Rohloff hub service in BKK?

[aarn]

Anyone know a store? Thanks crew, AA

[Assurancetourix]

Bokbok cycle ; it's on Thanon Krung Kacem ;

not very far from the main train station Hua Lamphong

http://www.bokbokbike-thailand.com/

[CNXBKKMAN]

Not very far from the Mount at Phanfah bridge and walkable distance from the Democracy Monument on Rathchadamnern Road. The shop normally opens at 15:00 but after 16:00 is a safer bet. Closes late evening.

[impulse]

Just out of curiosity, is there anything unique about Rohloff hubs?

Bearings is bearings- and all standard, balls is balls- and all standard, axles are a pretty standard thread, and they all look pretty much the same to me.

[villagefarang]

You could also say a bike is a bike or a car is a car, on a very basic level, but not everyone sees things that way. When I put Chris King hubs on my mtb I really noticed the difference. Good hubs make a difference in my opinion.

Rohloff hubs incorporate gears as well so workmanship, materials and precision are going to be especially important to the end result.

Edited August 16, 2015 by villagefarang

[impulse]

Rohloff hubs incorporate gears as well so workmanship, materials and precision are going to be especially important to the end result.

That's the answer to my question. I didn't realize Rohloff hubs were multi-speed with gears and all.

As for the rest of your response, that's one (reasonable) way to look at it.

On the other hand, if I have a Shimano fishing reel and I need new bearings, I'm not going to buy genuine Shimano bearings. They don't make bearings, they use industry standard sizes and buy them out and resell them at a huge markup. So I can get a better bearing, cheaper, and I don't have to look for a Shimano shop- I can buy them at any bearing shop. Same with my K2 Roller Blades. I don't even know where I'd buy K2 genuine replacement bearings. So I buy the same size, and get better bearings for less, anywhere they sell bearings.

It works the same with a lot of bike components, including bearings, axles, quick release mechanisms, etc. I'm not hung up on keeping my bikes in all Shimano or all Suntour genuine parts. I'm out for the best value, and not slogging all over town (or waiting a week for delivery) to get my parts.

I got that way after spending 10 years sourcing goods from factories in China, and seeing how much of the name brand equipment is actually made by the company, and how much they buy out, and where they buy it from and how much it really costs them. It really opened my eyes to the way those companies rake in money by convincing us that a derailleur that cost them $2 more to manufacture is worth $100 more at retail.

To some folks it is- and I understand that. To me, it's not. So I was wondering about Rohloff hubs.

Edited August 16, 2015 by impulse

[Assurancetourix]

It really opened my eyes to the way those companies rake in money by convincing us that a derailleur that cost them $2 more to manufacture is worth $100 more at retail.

It's exactly the same with Titanium eyeglass frame ;

Opticians buy them at about 1 US $ piece and sell them more than 100 US $ piece ...

But about Rolhoff which is a mechanical precision object , I think it's better to go where people are qualified;

the same with Mavic Rim , if the mechanic doesn't know how to use the Mavic key ....

[CNXBKKMAN]

I would disagree that a bearing is just a bearing. There are quality ones that will run for years and years and cheap ones that break, pit and shatter within a year. In the 80's my lbs used to say Campagnolo made the best bearings.

Here is a photo that just appeared on my Facebook. Triple cats bike shop which is a new shop in Chiang mai. I am not sure they have opened yet? Would you want the cheapest Chinese version of that hub on your round the world ride? Even Shimano internal hub gears don't match rohlhoff quality.

[impulse]

I would disagree that a bearing is just a bearing. There are quality ones that will run for years and years and cheap ones that break, pit and shatter within a year. In the 80's my lbs used to say Campagnolo made the best bearings.

I'd bet all the money in my wallet that Campy never made bearings. Roller bearings are a specialty item that requires a very unique set of equipment ($$$) and skills. To make bearings for a single line of equipment like Campy hubs would be lunacy.

They may buy and offer some of the best bearings available, though I also guaranty there are better bearings out there, made for equipment that does 100,000 RPM at high loads and high temperatures. Including stainless steel, ceramic and hybrid steel/ ceramic bearings, and special metals for severe duty.

My statement that "bearings is bearings" doesn't mean that they're all the same. But a FAG bearing and an NSK bearing and a Timken bearing and a Torrington bearing of the same size and same specification, are pretty much interchangeable. And I can buy them in any city in the world. No need to go to a Rohloff or Campy or Shimano shop, and it's not a recommendation to substitute with cheap Chinese bearings.

