Now that you’ve read 15 Reasons to Tour with a Rohloff Hub and you’re wondering about how you’re going to mount that pesky Rohloff shifter to your road handlebar (drop bar), look no further! We have compiled a list of every option you can possibly use to mount your Rohloff shifter to your bicycle.
The shifter that Rohloff provide with their hubs is an exceptional unit! It is very well made with almost no friction as you roll it around. I don’t blame Rohloff for not making a shifter for road handlebars because the standard they have set for themselves is pretty hard to achieve!
Not to worry, check out my preferences for options and more below.
1.
I use the Thorn Accessory Bar to mount my shifter out of the way.
The Thorn Accessory Bar is my preference for mounting a Rohloff shifter on drop handlebars. The shifter is well out of harms way, as it mounts onto an accessory bar off the steerer tube. Once the accessory bar clamps on, it is not going anywhere. Being located near the top of the handlebar, it is easy to change gears from the “cruising” position. The actuation for the Rohloff is just like turning a door nob!
Having it here also doesn’t limit my choice of road handlebar: vital for finding something comfortable!
2.
Campbell uses the HubBub bar-end shifter and loves it!
The HubBub is my second preference for Rohloff shifter mounting options. It simply slides into your bar-end and creates a 22.2mm surface where you can mount your Rohloff shifter. Slightly lower and out of the way of the accessory bar, it still offers ease-of-use and a good place for leverage.
3.
I didn’t have any luck with the Mittelmeyer shifter. It seized up mid-tour leaving me with one gear!
The Mittelmeyer internals…
The Mittelmeyer was my first attempt at having a neatly integrated Rohloff shifter setup. Unfortunately, the Mittelmeyer never worked as planned. I installed the shifter onto my bars with a little difficulty and once the setup was complete there was a bit more friction than usual. I noticed that the metal surface didn’t really offer any grip in my hand to change the gears either.
I rode the touring bike around Melbourne for a while and after every ride the friction in the shifter got greater and greater. It wasn’t until I took my touring bike overseas that it decided to seize up on the first day! That effectively meant singlespeed touring in New Zealand (hilly and windy)!
I do not recommend looking into this option based on my past experience with the product – luckily I ‘manned up’ for NZ smashed it up some climbs.
4.
The GIlles-Berthoud shifter looks beautiful!
The Gilles-Berthoud looks like a more refined Mittelmeyer! I’d love to give one a go!
5.
Co-Motion have just released a nice Rohloff shifter! From the feel of it at Eurobike, it will work well!
Co-Motion have just released a new shifter which fits both 26.0 and 31.8mm drop handlebars. Retail price is $249 USD. It looks well sealed, and felt really smooth when I was playing with it at Eurobike 2012. The only issue that might pop up with this shifter is that handlebar bag mounts (eg. Ortlieb) could get in the way!
6.
The Patria adjustable stem is another neat way to mount the Rohloff shifter.
The Patria adjustable stem will allow you to modify the front end of your bike as well as mount your Rohloff shifter. Could be worth checking out.
7.
A custom shifter mount can be made to fit downtube mounts.
The inside of the Greenspeed tube shows how the mount can be fitted.
Using a Greenspeed Computer Head Mount, you are able to cut the hoop off the end of the tube and fit the bar to existing downtube shifter mounts. I haven’t tried this, but it looks like it would work well.
8.
Running a 22.2mm quill stem? Well you can run a bar-end off the side of your stem for a Rohloff shifter!
If you’re running a quill stem, a 22.2mm bar-end will be able to mounted off the side of your stem for a Rohloff shifter!
9.
Daumenschalter Prototype Trigger Shifter
Looks awesome! Can’t wait to see a refined one in production!
10.
According to the link, a bit of machining was required to get it on. Changing gears is done… ‘pepper grind’ style!
11.
The Lenker X-ACT Randonneur Vario Handlebar splits into three pieces.
Utopia Velo’s Split Handlebar with a Rohloff shifter on it!
Utopia Velo make all sorts of bikes and bits. One product in their selection is a nifty drop handlebar which splits into three pieces. The upper arms of the handlebar are 22.2mm, meaning a Rohloff shifter is able to be fitted on when the bar is split. At the stem clamp, the diameter is 25.4mm, allowing a standard MTB stem to be used. As the handlebar curves, it uses a 24mm diameter which STI or standard brake levers will attach to.
My only concern with this handlebar is that it is incredibly wide (50-52cm width). Usually, road handlebars are most comfortable as the same width as your shoulders. To give you an idea on what I’d generally recommend, a tall male would often run a 44cm handlebar, and a rugby player maybe 46cm! Smaller ladies generally feel at home on a 38cm handlebar.
You can purchase this handlebar on the Utopia Velo website by clicking ‘Shop’ – ‘Accessories Shop’ – ‘Steering’ – ‘X-ACT Randonneur handlebars Vario’. CNC Bike Shop will also sell you a pair.
12.
This person made their own shifter out of maple!
This is an impressive piece of work! I’m not sure that any more other than this will be built however…
13.
The Shiftezy allows you to change gears via buttons!
Buttons are the future!
Change gears via buttons! I’m not sure how well this would work on a bike tour, but there is definitely some potential in this product!
