Rohloff-Outfitted Novara Randonee Touring Bike

The Novara Randonee is a heavy duty steel touring rig.

The Novara Randonee is a touring bike through and through – a sturdy steel frame with relaxed geometry to carry heavy loads, a durable 36 spoke wheelset, and plenty of braze-ons for water bottles, racks, and fenders. A local Bay Area customer came to us with this bike that he had ridden hard right off the shelf and loved, minus one factor – the derailleurs. He was tired of paying to have the shift system tuned up and was constantly worried about being on a long ride and having to deal with a damaged derailleur or dropped chain. After deciding a Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 was the perfect drivetrain for him, he contacted us and we set to work.

We laced up the SPEEDHUB to Mavic’s A319 rims, which are made specifically for heavy road use and allow for tires up to 50mm. We kept the stock front wheel - Mavic A319 rims laced to a Shimano Deore LX hub - which is a solid value option.

The Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 and Rohloff chain tensioner.

Touring is an ideal application for the SPEEDHUB. Bike tours often cover thousands of miles in remote areas, where it may be hard to find a bike shop or spare parts to fix any mechanical problems. In fact, the record for continuous SPEEDHUB use is over 125,000 miles without any service other than the annual oil bath change. SPEEDHUBs also allow you to change gears while the bike is standing still. On a loaded touring bike that takes a while to get up to speed to shift, this makes stopping and starting with heavy loads much more manageable.

Because the frame has vertical dropouts and the wheel position can’t be adjusted, chain tension has to be accomplished with a separate chain tensioner bolted to the derailleur hanger. A torque arm was also needed to secure the hub’s axle in place. Using a chain tensioner and torque arm allows the Rohloff to be installed on most any bike with a vertical dropout. Lastly, we mounted the Rohloff grip shifter on the end of the bars, much like a traditional barend lever shifter.

Whether you’re a seasoned bike tour veteran or you’re looking to go on your first long trip, you can’t go wrong with the Rohloff SPEEDHUB. The strength, gear range, and dependability of the SPEEDHUB are unmatched for this type of riding. Contact us to do a Rohloff conversion on your touring bike or build up a new bike from scratch!

Build Details:

·  Frame: Novara Randonee

·  Fork: Novara Steel

·  Headset: Cane Creek

·  Stem: Kalloy adjustable

·  Handlebar: Ritchey

·  Shifter: Rohloff

·  Bartape: Deda

·  Seatpost: Kalloy Uno

·  Saddle: Brooks Flyer

·  Seat Clamp: Single bolt

·  Front Hub: Shimano Deore LX

·  Rear hub: Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14

·  Spokes: Sapim

·  Nipples: Sapim brass

·  Rims: Mavic A319

·  Tires: Vittoria Randonneur

·  Cranks: Shimano Deore LX 44

·  Bottom Bracket: Shimano

·  Chainring: Shimano 44t

·  Rear Sprocket: Rohloff

·  Chain Tensioner: Rohloff

·  Chain: Wipperman 800

·  Brake Levers: TRP RRL Alloy

·  Brakes: Shimano R550 Cantilever

·  Extras: Racks, fenders, bell

Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 Conversion on Santa Cruz Blur LT

Rohloff SPEEDHUB equipped Santa Cruz Blur LT

We recently retrofitted this Santa Cruz Blur LT with a Rohloff SPEEDHUB 14-speed internal gear hub for a customer in Walnut Creek, CA.

Rohloff SPEEDHUB with Rohloff chain tensioner

Our customer rides with a group of buddies who use SPEEDHUBs but never felt the need to consider using one until he destroyed his derailleur system. Knowing that the drivetrain would need to be completely replaced, he borrowed a Rohloff-equipped bike from one of his riding partners to try out the gear hub. 

He tried it, liked it, and gave us a call. After talking about his riding style and past maintenance and replacement issues with a derailleur set-up, he opted for the high reliability and low maintenance offered by going with Rohloff. To learn more about the advantages this hub offers, check out our website.

We built a new wheel with a Rohloff SPEEDHUB laced to a Stans NoTubes Flow rim and installed the system on his bike. 

