My husband Jacinto detests bike maintenance of any sort. That was his reason for going to an IGH. He went to a Semi-local builder, Dean Bikes in Boulder, CO. At the time we knew nothing about IGH's and went with the shop's advice. That was a Shimano Alfine 11 hub. The main attraction there is that the Alfine is compatible with electronic shifting and the Rohloff is not. 

Jacinto prefers to pedal standing up. at least 75-80% of his riding time is standing up.  I did internet research AFTER the purchase and discovered that Alfine does not do well with torque . . . 

Jacinto had nothing but trouble with the Alfine. He made several 6 hour round trip drives to Boulder trying to resolve the issue. While Dean claimed they were working on the bike and test riding it, Jacinto sincerely doubted that as the last time he picked the bike up the seat had dust on it and the rear tire was significantly under inflated. Then Dean said the hub was out of warranty and "too bad".  

The bike sat neglected in the corner for several years. Then a local mechanic said he liked a challenge and to bring him the bike. Anthony was able to have the hub replaced under warranty (!) and the second hub worked just fine. Take that, Dean!

That's a long background story on an option to Rohloff. 

Jacinto's next bike was a Rodriguez Bike with a Rohloff. He misses the electronic shifting, but the Rohloff has wider gearing and has never given him a bit of trouble.

Both bikes have belt drive as Jacinto doesn't like to clean chains . . . 

One plus that Jacinto has mentioned several times is how quiet a belt drive is. My reply was that he should lube his chain and it would be quiet! But Jacinto insists that even a quiet chain makes a little noise, a belt is silent. He doesn't usually comment about small niceties like that, so it's worth noting.

Next up is a Pinion drive - just because he'd like to try that one also . . . 

Very interesting, particularly when you mentioned Pinion. In 2018 I went and bought a Vaya to replace my very first touring bike that I had sold. It was a quick decision, and though I like the Vaya, my intrigue with Pinion continues to grow. I am toying with the idea of selling the Vaya and saying 'what the heck' once Covid is over (if this occurs) and rewarding myself with a Pinion bike, with a belt and S&S couplers. Basically, my bike to end all bikes (at least end bike-buying). I actually enjoy working on the current setup, but... :)

When I ordered my Co-Motion Pangea in 2014, I gave a lot of thought to the Rohloff option. I didn’t go for it because of the cost (in hindsight, I could have spent my money here rather than the S&S couplers), the additional weight (again, could have chosen this over couplers), and the fact that Rohloff shifters didn’t seem to play well with drop handlebars (my very strong preference).

As it ended up, I chose a mountain triple crankset (rather than the stock road triple) in order to get shorter cranks (not an option from Co-Motion).  His this would have played out with a Rohloff (can you get shorter cranks?) I have no idea.   I’m happy with my Pangea and happier still with my latest bike, a custom build from Naked Bikes on Quadra Island—for which I chose electronic GRX components.

Are you unhappy with s&s or are they not worth the cost and fuss?

Hi Lyle,

It is a Rodriguez. I actually tracked down the drilling angle information from Ryde before I build the wheels. The Andra's are a great match for Rohloff. It clearly made a difference over other rims. No bends in spokes at nipple. Our frame is great, I wished the maker had paid more attention to wheel concerns, especially important for a loaded tandem.

Not worth the cost or fuss for me.

Couplers were $700 US and the case another $400 US.  And then I discovered that it’s a lot harder to pack a very small frame in the case—you need to remove the fork because otherwise the down tube crosses the middle of the case, right where the wheel hub needs to go.  It’s not at all like all the videos I watched when I was researching. 

Then there’s the fact that, travelling on Aeroplan points, our airline choices from YVR to Europe are Air Canada ($50/bike) and Lufthansa ($300/bike). It’s easier to choose an airline with lower bike fees and use my Thule RoundTrip Pro XT case (which has a removable work stand for assembling and disassembling).  I’ve done a couple of short flights with it on other airlines (Air North and WestJet) and only paid $25 per trip for my bike. 

Thanks for the response.

Because I fly out of Timmins, I also use AC or a Star Alliance partner. Yes, $50 which is more than reasonable. Just curious - do you have specific Aeroplan earning techniques?

Well, we pay for everything with our credit cards when we can, which is easier now that Covid has pretty well eliminated the use of cash.  I also do some online surveys that reward me with points.  I started collecting years before we had an opportunity to travel, so accumulated a stockpile that hasn't been increasing since we retired.

At some point we will run out of points and then we will be looking for the best prices.

We try to fly AC whenever possible for the $50 bike fee as well. More than reasonable. We've found that if you book with AC, even if you have a connection with another Star Alliance partner there is no additional charge. Just a basic cardboard bike box with your bike well padded inside works. Unless you are doing a circle route this is far simpler and cheaper than shipping hard cases. 

We have couplers on our tandem, with the S&S cases, but none on our singles. Can't see the benefits for a single. We've also come to the realization that just using a single cardboard bike box for the tandem,  with just the frame broken down rather than an all day science project fitting it into 2 s&s cases (and reversing the process at the other end), is the way to go (for us).

Saw your comments about pinions ... that's opening up another can of worm's :). Toute Terrain had just brought out a pinion version version of the Silk Road when we got our bikes in 2015. I was tempted but the technology was still pretty new and I was familiar and comfortable with Rohloff. But they do look sweet....

If you go for a pinion, don't think it will be your last bike. Remember the n+1 rule 😎

Hi Kelly

When you posted on CG that Jacinto was going to ride an Alfine I had a bad feeling about it given Jacinto's agressive pedalling style. I am pleased that he is happy with his Rohloff.

Mike