E-14 Rohloff Newbie Questions

[Silo1231]

Hi, I'm the proud new owner of a R&M Supercharger GX Rohloff with E14 shifting. I went off roading and noticed a few things.

1. When going up a 10% incline in 6th gear, the gears started to slip. I was putting very strong load on the gears. With a regular bike, either I would get up the hill, or the bike would stop b/c gear was too high. Is it normal for the Rohloff gears to slip? I know I could remedy this problem by switching to a lower gear, but I'm surprised if the Rohloff couldn't handle what my regular bike could.

2. I also noticed when going up a steep hill in first gear, I would hear a creaking sound, is that normal? Seems to be coming from the gears. I don't hear the sound when riding on the flats.

3. Finally, I've used my bike for commuting (60 miles round trip), my thumb hurts from all the shifting? Has anyone found a solution? I read other threads where riders have complained about the shifting button (quality and placement).

Thanks!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Rohloffs will make some noises. Many of them are somewhat reduced by breaking in the hub.

I've noticed that under extremely high torque situations Rohloffs tend to slip, though usually that is associated with shifting gears which obviously isn't your problem. I'd suggest getting the hub checked out by a bike shop that knows what a Rohloff is.

 

[Silo1231]

Rohloffs will make some noises. Many of them are somewhat reduced by breaking in the hub.

I've noticed that under extremely high torque situations Rohloffs tend to slip, though usually that is associated with shifting gears which obviously isn't your problem. I'd suggest getting the hub checked out by a bike shop that knows what a Rohloff is.

Thank you Mr. Coffee.

 

[Alaskan]

The only time I have experienced slipping with a Rohloff is when I had my hand on the manual shifter and was actually interfering with the gears settling in and being fully engaged. With the e14 I have not had that problem. It sounds like there might be some minor adjustment called for on the e-14 mec although I do not know if that is even possible.

About the creaking sound, I would try to tighten up the rear axle as the most likely suspect. My Delight Mountain was creaking up a storm on heavy pedaling. Simply taking another half turn and tightening the quick release axle silenced the creaking.

My Homage came with the E14 thumb pad right next to the grip and then the brake to the inside of the shifter. I changed that around so that the brake was first item to the left of the grip and then the shift to the left of that. This put the shifter in a position for a more relaxed and natural reach for my right thumb instead of having to tuck in my thumb to reach in close to the grip. This helped me quite a bit in thumb comfort.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[Silo1231]

The only time I have experienced slipping with a Rohloff is when I had my hand on the manual shifter and was actually interfering with the gears settling in and being fully engaged. With the e14 I have not had that problem. It sounds like there might be some minor adjustment called for on the e-14 mec although I do not know if that is even possible.

About the creaking sound, I would try to tighten up the rear axle as the most likely suspect. My Delight Mountain was creaking up a storm on heavy pedaling. Simply taking another half turn and tightening the quick release axle silenced the creaking.

My Homage came with the E14 thumb pad right next to the grip and then the brake to the inside of the shifter. I changed that around so that the brake was first item to the left of the grip and then the shift to the left of that. This put the shifter in a position for a more relaxed and natural reach for my right thumb instead of having to tuck in my thumb to reach in close to the grip. This helped me quite a bit in thumb comfort.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

As usual, amazing feedback. Thanks Alaskan. I am due for my 500 mile tune up at Propel, will have them take a look at possibly making an adjustment to the gears and rear axle.