Fault diagnosis

This page collects the most common symptoms and their causes. A symptom can have several causes — work through them in order. If you get stuck, or the fix needs disassembly, bring it to us: book an appointment.

Shifting

Too much free play at the grip (over 5 mm)

Readjust the cable tension so the grip has 2–5 mm of free play — see Maintenance plan.

The mark on the grip does not match the gear

Align the cable adjusters: screw one in and the other out by the same amount.

The grip does not turn through all 14 gears (14 gears = 13 clicks)

• Cables cut to the wrong length — the cables need cutting to the right length — see Cables with external actuation or Cables with internal actuation.
• Cable adjusters set wrongly — both have been unscrewed too far as the housings settled; reset them.
• With external actuation, the cable box’s hex coupling is in the wrong position — the coupling has to be synchronised when the wheel is fitted.

The grip turns stiffly

• Too much cable tension — reduce it.
• Worn, dirty or damaged cables, non-original cables, too many bends or kinks in the cable routing, or the plastic liner has migrated in the grip or the cable box — in all these cases new cables are needed.
• The grip rubs on the grip rubber — leave a small gap between the two grip parts, or fit a Teflon washer between them (The twist shifter).
• The grip’s grease has washed out — the rubber has to come off and the grip be cleaned and re-greased.
• With internal actuation, the hub’s cable has cracked and frayed — check the cable in the gear 14 and gear 1 positions and replace it if damaged — see Cables with internal actuation.
• With external actuation, the shift housing is bent (fall, accident) — the shift housing needs replacing.
• With external actuation, gears 8–14 shift only with great force or not at all — on hubs above serial number 47,000 the threaded pin is screwed too far into the axle; about 2 mm should protrude — see Converting the shift actuation.
• The external shift housing’s shaft turns stiffly (corrosion, bending or a faulty conversion) — check with an 8 mm spanner: each gear should click in lightly and clearly.

Inside or outside?

With external actuation, shift to gear 14 and pull the cable box off far enough that the grip turns without clicking. If the grip is still stiff, the fault is in the cables or the grip; if it turns easily, it is in the shift housing.

With internal actuation, open the bayonet connector and turn the grip by pulling the cables alternately. If the cables run stiffly, the fault is in them; if they run easily, it is in the hub’s cable.

The cable has slipped from its clamp, or the bayonet end has come off

The old crush point has to be cut off, the housings shortened to match and the cable clamped again — or new cables fitted. If the bayonet end has come off, the cable has to be replaced.

Slipping after a shift

• Axle clamping too tight — quick release at most 7 Nm (hand-tight), TS axle nut 35 Nm. The same applies to fine-thread quick releases and Pitlock-type fixings: at most 7 Nm.
• The gear does not click in clearly because the cable tension is too high — adjust it.
• The oil is too thick, or the last oil change was long ago — as a test, add a little Rohloff flushing oil to the oil in the hub and take a test ride. If the slipping stops, do an oil change with a thorough flush.
• Oil drain screw screwed in too far — no further than flush with the shell.
• It happens below freezing — see Riding in winter.
• Gears 1–7 slip after the axle ring or shift housing was removed — both freewheel springs must be checked for presence and correct seating.

Caution

If the chain, the sprocket or the tensioner pulleys are worn, the chain can skip under load — especially uphill. Check them regularly.

The chain

The chain skips on the sprocket and clicks under load

• A stiff link — work it free, or replace the chain.
• Worn sprocket or chain — the sprocket can be turned round or replaced, the chain must be replaced. If only one of them was replaced, the pitches no longer match.
• Not enough chain tensioner tension — the chain length has to be adjusted.

On a bike with a chain tensioner, the chain comes off

• The tensioner runs dry or turns stiffly — lubricate it (Care and cleaning) and replace the pulleys if needed.
• The tensioner spring is faulty — it has to be replaced; on full-suspension bikes check the minimum chain length.
• No chain guide at the chainring — every bike with a chain tensioner needs one — see Chain, tensioner, chain guard.

The wheel turns stiffly

• The freewheel turns stiffly — freewheeling, the sprocket should turn backwards easily, without real resistance. Causes: the shaft seal rubbing on the sprocket (old-generation seals only, up to serial number 25,299), a preloaded shell bearing (after a sprocket change, a fall or an accident), or too much chain tension — there should be about 5 mm of slack.
• On a bike without a chain tensioner (sliding dropouts or an eccentric bottom bracket): put the wheel in a stand, shift to gear 14 and spin the wheel up with the crank. Then hold the crank and count the wheel’s turns: it should turn at least 15 times.
• The cranks turn when you push the bike — see Riding and shifting.

Oil leaks

In an oil-bath hub, thermal expansion can bring a little oil mist to the breather — that is normal. If you see actual oil drops, though, or the hub leaves a “puddle”, find the source — the table below goes through the possible causes, from a screw’s torque to the shaft seal.

What you see	What it means, what to do
An oil film around the shaft seals, the shell cover gasket or the drain screw, without drips	Not a leak: temperature and pressure changes bring it out. Harmless.
Oil traces after transport lying down	Transport the wheel upright — see Riding and shifting.
Oil traces on the quick-release skewer	The gear unit breathes through the axle’s inner bore; harmless.
Oil dripping from the axle’s quick-release bore	Slide the skewer in and out a few times, wipe off the surplus oil, check the axle plate screws (3 Nm), and tighten the quick release to at most 7 Nm.
Oil drops on the axle ring, the axle plate or the bellows	Check the axle plate screws are all present and correctly torqued; the axle ring’s paper gaskets need replacing. Use only original coated Rohloff axle plate screws.
Oil drops at the edge of the shell cover	Check the shell cover screws’ torque (3 Nm).
Oil at the oil drain screw	The screw gets fresh thread sealant (Loctite 511), or replace it with a new sealed Rohloff screw.
The side of the shell is oily, dripping at the shaft seal	The shift actuation, or the carrier and sprocket, have to come off, the slip ring be checked and the seal cleaned; refitting needs a new paper gasket.

On the road

Slight “sweating” or a small leak at the seals is not dangerous: you can ride on until the next regular oil change.

Complete lock-up after work on the external actuation

On hubs above serial number 47,000, the threaded pin under the external actuation is screwed too far into the axle. About 2 mm should protrude — see Converting the shift actuation.

Hub flange damage

A cracked hub flange almost always starts from a small injury at the spoke hole. The injury is dangerous when it runs roughly at right angles to the spoke’s line of pull. The most common causes:

Spoke elbow too short and/or wire too thick at the elbow. When lacing, truing or tensioning, the spoke dents or burrs the spoke hole.

Press burrs on the spoke head. The burrs cut notches into the countersink of the spoke hole.

Loose spokes — from a too-long elbow, a too-thin wire or too little tension. The unloaded spoke’s head moves in the hole and wears the flange.

Relacing with a changed spoke direction. The mark of the first lacing acts as a notch in the spoke hole, and since it runs roughly at right angles to the new line of pull, a crack can start from it.

That is why wheel building belongs with a workshop that knows the SPEEDHUB’s requirements — with a wheel built by us that is not a question.