Rohloff e-14 oil leak

[sammcneill]

Well things do happen over time. Since my comment of Dec. 21 I have now put 5319km on my SC2. Yesterday after a wonderful commute to town and back in warm temperatures, the first of a late spring, I found a small puddle of oil under the left side. It seemed to be coming from the QR skewer area. Looked at my maintenance listing and it had been a year since my first oil change in June of 21, 2414km of riding. Having an oil change kit I proceeded to do my annual oil change but in this case I am reducing the new oil by 10ml and only putting back 15ml based upon the various options that have been documented. I sure hope this solves the problem and it is not a seal gone bad. Anyone else experiencing similar leakage?

Timely.. I’m considering a custom build for a (non electric) adventure bike & want to go Rohloff. I’d been thinking this week about this thread & the dreaded oil leaks!

Looks like you’re cranking out good distance on your bike too!

 

[JimAndArrow]

Timely.. I’m considering a custom build for a (non electric) adventure bike & want to go Rohloff. I’d been thinking this week about this thread & the dreaded oil leaks!

Looks like you’re cranking out good distance on your bike too!

I went Rohloff on my non-electric adventure bike (Ti 29er built for me by Black Sheep) and it’s been bulletproof. Love, love, love being able to grab multiple gears easily and shift at a stop when crawling around off road.

 

[Kiwibru]

Along with putting less oil back in, it's helpful to let the cleaning fluid drain overnight beforehand.

I let it drain overnight so covered that aspect...no leak yet. Ride tomorrow to thrash it some and see.

 

[Kiwibru]

Well the action taken seems to have solved the problem. No more leakage. Less oil when flushing and refilling.

 

[Jay Kay]

Let us know if you notice an increase in noise coming from your hub. That is what the extra oil is supposed to be for. With an oil change due, I’m interested in the answer.

 

[Kiwibru]

I was thinking about that potential noise when I was riding yesterday and the hub actually seemed quieter than before. Weird. Going to have to keep listening.

 

[sammcneill]

Timely.. I’m considering a custom build for a (non electric) adventure bike & want to go Rohloff. I’d been thinking this week about this thread & the dreaded oil leaks!

Looks like you’re cranking out good distance on your bike too!

Sharing some photos of my new Rohloff powered custom build.

Fingers crossed no dreaded oil leaks!

 

[Kiwibru]

Nice looking build. Enjoy!

 

[sammcneill]

Nice looking build. Enjoy!

Thanks mate! I ended up getting it built in Sydney, Australia (I live in NZ) as there was no size 54cm frame, so I need to wait until next month when my sister is coming home for a bit to bring the bike home with her.

Seeing how great it is I just want to ride it - will need to learn some patience!

 

[Kiwibru]

Wow, I guess. Just having the photos and no bike would tax my patience. Hope you don't have to wait too long.

 

[sammcneill]

Wow, I guess. Just having the photos and no bike would tax my patience. Hope you don't have to wait too long.

Two LBS told me that the supplier had said 6-9months to get new 54cm Frame in from the Soma Factory. Getting it built in Sydney was quite a time saver.

Should have it in my hands late Sept.

 

[sammcneill]

Fingers crossed no dreaded oil leaks!

well.... bugger.
Took my standard Rohloff speed hub powered gravel bike in for servicing today after some big bikepacking adventures - the rear brake was a bit soft.
Feedback - the Rohloff has been leaking more than expected and covered the rear brake rotor, causing the softness in braking
Solution - ship the wheel to Wellington for servicing - gah! Hoping it's going to be covered under warranty given it's less than 12months old (I registered the Rohloff hub on the rohloff.de website when I got it thankfully) but it's still $120 shipping I have to foot the bill for at a minimum plus LBS costs.

not. that. happy.

 

[dblhelix]

well.... bugger.
Took my standard Rohloff speed hub powered gravel bike in for servicing today after some big bikepacking adventures - the rear brake was a bit soft.
Feedback - the Rohloff has been leaking more than expected and covered the rear brake rotor, causing the softness in braking
Solution - ship the wheel to Wellington for servicing - gah! Hoping it's going to be covered under warranty given it's less than 12months old (I registered the Rohloff hub on the rohloff.de website when I got it thankfully) but it's still $120 shipping I have to foot the bill for at a minimum plus LBS costs.

not. that. happy.

Yes.

First, the "little to no maintenance" claim is bunk. Replacing the seals should be easy, but they took the tools/seals out of the end-user catalog and made them "dealer-only."

 

[sammcneill]

Yes.

First, the "little to no maintenance" claim is bunk. Replacing the seals should be easy, but they took the tools/seals out of the end-user catalog and made them "dealer-only."

Well the Rohloff was still working fine in my estimation, but I took it for. service because of the softeness in the rear brake - that was the trigger for the rohloff oil discovery.

Frustrating, but will see if Rohloff do the right thing by me and repair it.

 

[peterh_nz]

Well the Rohloff was still working fine in my estimation, but I took it for. service because of the softeness in the rear brake - that was the trigger for the rohloff oil discovery.

Same as what happened with my E14. The RM LBS covered all associated costs, gave me a loaner bike and the Rohloff was resealed (LHS) in Wellington under warranty.

Has your hub had an oil change? If so, what colour was the used oil?

Good luck with the fix.

 

[sammcneill]

No oil change, it's got about 2800km on it and is 9 months old.
Great service from the LBS - they have an R&M Load in there at the moment that I saw on Saturday (getting a replacement ABUS key) and my parents are going to check it out tomorrow as a potential transporter for their dog!

 

[dblhelix]

Well the Rohloff was still working fine in my estimation, but I took it for. service because of the softeness in the rear brake - that was the trigger for the rohloff oil discovery.

Frustrating, but will see if Rohloff do the right thing by me and repair it.

I probably was not clear. My opinion is that seal service is a regular maintenance item. It used to be something you could do in your garage. At the two year mark, you'll have to start paying for both wheel shipping and seal replacement.

 

[dblhelix]

I probably was not clear. My opinion is that seal service is a regular maintenance item. It used to be something you could do in your garage. At the two year mark, you'll have to start paying for both wheel shipping and seal replacement.

Replacing Rohloff Hub Oil Seals…

The Rohloff IGH in my Surly Big Dummy has been leaking oil for a while. This doesn’t really matter a whole lot as the Rohloff continued to work just fine, but I knew it was something I should…

thelazyrando.wordpress.com

Tools/seals mentioned are no longer for sale to end user, only the paper gaskets.

 

[sammcneill]

I probably was not clear. My opinion is that seal service is a regular maintenance item. It used to be something you could do in your garage. At the two year mark, you'll have to start paying for both wheel shipping and seal replacement.

yeah that does suck - hoping seals have a reasonable life span!

 

[Ofarrell]

Im considering an ebike with an e-14. I was getting pretty hyped about it till reading some of these threads .. Most issues here seem to be with R&M or is that just coincidence? Im looking at a different brand. Was there ever any official fix? I wouldnt be able to go weeks without my bike. Im also in Canada so Im expecting the service side of things to be a little worse.