Rohloff or not?

[Cybersnow]

My wife and I plan on riding down the Oregon coast this fall. We have 2 older Zen E Bikes with spare batteries. The bikes have Gates Belts and Rohloff rear axles. So far we have had little trouble with the bikes but I am worried about a 350 mile trip with no breakdowns. Recently I had some work done on the bike and none of the bike shops that I tried in Boise Idaho had the tools or the knowledge to make any repairs on the system. My fear is that most of the towns along our route are rather small and probably not equipped to resolve any problems associated with the Rohloff and Gates. Would it make more sense to convert the bikes back to a derailed and chain setup? Or just purchase different e-bikes?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Alaskan, a long time Forum member (deceased) was so infuriated with Rohloff on his e-bikes he converted all of them to chain and derailleur. Just saying as I have had no personal experience with Rohloff.
David Berry was riding a Rohloff e-bike and had a chain/derailleur e-bike as a backup. He told us two famous stories. One of them was breaking the belt at some 10k miles. The other was the loss of wireless connection on his R-14. The only guy in Brisbane, Australia who could fix the thing was stuck in Vietnam for 4 months because of the pandemic...

A friend of mine rides a belt e-bike (not Rohloff). She does not carry the tools to remove the rear wheel, and none of us knows how to handle the rear wheel in the case of puncture. Fortunately for her, all her rides are only as far from her home as she can count on her big family to rescue her with their cars

 

[Gionnirocket]

We have very similar bikes with the difference being mine is chain driven and has rear suspension. Other than the initial improper installation issues from Zen, which I fixed myself, my Rohloff has been flawless for over 7000mi now. I will never go back to to a derailleur...and have just under 6000mi on a KMC E8 Chain that still measures under 0.75 stretch
Not sure how handy you are but it's really not hard to work on and there are many professional videos from Rohloff themselves. Other than the internal gears failing, you can do most other repairs easily.
I know you had an issue in the past with it..... What ended up being the problem?
Have you contacted Zen as they might have your rear wheel/derailleur setup for and easy swap.
That said.... buying a second bike is never a bad idea

 

[Cybersnow]

Other than the annual oil change the Rohloff has been pretty maintenance free. How ever when I wanted to change the gears on the belt I found myself in a real pickle. I ended up hauling the bike to a shop almost. 200 miles away and thank goodness I haven’t had a flat on the rear tire…yet. As for Zen, I haven’t talked to them after they said the only way to fix everything was to buy their latest bike.

 

[stompandgo]

Roll with them and enjoy the ride. Be mentally prepared to call AAA and know the shops along the route. Worst case, you get rescued, and rent a truck and a trailer.

Gates belts usually break when they are out of alignment or something like a piece of granite gets caught between the sprocket and the belt. The Rohloff, when maintained, is a solid system.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Other than the annual oil change the Rohloff has been pretty maintenance free. How ever when I wanted to change the gears on the belt I found myself in a real pickle. I ended up hauling the bike to a shop almost. 200 miles away and thank goodness I haven’t had a flat on the rear tire…yet. As for Zen, I haven’t talked to them after they said the only way to fix everything was to buy their latest bike.

Though the belt is supposed to be superior... maybe split the difference and switch to a chain for something you are more familiar with . Like I mentioned earlier the E8 chain seems indestructible. I apply Boeshield T9 every 300mi.
I did get a flat in the rear when I first got the bike about 6 miles from home. I just leaned forward to move as much weight as possible over the front wheel and throttled all the way. Ended up being a long rusted nail. No damage to the rim or tire. I did have everything to change the tube but it was late on a very humid/hot day and didn't want to try it drowning in sweat.
IMO... 350 mile ride for the rohloff is a walk in the park

 

[Cybersnow]

If I take away the belt and replace it with a chain, what size gears do I put on? Also should I invest in those foam inserts that are supposed to prevent flats? Currently using slime.

 

[gromike]

What's the difficulty in replacing the belt?

 

[Gionnirocket]

If I take away the belt and replace it with a chain, what size gears do I put on?

