing the limit of a Rohloff hub with a 24-tooth
chainring. Besides, that combination only yields a 67 inch high gear
with a 6.9 inch low- what are you doing, towing trucks? (I plugged a
couple numbers in
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/internal.html , in case you're
wondering.)

There's a little about the Greenspeed/Rohloff combination at
http://www.greenspeed.com.au/newsletter2.htm

The Rohloff site lists the minimum ratio of 2.35 (chainring/sprocket).
That means the lowest you could run would be 40/17, 38/16, 36/15 or
32/13.

Jeff
Click to expand...

Rohloff doesn’t have much of a step-up in it’s ratios, it’s big on gear reduction, so on 20” tires without a middrive you’d virtually need go offroad like the 20” Mountain Quad benefit from that hub.

Might also consider less expensive alternative such as an SRAM S7-Schlumpf combo.
One of those manufactures (I think it is Schlumpf) on there website discusses the combo. There is at least one folding bike maker in Europ using a Schlumpf high speed drive with S7 and belt drive.

If you're keeping the triple rings, might consider a dual drive, the rder will take the slack on the triple rings and sprockets. Or Schlumpf with double rings and rder-you get a pretty good ability to shift from the Schlumpf when stopped.



BTW: Has anyone ever turned the hub around 180 degrees using the Rohloff as a middrive to get a big stepup in ratios?

Jeff: 32/13? Is there a 13 compatible with the Rohloff or does that mean machining your own splines? Can anything smaller than 13 fit?
 
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