So thanks to the moderators for putting my first reply in so late it makes me look like moron. :-P
WRT to the OP's question: I agree that the problem is probably that the cables are too tight. Backing off both adjustors half a turn or so will probably make a big difference. Of course, the Rohloff is never as quick/positive as a well set-up indexing derailleur, but I find that a half-revolution of "soft" pedaling is enough to allow a positive change, even between seven and eight. I have found, though, that on hot days my hands are sweaty enough that turning the slick rubber shifter can be tough. I eventfully glued some skateboard tape onto the shifter. This looks like hell, but works a treat. HTH, Noel On Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at 6:21:11 PM UTC-7, Steve Cole wrote: > Well, I guess I'll try to explain my situation. I hope others find it of > interest. > > *Background*. For a few years, I've been doing a deep dive on bicycles > and cycling, a source of constant and great enjoyment. For years, I > commuted to work on my 1968 Falcon San Remo, a bike that was my very first > purchase with the first credit card I ever had (credit limit: $200; bike > cost: $195). As part of my deep dive, I had this bike restored. I also > have a 1973 Gitane tandem, also recently restored. When I began my dive, I > purchased > a Kickstarter bamboo bike (see: www.herobike.com; check out the Semester > bike). I found it great in some respects -- it had 650B Col de Vie tires > which made for an extremely comfortable ride. The frame, however, suffered > from shimmy in the front end, which a need-bearing headset did not fix, so, > I started to look for a more satisfying ride. I found it in an A Homer > Hilsen (59cm), which I've been riding with great pleasure. (Tom, we met at > Fletcher's Boat House, when you and the group that Pondero put together > headed up the C&O-- I didn't go along. I admired your Rohloff-converted > Bombadil.) The AHH in addition to replacing the bamboo bike also replaced a > Specialized Rubaix Comp and a Scott city bike. I guess I'm always in > search of the perfect ride. > > When I heard about the Rohloff hub, I thought this might be the key. It > seems like Daniel, I had a fascination with the design, German engineering, > and I had been riding a bike with an 8-speed Shimano Alfine IGH (the > aforementioned Scott). I liked the Shimano a great deal; the only issue > for me was that it did not have sufficient range (I've since sold that > bike) and thought the 14-speed Rohloff would address this. I found a > used Rohloff, purchased it, and set it aside. I wasn't sure what to do > with it; I expected some opportunity would present itself. When it did, I > thought, I could learn how the Rohloff compared to my AHH drivetrain, a > Shimano Deore Riv standard buildup. It has even occurred to me that after > some time riding both bikes, I would settle on one and make it my life's > ride. We'll see. > > I purchased a Simpleone frame (58 cm) off the RBW list a couple of months > ago to have it built up with my Rohloff. I'd seen a similar conversion so > I knew it could be done with some adjustments. A framebuilder did respace > and reset (make them parallel again) the rear dropouts to accommodate the > wider hub (135mm vs 120mm). I then had the bike built up mostly with > components of my choosing -- Paul Cantis, Albatross handlebars, Brooks > Saddle, Nitto stem, seatpost, and racks Shimano bottom bracket, SP dynamo > and the Rohloff drivetrain, importantly with a Berthoud shifter rather than > the standard Rohloff shifter. The shifter choice was mostly aesthetic -- > all of the other components are silver, so I wanted the shifter also to be > silver -- the Rohloff shifter is black. I also had the hub serviced and > added an external gear mechanisms. With the QR axle it came with, the > external gear mechanism would make fixing flats pretty much like other > bikes. > > So, what are my issues? First, I find the shifter, a grip shifter, > incredibly difficult to turn from one gear to the next, up or down. I > don't think I'm stronger or weaker than most riders. Still, if the shifter > were any more difficult to turn, it would come close to seeming frozen. > Second, when I change from almost any gear to the next highest or lowest, > I often, but not always, find that for a revolution or so of the pedals I > feel like I am not in gear. When this happens, if I stop pedaling or pedal > backwards I then can pedal forward in the gear I have chosen. I've read > about the problem with shifting from 7th to 8th gear and don't think this > is what am experiencing. I worry that this isn't safe as I have less > control over the bicycle and cannot depend on being able to do what is > sometimes needed to avoid problems. > > I have never ridden another bike with a Rohloff hub. I have no point of > reference -- I simply don't know what is normal, what to expect. If my > experience is normal, I assume I will become increasingly familiar with the > mechanism and will know what little things I can do in riding it to > optimize performance. I may also look for other changes to address the > shifter issue (e.g., a different shifter). On the other hand, if what I > have described is not normal, I want to know this so I can seek changes to > the drivetrain to make it normal. > > I welcome any and all advice, reactions, etc. I truly want this > experiment to work. I'll close by adding that already it seems to me that > the Simpleone handles at least as well as the AHH, in fact, probably > better. If you have thoughts on this, I'd be interested as well. > > Thanks, > > Steve Cole > Arlington, VA > > p.s. Here's a photo of the Simpleone > > > > > On Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at 5:26:33 PM UTC-4, Steve Cole wrote: >> >> I'm looking for a rider who is experienced with the Rohloff hub to >> respond to some questions I have. I recently converted a Simpleone to a >> Rohloff and have been riding it for about a week, a couple of hundred >> miles. The experience is different than I expected -- more challenging -- >> and I want to see whether my experience is typical or uncommon. >> >> I would those who might help me to respond with a private message. I >> don't want to clutter the discussion group postings. >> >> Thanks, >> >> Steve Cole >> Arlington, VA >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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