OEM2 axle plate on the SPEEDHUB held in place by a Monkey Bone brake adapter

Fox fork and shock offer 140mm of travel

Ergon GP1 grips with second-generation Rohloff grip shifter

  
Build details:

• Frame: Santa Cruz Blur LT  
• Fork: Fox Float RC2 Headset: Integrated 
• Stem: RaceFace Atlas AM 
• Handlebar: RaceFace Atlas AM 
• Shifter: Rohloff 
• Grips: Ergon GP1 
• Seatpost: Thomson Elite 
• Saddle: Ergon 
• Front Hub: DT Swiss 350 
• Rear hub: Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 
• Spokes: Sapim Race 
• Nipples: Sapim Brass 
• Rims: Stans Flow rear, DT Swiss EX 5.1D 
• Tires: Kenda Nevegal 
• Cranks: Shimano LX 
• Bottom Bracket: Shimano 
• Chainring: RaceFace Single 
• Rear Sprocket: Rohloff 
• Chain: SRAM PC 971 
• Brakes & Levers: Avid Juicy 
• Rotors: Rohloff/Avid

Rohloff-Equipped Ventana Zeus 650B Full Suspension Mountain Bike

Zeus at home in the dirt

Fresh out of the Monkey Lab is this beautiful Ventana Zeus 650B Rohloff 160mm full suspension mountain bike designed to conquer any type of trail you can throw it at. Built for a customer in Walnut Creek, CA, this is his second full suspension Rohloff mountain bike. The Rohloff SPEEDHUB is the ultimate drivetrain for a bike like this, with the full range of its 14 gears available on demand at the twist of the shifter. This is a tough bike but the SPEEDHUB will still be rolling long after everything else on this bike has worn out. With nothing to get clogged up or bent, you can ride this bike with total confidence through the diciest rock gardens and single track. This Zeus was finished in a beautiful shade of orange with just the right amount of sparkle to really pop in the sunlight. This frame has a few custom extras including a painted to match rear triangle and Rohloff-specific housing guides, which are available for a modest upcharge. 

The rear suspension linkage can be swapped to give the Zeus 140mm or 160mm of travel

Custom Rohloff cable routing and the Monkey Bone brake adaptor to keep the OEM2 axle plate in place

Fox 34mm Talas fork with travel adjust from 130mm to 160mm 

Thomson's Elite Dropper seatpost offers 125mm of travel

American-made Chris King ISO disc hub is convertible between 15mm and 20mm axles

For the wheels on this Ventana we laced the Rohloff SPEEDHUB rear and Chris King 15mm thru axle front hub to a pair of 650B Stans Flow EX tubeless rims with SAPIM Race spokes for a strong wheelset that matches up great with the Schwalbe Hans Dampf 2.35" tires. 

Magura MT-4 brake lever, Rohloff twist shifter and ESI grips

Ventana is a great company to work with.  They are located near us and make everything in-house at their Northern California factory including all of the machined parts, heat treating, and powdercoating.  A wide range of custom options is available including a broad color palette, custom geometry, and cable routing.  Turn around time is amazing for a made to order frame and the people at Ventana are super friendly.  More importantly, the bikes are fun to ride and are built to hold up to many years of hard riding (see this post).  Check out their website and then get in touch to see what we can put together for you!

Build details:

• Frame: Ventana Zeus with Fox shock
• Fork: Fox 34 Talas 130-160mm 27.5"
• Headset: Chris King InSet
• Stem: Thomson X4
• Handlebar: Answer Carbon
• Shifter: Rohloff
• Grips: ESI foam
• Seatpost: Thomson Elite Dropper
• Saddle: WTB Silverado
• Front Hub: Chris King 15mm 6 bolt disc
• Rear hub: Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14
• Spokes: SAPIM Race
• Nipples: SAPIM brass
• Rims: Stans Flow EX
• Tires: Schwalbe Hans Dampf
• Cranks: RaceFace Turbine
• Bottom Bracket: RaceFace Pressfit
• Chainring: RaceFace Single
• Rear Sprocket: Rohloff sprocket
• Chain: Wippermann 8SX
• Brakes & Levers: Magura MT4
• Rotors: Magura

Monkey Ride: Custom Rohloff-Equipped Ventana Full Suspension 29er

Profile view in the trail configuration

This custom Ventana 29er was built in 2008 for Neil as a long-term test mule for various parts and design ideas.  The idea was to set up the bike with different part configurations to serve either as a cross country or all mountain rig. As with most of Neil's bikes, this one was setup around the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 drivetrain.  Special features include a 1.5" Cannondale Lefty-specific head tube, Rohloff cable routing, and custom geometry.  Pictured above is the all-mountain setup with 140mm/5.5" of fork travel and 120mm/4.7" of rear wheel travel.  A Rohloff chain tensioner takes up the slack from the rear travel. 

