Rohloff Speedhub - new products - Product/Service Evaluation

A German-made fourteen-speed all-internal gear hub for bikes. Most bike hubs use cogs. In theory you take a bit of an efficiency hit by using gears instead of cogs, but it turns that most bikes' chains are not properly maintained nor in perfect alignment--which lowers their efficiency in practice. Thus the all-internal hub which always has perfect chain alignment and only requires a one-oz, oil change a year in maintenance ends up being more efficient. You can also shift the full rage of gears while standing still or with pressure on the pedals. You also avoid the usual derailment, fragility, and chainsuck issues of a normal transmission (this is why many professional downhill riders are switching to them). It weighs a bit more than all the components it replaces in a traditional bike tranny but gives the bike an overall cleaner look. Also, since normal bike gears overlap their range this hub's fourteen speeds are equivalent to twenty-seven or more speeds of the traditional derailleur tranny. I have been riding mine now for a while and would never go back.

SPEEDHUB 500/14 CC
Red powder coated (Item No. 8010)
$890
Harris Cyclery
www.sheldon
/harris/rohloff.html
617/244-9772

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The newest: the world's longest mountain bike trail, runs 2,500 miles along the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. For that kind of amazingly rugged off-the-road trip (which only a few have completed in full), their maps (waterproof) and guides are essential

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