Alaskan
Well-Known Member
My Riese & Muller Homage Rohloff HS arrived late on July 6. As of yesterday, July 14, I have ridden 235 miles on it. I was very tempted to wait till the new model came out in hopes of getting the E-14 electronic shift system but chose to go for it now for a number of reasons, mostly financial.
This bike is so smooth on the road. The full suspension with the air pressure and rebound set properly erases most of the road defects, I can see the bumps and ruts but rarely feel them. This silky smooth ride camouflages what is actually a very lively and agile bike. Great, solid steering, surprisingly strong performance and huge gear range make this a super capable urban/touring bike.
I was a bit apprehensive about shifting the Rohloff as I had heard about the need to really back off on the crank when shifting. Thanks to Mr. Coffee, I had already learned that shifting while the crank is at 12/6 oc'clock makes it easier as there is no torque on the crank in this position. Shifting gears on hills, either up or down is not a problem with just a little bit of anticipation. At this point I am not sure I would even want the E-14 on my bike. It would add another $500 to the cost of the bike. Also the prospect of not being able to shift gears in the event of an electrical failure or dead battery is a major negative. The Rohloff was noisy at first but has already quieted down nicely.
Our Nevo Nuvinci GH has the 27.5x2.4" Super Moto Gx tires which I really like. The Homage has the thinner 28x2 Big Ben which has very similar tread. I thought I would want to go for the larger tire. However, the full suspension makes that unnecessary and the better rolling resistance of the thinner tire works well.
The Rohloff matches up superbly with the HS Bosch motor. I can climb a 14% grade in 2nd gear at 7mph in Sport mode and 3rd gear in Turbo at 9mph, I have yet to encounter a hill that requires 1st gear. I can climb an 8% grade at 20 mph in 9th gear at a cadence of 85. Going on a flat in 12th gear with a cadence of 80 gives me 24 mph and going down hill at 35mph in 14th gear gives me a cadence of 90. Doing these speeds comes at the cost of range, which brings me to the subject of batteries.
The new Homage uses the longer power tube battery, which is too long to fit in a trunk bag. I am glad I have the "old Homage" as I can easily carry along an extra battery in my trunk bag. This bike, using the high speed Bosch system really needs two batteries if you are going to utilize the higher speed it makes possible and go any substantial distance. We have two other bikes that both have the Bosch CX system with the older style batteries so the new power tubes are not at all attractive to me. Being able to interchange batteries and double up when needed is key.
The one thing I do covet on the new model is the integration of the Gates Carbon Belt Drive. I am going to look into the possibility of retro-fitting my bike with the Gate belt. It appears that I would need to buy the new idler and chain stays that R&M has put on the new model as well as the front and rear sprockets.
I have already racked up 450 miles in July thus far. I am really having a ton of fun with this bike. My car is sitting there dusty and neglected.
This bike is so smooth on the road. The full suspension with the air pressure and rebound set properly erases most of the road defects, I can see the bumps and ruts but rarely feel them. This silky smooth ride camouflages what is actually a very lively and agile bike. Great, solid steering, surprisingly strong performance and huge gear range make this a super capable urban/touring bike.
I was a bit apprehensive about shifting the Rohloff as I had heard about the need to really back off on the crank when shifting. Thanks to Mr. Coffee, I had already learned that shifting while the crank is at 12/6 oc'clock makes it easier as there is no torque on the crank in this position. Shifting gears on hills, either up or down is not a problem with just a little bit of anticipation. At this point I am not sure I would even want the E-14 on my bike. It would add another $500 to the cost of the bike. Also the prospect of not being able to shift gears in the event of an electrical failure or dead battery is a major negative. The Rohloff was noisy at first but has already quieted down nicely.
Our Nevo Nuvinci GH has the 27.5x2.4" Super Moto Gx tires which I really like. The Homage has the thinner 28x2 Big Ben which has very similar tread. I thought I would want to go for the larger tire. However, the full suspension makes that unnecessary and the better rolling resistance of the thinner tire works well.
The Rohloff matches up superbly with the HS Bosch motor. I can climb a 14% grade in 2nd gear at 7mph in Sport mode and 3rd gear in Turbo at 9mph, I have yet to encounter a hill that requires 1st gear. I can climb an 8% grade at 20 mph in 9th gear at a cadence of 85. Going on a flat in 12th gear with a cadence of 80 gives me 24 mph and going down hill at 35mph in 14th gear gives me a cadence of 90. Doing these speeds comes at the cost of range, which brings me to the subject of batteries.
The new Homage uses the longer power tube battery, which is too long to fit in a trunk bag. I am glad I have the "old Homage" as I can easily carry along an extra battery in my trunk bag. This bike, using the high speed Bosch system really needs two batteries if you are going to utilize the higher speed it makes possible and go any substantial distance. We have two other bikes that both have the Bosch CX system with the older style batteries so the new power tubes are not at all attractive to me. Being able to interchange batteries and double up when needed is key.
The one thing I do covet on the new model is the integration of the Gates Carbon Belt Drive. I am going to look into the possibility of retro-fitting my bike with the Gate belt. It appears that I would need to buy the new idler and chain stays that R&M has put on the new model as well as the front and rear sprockets.
I have already racked up 450 miles in July thus far. I am really having a ton of fun with this bike. My car is sitting there dusty and neglected.
