>>1556689>>1557189The gripshift is not such a big problem as it is with a derailer. Remember that with a grip-shifter you can indeed shift about 6-7 gears with one twist. In two twists you're down to the lightest gear. I was skeptical at first, but when using it on a Rohlof, it's actually pretty nice.
With a roadbike you'd generally have a bit more hassle, especially if you need to shift to larger cogs.
Also, the grip shifter is mechanically the most logical way to do it. Remember that the indexing is done in the hub, not in the shifter!!!
There is no indexing in the gripshifter, but two cables, one for pulls when shifting up, the other when shifting down. The indexing in the hub is highly superior to derailers with indexing in your handlebar.
After 50.000km, of which many on dirtroads one of the cables is a bit damaged and it doesn't run very smoothly anymore. But I can still shift well, because of the gripshifter. If the indexing were in the handlebere I would have had to replace the cable. (well, I still have to do it, but it's not urgent now)
Well, the bike is slower than one with a derailer, but I love being able to shift quickly, especially on very bad roads, like when carrying 20L of water in the desert. It's better for my knees.
>>1556600On the negative side, I did have a malfunction with my hub at some point, where some of the gears were broken when I was somewhere in north Rhodesia. I did continue riding. No one around to fix it :P.
But of all the bearings in that bicycle the Rohloff hub was second last to break. Only the bottom bracket is still original.
Also you have to replace the oil once a year or so, otherwise the shifting becomes a bit less souple. And tensioning the chain becomes tiresome.
But in the end it's less maintanance than my old Shimano Deore.
One advice for when you're thinking about buying one: Buy a used one. Especially in the beginning the noise and resistance are higher. After some usage, this gets better.