Well that's somewhat of a personal need/decision.
In my case it came with default Bafang 40t chainring and the default 16t Rohloff sprocket. The 40t didn't give me enough speed and way too much on the low gear end. I then tried a 46t and and shortly after a 44t. The 44t is perfect for my needs and I like the way it feels still leaning towards the low end but I very rarely need to use gear 14. My most used gears are 11,10,9,12, in that order. And then 4,5,6 for some very steep hills in my area. 1st and 2nd will still climb a tree and used off road for steep, rocky climbs. Chainrings are easy to change out and you can buy cheap ones to experiment with before investing in a better quality one. That said I'm still using a $6 experimental 44t one from Aliexpress. It's been silent with no issues what so ever and has the same near 6000mi on it as I changed it at the same time as the chain. I do have a new factory Bafang 44t in reserve but I see no reason to fix what ain't broke.

Also should I invest in those foam inserts that are supposed to prevent flats? Currently using slime.

No experience with Tannus inserts but from what I understand they do work.. albeit at the cost of a little harsher ride. I've heard that they're also a bit of a wrestling match to install. Maybe @6zfshdb can chime in as I believe he has some experience with them.
I switched from Slime to FlatOut about 2 years/7000mi ago and so far no flats. But I can't say if it's the sealant or just luck as I haven't removed a tire from the rim yet. I do think that the FlatOut is a better product.

 

[PCeBiker]

What's the difficulty in replacing the belt?

Belts don't have a master link so the chainstay needs to come apart to remove and install the belt.

 

[Aushiker]

Rohloffs are known in the touring world for their robust reliability; people tour for months, if not years, on them and without any issues of note. Personally, I would not be concerned about my Rohloff and a 350-mile jaunt. I have an 800 km jaunt coming up in July. The Rohloff, other than carrying a spare belt 'just in case' is not on my list of things to be concerned bout.

Just one suggestion: Spray the belt with silicone. Great for eliminating any squeaks.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ is a good touring forum for Rohloff advice. Very old school UI, but.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Belts don't have a master link so the chainstay needs to come apart to remove and install the belt.

There is a company that does make one with a so called "master link" I think v something or other, the name escapes me at the moment. It's a little limited in what sizes and applications are available.
From what I understand belts can be a little finicky if you don't set the tension correctly. But I'm sure once you get passed the learning curve it's no biggie

 

[Aushiker]

There is a company that does make one with a so called "master link" I think v something or other, the name escapes me at the moment. It's a little limited in what sizes and applications are available.
From what I understand belts can be a little finicky if you don't set the tension correctly. But I'm sure once you get passed the learning curve it's no biggie

Gates have a app that assists with setting the tension. No idea as to its effectiveness as I have not had to use it yet.

 

[PCeBiker]

I don't know much about it, but I had a girlfriend in the late 90's who's father worked at the Gates belt factory here in Southwestern Ontario.

He told me that Gates either "invented" or "established" the ISO standardization for belts to make sure that every belt that left the factory was Exactly to spec.

 

[PCeBiker]

From what I understand belts can be a little finicky if you don't set the tension correctly.

The belt on the alternator on my now deceased car would Scream like a Banshee if it was too loose, and if it was too tight the alternator bearing would do the Screaming after about 1000 km.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Gates have a app that assists with setting the tension. No idea as to its effectiveness as I have not had to use it yet.

I believe it needs to produce an F♯ when plucked

I don't know much about it, but I had a girlfriend in the late 90's who's father worked at the Gates belt factory here in Southwestern Ontario.

He told me that Gates either "invented" or "established" the ISO standardization for belts to make sure that every belt that left the factory was Exactly to spec.

Did you try spanking her with one to see if it met specifications

 

[PCeBiker]

Did you try spanking her with one to see if it met specifications View attachment 207959

Yes, but we didn't tell her dad about it.

Adjusting the belt tension was a PITA because there wasn't enough room to fit a deflection gage in there, and you couldn't see a ruler without a dental mirror.

The best and easiest way to check the tension was to reach in and twist the belt sideways.
If you couldn't turn the belt 90° it was too tight.
If you could turn the belt upside-down 180° then it was too loose.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

How do you remove the rear wheel for the flat repair?

 

[PCeBiker]

All this Rohloff talk, now I want one.

I could put my hub drive on the front with the Rohloff on the back connected to my BBS02B?

Sounds like a new project for me.

 

[Aushiker]

How do you remove the rear wheel for the flat repair?

In my case the same as with a chain execept that I have to disconnect the cables to the electronic shifter.