Zinn brings it up: http://velonews.com/article/90085/lennard-zinn-tech-qa-would-lancearmstrong-use-shifters-like
Could you build an internally geared hub into a tri spoke wheel or disc wheel? It seems like it would be similar to a Powertap hub.
No derailleurs flappin’ in the wind.
Zinn brings it up: http://velonews.com/...ng-use-shifters-like
Could you build an internally geared hub into a tri spoke wheel or disc wheel? It seems like it would be similar to a Powertap hub.
No derailleurs flappin’ in the wind.
Check the date of that article.
They make 8 speed now.
They make 8 speed now.
Actually, the make 14 speeds now:
www.rohloff.de/en/products/speedhub/
I am going to use one in my big dummy…
g
date of the article aside, it’s a question worth asking; after all, I read lots of stuff from that author that makes me check for an April 1 date, only to see that it’s acutally not…
Anyway, to the OP this right here answers the question as to why this isn’t a good idea.
but the price of the 14-speed will you make you faint.
(edit: well, not make you faint, but it will make me and lots of others faint … )
Anyway, to the OP this right here answers the question as to why this isn’t a good idea.
There are several problems with that article regarding the rohloff that have been discussed at length…
g
I’ve thought of this as well. Also you can go with a coaster rear brake and run a single chainring up front. This will also give you a straight chainline which may increase the efficiency???
I think it would also need Ant+ compatible wireless push-button electro-shifting and an electric front drum brake with a grip-shift control and you’d have the cleanest bike around 
well, I’ve seen rohloff’s rebuttal and claims that it’s actually more efficient than a conventional drivetrain. are you confident enough in those claims to run it on your TT bike? Seems as though if it were more efficient and more aero (with a wheel cover), it would be a no-brainer…
I didn’t catch the date, I just thought he was in a whimsical mood, saying to ignore the terrible shifting and deal with only three gears and then the next article dealing with having to go on a bike ride. The date clears up why he was in that mood.
Still, I’d be interested in having no exposed shifting mechanisms on a tt bike.
The date aside…
There are two real issues with internally geared hubs: weight and efficiency.
A Rohloff hub weighs close to four pounds on its own and is not slend in its dimensions (think DT240 blown up to five or six times its diameter). Other internally geared hubs weigh even more; sometimes cresting the 5.5lb mark.
The real killer though, is efficiency. The use of internal gears robs the hub of effciency through friction and viscous drag (oils, grease, and metal contact). A derailleur approachs ~98 efficiency when used with a roller chain ( an optimal direct drive is slightly more so, approaching 99%). At its worst, a normal drive train can drop into the 85% efficiency range (through cross chaining, gear ratio, etc). An internal hub can drop as low as 71% (or less if old and not maintained). Needless to say, for a group that argues over the slightest aero or rolling resistance differences, I would call that a deal breaker.