Rohloff Road Bikes: Why Aren’t They More Common?

Here’s the thing—I hate derailleurs. Greasy, needy little bastards. One speck of dirt, one bad shift, and suddenly your bike sounds like a busted shopping cart. Then there’s the Rohloff—smooth, bulletproof, built to last longer than your knees.

So why the hell isn’t every road bike running one?

Because roadies don’t want bulletproof. They want fast. And the Rohloff? It’s got a few problems. Big ones.

Let’s get into it.

1. Weight: The Unforgivable Sin

Roadies are obsessed with weight. They’ll drop thousands to shave off a few grams.

The Rohloff? It’s a brick.

Slap it onto a svelte road frame, and suddenly, your bike’s got a beer belly.

And it’s not just the hub—belt drives add weight, too. Speed is king in road cycling, and no one wants to drag around extra metal if they don’t have to.

2. Efficiency: Close, But Not Quite

Derailleurs beat the Rohloff in efficiency, even if it’s only by a few percentage points.

That might not seem like much, but in a race, it’s the difference between glory and getting dropped.

The Rohloff’s sealed internals keep it running smooth longer, but that small efficiency hit keeps it from taking over the racing scene.

3. The Shifting Situation

Most roadies ride drop bars, and the Rohloff wasn’t made for them. The default shifter is a twist grip—a no-go for the drop-bar crowd.

Yeah, there are workarounds like the Gebla Rohbox, but they’re niche, expensive, and don’t shift like a high-end derailleur. Roadies want smooth, fast shifts, not an engineering project.

4. The Price Tag

A Rohloff hub costs more than some entire bikes. You’re looking at $1,500+ just for the hub, and that’s before you even get into belts, custom frames, or compatibility hacks.

Roadies aren’t afraid to spend big, but they expect performance gains for the cash. Reliability? Nice, but not if it costs them a podium spot.

5. The Maintenance Myth

One of the big selling points of the Rohloff is its low maintenance. But here’s the thing—roadies already take care of their drivetrains.

They clean their chains, they replace worn parts, they obsess over marginal gains.

For the dirt-caked commuter or the round-the-world tourer, the Rohloff is a dream. For roadies? It’s overkill.

6. The “Stranded in the Middle of Nowhere” Problem

If your derailleur breaks, you can fix it. If your chain snaps, you can throw on a new one. If your Rohloff belt drive fails, you’re screwed. No roadside fix, no quick swap.

If you’re 100 miles from civilization with a broken belt, you’re calling for a ride—if you even have cell service. That’s a dealbreaker.

7. It’s a Touring Tool, Not a Racing Weapon

At the end of the day, the Rohloff was made for touring. It’s for riders who want bulletproof reliability, not blistering speed.

Road bikes are about performance, not convenience. The Rohloff excels at keeping you moving no matter what. Roadies? They just want to move faster than the guy next to them.

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The Hard Truth: A Quick Summary

Factor	Rohloff Hub	Derailleur
Weight	Heavy	Light
Efficiency	Slightly lower	Higher
Shifting	Limited drop-bar options	Fast & precise
Cost	Expensive	More affordable
Maintenance	Low	Regular upkeep
Repairability	Difficult roadside fixes	Easier roadside repairs
Intended Use	Touring & commuting	Road racing & fast riding

The Rohloff makes perfect sense—until you put it on a road bike.

Then it’s like wearing combat boots to a track meet. Sure, they’ll last forever, but they slow you down.

And roadies? They don’t care if their drivetrain needs a little TLC.

They don’t care if they have to clean their chains or swap out cassettes. They just want to ride fast, suffer hard, and beat the guy next to them.

The Rohloff wasn’t built for that world.

And maybe—just maybe—that’s a good thing.