Twist shifter: play, gear marks and grip rubber
This guide applies to Booda bikes with the Rohloff twist shifter on a flat handlebar. The shifter pulls two shift cables, which run to the cable box on the left side of the hub. Turning the shifter towards 14 pulls cable 14; turning it towards 1 pulls cable 1.
If your bike has Shimano GRX levers, see Gebla Rohbox: adjustment, reset and care instead.
Checking the play
Section titled “Checking the play”When you turn the grip, it should have about 2–5 mm of rotational play before the cables take up. Shift cables settle over time, so the play grows; check it regularly.
The cable tension is set with the two cable adjusters on the cable box. The cable box sits on the left of the hub and runs along the seat stay or the chain stay, depending on the frame. Turning an adjuster outwards increases the tension of its cable.
Lining up the gear marks
Section titled “Lining up the gear marks”If the mark on the shifter housing no longer sits exactly on the gear numbers, you can correct it without changing the cable tension: turn one cable adjuster in and the other out by the same amount.
Shift cables
Section titled “Shift cables”Rohloff shift cables are made of 1.1 mm stainless steel and run in a plastic liner that is built into the outer housing, with sealed end caps. Do not lubricate them. The stainless steel and plastic combination stays maintenance-free for a long time.
Replacing the shift cables and refitting the shifter on the handlebar are workshop jobs; please contact us. The shifter is clamped to the handlebar with two M3×12 Torx TX20 bolts at about 2 Nm. Overtightening them can damage the clamp or the handlebar.
Replacing the grip rubber
Section titled “Replacing the grip rubber”The grip rubber wears with use. You can replace it on its own, without removing the shift cables. The replacement grip rubber is Rohloff Art. no. 8190 (left-hand version: 8195). It is made of TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), not rubber, latex, natural rubber or synthetic rubber.
You need a narrow flat-blade screwdriver and some petroleum jelly.
-
Prise off the circlip with the narrow flat-blade screwdriver and pull off the old grip rubber.
-
Check that both O-rings are seated correctly. One sits on the cable drum, next to the two guide grooves for the cables; the second sits in the grip piece. Together they keep dirt out from between the grip rubber and the shifter housing.
-
Lightly grease the cable drum and the inside of the new grip rubber with petroleum jelly, so that the shifter turns smoothly.
-
The grip rubber has five pins that fit only into the five holes in the cable drum, so it goes on in one position only. Slide it on as far as it goes in any position, then turn it slowly until it engages, and push it fully home. In the end position, press it onto the O-ring with light pressure.
-
Refit the circlip on the shifter housing and check that the grip turns easily.
How much play should the twist shifter have?
About 2–5 mm of rotational play at the grip. If there is more, the shift cable tension needs readjusting at the two cable adjusters on the cable box. Too much tension is not better: it adds friction and makes shifting stiff.
Should I lubricate the Rohloff shift cables?
No. The 1.1 mm stainless steel cables run in a plastic liner built into the outer housing, with sealed end caps. They must not be lubricated, and the combination stays maintenance-free for a long time.
Is the Rohloff grip rubber made of latex?
No. The grip rubber is made of TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), not rubber, latex, natural rubber or synthetic rubber. A replacement is available as Art. no. 8190, or 8195 for the left-hand version.