I'd also point out that designers of consumer products like hubs don't design the bearings around their hubs, they design their hubs around standard bearing sizes. Otherwise, they'd have to pay $$$ hundreds of thousands in setup charges to make a short run of special bearings to fit their hubs. That's just not practical, unless it's a spare-no-expense military application.

Edited August 22, 2015 by impulse

[villagefarang]

Not everyone wants to spend 10 mindless years sourcing goods from factories in China just so they can save a few baht on bearings and then have to buy the tools, equipment and spend the time necessary to refurbish an old worn-out hub.

I would much rather pay someone else to do the work and quality control because all I want to do is ride my bike, not fix it.

[impulse]

Not everyone wants to spend 10 mindless years sourcing goods from factories in China just so they can save a few baht on bearings and then have to buy the tools, equipment and spend the time necessary to refurbish an old worn-out hub.

I would much rather pay someone else to do the work and quality control because all I want to do is ride my bike, not fix it.

I, on the other hand, would rather spend an hour to do the work myself than drive 3 hours round trip to get to the nearest Rohloff shop, then drive another 3 hours to go back to pick up the finished work- and trust that I don't have to go back and drive it again if they did it wrong. Both are valid choices, because I have a vehicle to do it. Gets a little tougher (and more expensive) for those of us who don't drive here in LOS.

If it's just a bearing, I can measure it in about 30 seconds and pick one up at a nearby bearing shop in about 10 minutes. They don't need to do the 10 years of mindless work (for which, BTW, I was well paid.), they sell FAG, NSK or other Euro or Japanese bearings (many of which are actually manufactured in China by the Euro and Japanese companies).

And only if I need a very specialized Rohloff part do I have to drive the 6 hours (or better yet, don't drive the 6 hours, order the part on the interweb and wait a few days). And in the process, I learn about the kit and have a better idea what makes it tick and what to do next time it starts making funny noises... Americans are funny that way. Especially old timey engineers.

Or, I can spend the time and the $$$ diesel and take my chances that the pimply faced kid with the hammer and crescent wrench can do it better than I can on his first try...

Edited August 22, 2015 by impulse

[bobfish]

Not everyone wants to spend 10 mindless years sourcing goods from factories in China just so they can save a few baht on bearings and then have to buy the tools, equipment and spend the time necessary to refurbish an old worn-out hub.

I would much rather pay someone else to do the work and quality control because all I want to do is ride my bike, not fix it.

I, on the other hand, would rather spend an hour to do the work myself than drive 3 hours round trip to get to the nearest Rohloff shop, then drive another 3 hours to go back to pick up the finished work- and trust that I don't have to go back and drive it again if they did it wrong. Both are valid choices, because I have a vehicle to do it. Gets a little tougher (and more expensive) for those of us who don't drive here in LOS.

If it's just a bearing, I can measure it in about 30 seconds and pick one up at a nearby bearing shop in about 10 minutes. They don't need to do the 10 years of mindless work (for which, BTW, I was well paid.), they sell FAG, NSK or other Euro or Japanese bearings (many of which are actually manufactured in China by the Euro and Japanese companies).

And only if I need a very specialized Rohloff part do I have to drive the 6 hours (or better yet, don't drive the 6 hours, order the part on the interweb and wait a few days). And in the process, I learn about the kit and have a better idea what makes it tick and what to do next time it starts making funny noises... Americans are funny that way. Especially old timey engineers.

Or, I can spend the time and the $$$ diesel and take my chances that the pimply faced kid with the hammer and crescent wrench can do it better than I can on his first try...

Take it easy chaps

I'm sure everyone agrees that it's up to you how you go about servicing or sourcing spares for your components. I'm not sure how 'Americans' somehow got involved in this - trying to counter an ISIS drive?? live a little <deleted>!

Edited August 23, 2015 by bobfish

[arunsakda]

I'm in Chiang Mai. New to internal gearing but I just got a Cannondale city bike with a Shimano Nexus 3sp. It's a revelation. I am interested in going for internal gearing on one of my hard tail MTBs but I am not going to do it unless I can find an expert local mechanic who is fully familiar with setup and maintenance.

Sent from my iBlob

Edited September 5, 2015 by arunsakda

[CNXBKKMAN]

I'm in Chiang Mai. New to internal gearing but I just got a Cannondale city bike with a Shimano Nexus 3sp. It's a revelation. I am interested in going for internal gearing on one of my hard tail MTBs but I am not going to do it unless I can find an expert local mechanic who is fully familiar with setup and maintenance.

Sent from my iBlob

Triple Cats bike shop deal with Rohloff and i am guessing will handle the Shimano Nexus 8 speed 11 speed stuff. They are on the road that runs between

the the train station and Arcade bus station. New shop. i have yet to visit.