RECOMMENDED SPEEDHUB 500/14 WHEEL BUILIDNG

It is very important to correctly lace your Rohloff Speedhub (2 cross lacing pattern), correctly tension the spokes (minimum of 1000N measured with an inflated tire or1300N without tire) and use the correct spoke design. Because retrofit spokes for the Rohloff Speedhub 500/14 with the required head length of 2.9mm are only available in 2.0mm diameter, we generally recommend the use of DD 2.0/1.8/2.0mm spokes for lacing SPEEDHUB wheels. All of this information can be followed and checked by reading the documents below and your Rohloff Speedhub Owners Manual.

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Why do spokes break?

Spokes always break as the result of an irregularity in the wheel lacing.

Cause 1:
Play between the hub and the spoke. Each spoke is subjected to one load cycle (loading/unloading) during each complete rotation of the wheel. Each spoke in a bicycle wheel that has been ridden over 2000 km, for example, has experienced one million load changes. If there is even the slightest play between the spoke and the hub flange, a broken spoke is just a question of time. The spoke continually jerks back and forth in the flange, which subjects the spoke bend/head to massive stress. This causes the material to become brittle, the spoke can then no longer bare the load and breaks at the head.

Remedy:
Place washers underneath the head of any spoke where play is felt at the hub flange.

Cause 2:
Insufficient spoke tension. Loose spokes cause a wheel to become unbalanced. The weaker the tension, the more the spoke bends when the bike is ridden. This causes the spoke to move within the spoke hole of the hub flange, and the same negative effects arise as when there is play between the hub and the spoke.

Remedy:
Optimally high tension improves the balance of the wheel by reducing wheel lace movement to a minimum. The higher the spoke tension, the more effective wheel overload can be distributed among multiple spokes.