Pioneering Bicycle Innovator Bernhard Rohloff Passes Away Age 73
Photo courtesy of rohloff.de
Bicycle Retailer has reported that bicycle technology innovator Bernhard Felix Rohloff, inventor of the Rohloff SPEEDHUB, died on May 19. Rohloff, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, was 73 years old.
Rohloff, originally from Kassel, Germany, embarked on a remarkable career that began with an apprenticeship as an office machine mechanic at Olympia. In 1986, together with his wife Barbara, he took a significant leap and established Rohloff GmbH. Serving as the technical director, Rohloff led the development of the Rohloff S-L-T 99 chain.
The Rohloff product line expanded to include a range of tools, but his largest contribution to the sport was the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 14-speed IGH. The Rohloff SPEEDHUB 14-speed IGH was introduced in 1996, an innovation that "set new standards to this very day," according to the Rohloff company obituary.
Rohloff's electronic hub shifting prototype at Eurobike 2017.
 | Bernie was much more than just a brilliant inventor. He was an inspiring character who could not only impress with his expertise, but also respected and had time for the ideas and concerns of his employees. It is this humanity which made him a role model people trusted and were happy to follow. |
Our condolences to the Rohloff team. Bernard leaves a legacy of innovation in cycling, and his ideas will be sorely missed. Read more on our sister site Bicycle Retailer.
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"I was today years old" as the kids say
The Rohloff chain had pins that were pentagonal so that each inner link was loaded at three different places, whereas cylindrical pins only load one spot at a time.
Ever use the Rohloff chain breaker? Amazing.
A Rohloff hub was built so that it took about 5,000 miles to wear it in. If you kept it oiled properly it lasted for a hundred thousand miles. There are stories with over 250,000 miles and still not wearing out. Planned obsolescence is not in the Rohloff vocabulary.
When they were first released, they weighed the same as the XTR groupset of the times (so I'm told).
Perhaps one day the internals might be made out of lighter materials, so perhaps would last 10 k miles and then replace the gears inside.
10 years ago Speedhub was my go-to solution for gearbox bike based on Lahar DH bike concept. I knew all details from drawings and prepared custom hub shell cap. Now his work is still inspirational.