Riding your Rohloff: shifting, noises, transport

Your Booda’s Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 has 14 gears inside a sealed hub that runs in an oil bath. This page explains how to shift it smoothly, which noises are part of its character, and what to keep in mind when you push or transport the bike.

Shifting gears

All 14 gears are shifted with the twist shifter, one at a time or several at once. The number opposite the mark on the shifter housing shows the selected gear.

Turning the shifter towards 14 shifts up (faster gears).
Turning the shifter towards 1 shifts down (easier gears).

The gear changes at the same moment you turn the shifter, not after a delay. The shift is complete as soon as you feel the hub’s detent click into place in the shifter. This works both at a standstill and while riding.

When you pedal hard, parts inside the hub are under load and the shifter needs more hand force. For a quick, clean shift, ease off the pedal pressure for a moment as you turn the shifter, without stopping pedalling. Shifting as the cranks pass their top and bottom positions, where pedal force drops naturally, always takes the least effort.

On bikes with Shimano GRX levers, the levers shift the hub through a Gebla Rohbox; see Gebla Rohbox: adjustment, reset and care. The same advice on pedal pressure applies.

Riding noises

You will hear two kinds of noise in certain gears:

Freewheel noise. By design, the freewheel can be heard in some gears; it is clearest in gears 5, 6 and 7. When you coast, different freewheels engage depending on the gear, so the sound changes from gear to gear.
Gear humming. With strong pedal force or a high cadence, you can hear the humming typical of precision spur gears. It is louder in gears 1 to 7.

The frame tubes act as a sounding board, so the same hub can sound different on different frames; the larger the tube diameter, the more the noise resonates.

Temperature matters too. The hub is filled with an all-season oil that damps the freewheel noise. Up to about 25 °C the freewheels are barely audible; at around 30 °C the oil becomes thinner and they get noticeably louder. This does no harm, because the oil still lubricates just as well. In the cold, the oil becomes more viscous.

If a noise is new, changes suddenly, or comes together with slipping, see Rohloff fault diagnosis.

Break-in period

All gears and coupling parts are made of hardened steel. During the first 1000 km, their surfaces are smoothed microscopically through use. Riding noises become quieter and shifting becomes smoother. There are no restrictions during the break-in period.

Pushing the bike

When you push the bike, the cranks may turn along with the wheel. The rear sprocket is dragged along slightly by the hub’s shaft seal; a very free-running bottom bracket makes this more noticeable. This is normal. A drop of Rohloff special cleaning oil (Art. no. 8402) applied to the shaft seal through the openings in the rear sprocket reduces the effect.

Transporting the bike

Transport your bike with the rear wheel upright. In a car or on a plane, temperature and air pressure can change considerably. If the hub lies on its side, these changes can push oil out through the seals, because the oil then rests against one of the axle seals. Upright, they have no effect.

If upright transport is not possible, pack or pad the bike so that any oil that seeps out cannot cause damage.

Protect the bike from rain during transport. A bike carried on or in a vehicle without a cover can take in water, and so can a hub ridden through deep water: riding the hub under water is not permitted. If you suspect that water has got into the hub, have the oil changed promptly; see Rohloff oil change.

What to check regularly

The rear wheel is firmly fixed in the frame: the A12 screws at 15–20 Nm, or on a quick-release hub the quick-release closed hand-tight (max. 7 Nm). See Removing and installing the Rohloff rear wheel.
The axle plate on the left of the hub is correctly hooked onto its support on the frame, and its screws are evenly tight (3 Nm).
The hub’s housing cover screws are tight. With a disc brake, check this before every ride.
The shift cables and the cable box (or the Gebla Rohbox) are properly secured.
On bikes with E-14, all plugs are connected and no cable can touch the spokes or the brake disc.
The brake disc and pads are free of oil and grease.
When you set off, especially right after a gear change, the drive engages properly.
After a fall or an accident, no part is damaged. Riding with damaged parts is dangerous.

Can I change gear while standing still?

Yes. The Rohloff hub changes gear at the moment you turn the shifter, not after a delay, so it works at a standstill as well as while riding. Under pedal load, ease off the pedal pressure for a moment, without stopping pedalling, and the shift is smoother.

Why do the cranks turn when I push my bike?

The rear sprocket is dragged along slightly by the hub’s shaft seal, and a very free-running bottom bracket makes this more noticeable. It is normal. A drop of Rohloff special cleaning oil (Art. no. 8402) applied to the shaft seal through the openings in the rear sprocket reduces the effect.

Why is my hub louder on hot days?

The hub’s all-season oil damps the noise of the freewheels. Up to about 25 °C they are barely audible; at around 30 °C the oil becomes thinner and they get noticeably louder. This does no harm, because the oil’s lubricating ability does not decrease.