I was looking for 26" tyres the other day and found there is less available at the moment. I'm lucky that I can order them through my job and had a look around the different suppliers we use. By the looks of things there is still choice, but availability is a bigger issue.

The cycling industry (at least in Europe) has really been hit by COVID-19 closures, delays and a growing market. In April we were already looking at stuff out of stock until 2022. Seeing 26 weeks until available isn't uncommon, delays not accounted for. But we also find the occasional early delivery of things you weren't expecting for another month.

My 2 new tyres were delivered after 2-3 weeks which was expected. The new tyres for my roadbike however I'm hoping to receive in August.

On the other hand when I picked up my bike from the shop after a derailleur adjustment I was told I should hang it on a wall and get myself a nice 2nd hand Santos. No bikes these days have 3 cranks up front.. I just looked at him like he'd gone nuts.

“I was told I should hang it on a wall and get myself a nice 2nd hand Santos. No bikes these days have 3 cranks up front.. I just looked at him like he'd gone nuts.“

Hi Jet… Yes well that was a slight over generalisation by the bike shop person.  Perhaps they need to hang out with cycle tourers to see the diversity of bikes which people tour on. That said I wouldn’t mind having a Rohloff equipped touring bike for doing more off-seal touring, and for the benefit of drive train longevity. That’s another item for the growing WishList.

My three touring bikes all have triple chain rings and  9 cog cassette so I’ve unwittingly become a very retro tourer. I’ve stocked up on a few 9 speed cassettes and chains as a precaution against future unavailability.

Graham I read somewhere that one of the reasons that Shimano binned the triple crankset was that they could not get 100% cleans shift every time with brifters. May be complete  B S of course. No shifting worries with non indexed bar end shifters of course. The triple gives a far wider range than a Rohloff but these days I am unable to push high gears so my Rohloff is geared for the hills and not for speed.

Mike

Mike I know that Rohloff have a great reputation for durability, but are there components not future proof, or also subject to supply shortages? For example are the sprocket, cables, seals, fluids or any other specialised Rohloff bits at risk of not being available in the foreseeable future?

I ask in part because one of my co-riders on the Canberra-to-Perth ride had problems with his Rohloff in the middle of the Hay Plain, a long way from the nearest Rohloff agent. It was a long way from anywhere.

A seal failed and the special Rohloff oil leaked out suddenly on the ground. It was an alarming incident for my Thorn Nomad riding colleague. 

Apparently only Rohloff-made oil can be used without risking corrosion of the internals. No substitute machine oil is allowed. The solution was for my friend to keep riding with whatever thin layer of oil remained inside the unit on the gear cogs. The show went on.

G'day Graham

I would consider the availability of Rohloff consumables to be similar to other cycling stuff, possibly some short term shortages.

The consenus seems to be that even if one of those paper seals give way there is usually enough residual oil adhering to the gears inside the hub to enable it to remain lubricated  for quite some time as in the case of your riding companion who was able to complete the ride of another 2,000 km without destroying his hub.

I read somewhere that the writer who was qualified in the field analysed the Rohloff oil and found it to be identical to a Mobil product but $40 AUD for the Rohloff product is not too expensive for 5,000 km of riding. Anyway the kit contains 25ml and the current recommendation is to use only 15 ml so if you save the surplus you get the third change free. (You would have to buy a single serve of the flushing oil for the third change)

Mike

Thanks Mike. Interesting. My Rohloff equipped co-rider not only made it to WA, but he’s riding back. I don’t know if he did anything about the seal in the interim, or if he just did a U turn at Margaret River and headed back east with his Rohloff still running on a thin layer of oil.

A tip from a bike mechanic friend who is also a Rohloff user. The cleaning fluid has to be totally emptied before the new oil is added. He said just a few mls residue of the cleaner is enough to thin the next batch of oil enough to cause problems with the seal. This may have been the issue my friend Ian’s seal. My Rohloff equipped nephew had a similar leaky Rohloff  problem but he isn’t sure of the cause. The function has not been impacted by the leak.

Hey Jet

Nice to see you pop up on this site. Elsa the bike has so much history under her 26" wheels, I hope she keeps rolling forever. And all bikes need double/triple cranksets...  

Hi Graham,

Well the shop does sell Santos, a Dutch touringbike brand. Actually they had quite a few used ones standing there. I think he (the owner) was trying to get me to consider buying a 2nd hand one of those. They are good bikes all things considered but I like to decide by myself when I'm on the market for one. The Rohloff is definitely something to think about by that time, it's just that pricetag...

The hanging on the wall bit will probably happen, once the frame cracks! :)

My little roadbike I got for work and little weekend trips has double chain rings and a 9-speed cassette, which seems to be more common these days. Elsa used to have triple chain rings and a 7-speed cassette which is very hard to find nowadays so shes a 9-speeder now too. I might have to stock up a little too at some point, but so far 9-speed chains. chain links and cassettes can still be found though you might have to wait a little.

Hey Victa

Good to see you on here too! I hope she keeps rolling forever too. As long as there's wheels and tyres somewhere to be found and the frame doesn't crack she and I will enjoy the trips to come :)

Jet since starting this thread and reading some of the replies I’ve been motivated to search for, and order, enough spare drive train parts to future proof both of my 3x9 geared Thorn bikes. I even found some chain rings for the future proofing spares box.  So I should be set now to keep pedalling my favourite bikes for quite a few years more without having to join the Rohloff hub club.

And my Thorn Nomad riding friend Ian has just arrived back from his epic ride. 8000 km to and return from Canberra to Perth over 14 weeks. I rode out to meet him. 
Same set of tyres, same chain and he topped up the Rohloff with oil after it leaked a bit. Otherwise zero maintenance. Impressive durability.