Carbon rims, chunky rubber and lots of travel

A Rock Shox Reba RLT fork with 140mm of travel provides plenty of suspension for aggressive all-mountain riding, and a Cane Creek Angleset headset accommodates the tapered steerer on the fork and allows for changes to the head angle.

EDGE Composites (now ENVE Composites) AM29 rims are laced to a Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 rear hub and Industry Nine 20mm thru-axle front disc hub using bladed SAPIM CX-Ray spokes.  These rims have been bulletproof over the last five years despite some serious abuse on the trails.

Custom cable guides for the Rohloff SPEEDHUB provide clean and elegant routing

Cross Country configuration

This is the same bike in it's cross country configuration with a carbon Cannondale Lefty fork and 4" of front and rear travel. Travel is changed on the frame by swapping the rocker links for shorter ones. The XC wheels are laced up with ENVE XC 29 tubeless rims, which are slightly lighter and narrower than the AM version but still plenty strong.  A SPEEDHUB 500/14 is used in the rear and a Project 321 Lefty hub can be found up front. The same SAPIM CX-Ray spokes are used.

Lefty SL carbon fork with Project 321 hub

Single leg, double crown Lefty fork

The Cannondale Lefty fork was a perfect choice for this application due to it's light weight, stiffness and strength.

Salsa Bend bar can be flipped to reverse the rise

Cockpit view in trail mode

The Salsa Bend bar is one of Neil's favorite handlebars. It has a slight rise and comfortable back sweep. The Bend bar is available in a 17 or 23 degree angle. This is the 17 degree version.

Close-up of the Rohloff shift box and Monkey Bone

This Ventana is set up with a MonkeyBone adaptor for the rear brake mount, which mates with the Rohloff OEM2 axle plate to anchor the hub's axle to the disc brake mount. Rohloff cable routing continues along the chainstay.

This bike has endured many miles of hard riding over the last five years without any problems. It still gets regular use on the trails around Northern California and has plenty of life left in it. Ventana frames are built to hold up to many seasons of riding, which compliments the durability of the Rohloff hubs. The company is great to work with and offers fast turnaround times, customization options, and quality construction.

Build Details:

• Frame: Custom Ventana 29er Full Suspension
• Fork: Rock Shox Reba 29er 140mm/Cannondale Lefty SL
• Headset: Cane Creek Angleset/Cannondale Lefty
• Stem: Thomson X4/Cannondale Lefty
• Handlebar: Salsa Bend 2, 17 degree
• Shifter: Rohloff
• Seatpost: X-Fusion HiLo Dropper
• Saddle: Specialized Phenom
• Front Hub: Industry Nine 20mm thru axle/Project 321 Lefty
• Rear Hub: Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14
• Spokes: Sapim Race
• Nipples: Sapim Brass
• Rims: EDGE Composites AM29 / ENVE Composites XC29
• Tires: Various
• Cranks: Race Face Six C/Next SL
• Bottom Bracket: Race Face Turbine
• Chainring: Race Face Single Ring
• Rear Sprocket: Rohloff sprocket
• Chain: Wippermann 8sX
• Brakes & Levers: Magura Louise
• Rotors: Magura Louise Wavy

Rohloff-Equipped Surly Disc Trucker Commuting/Touring Bike

We built this bike for a local customer in Oakland, CA for commuting and bike packing.  He had come across the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 as the ideal drivetrain for a reliable, hassle-free daily transportation bike and came to us to test ride it and discuss build options.  The Surly Disc Trucker offered a value priced frame with Rohloff-specific features and disc brakes for all-weather braking performance.  We built the rest of the bike up with sturdy, economical parts.