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Rohloff 500/14 on testThis is how good the classic touring bike really is

Adrian Kaether

 · 25.05.2026

The Rohloff hub gear offers a full 14 gears in a compact housing.
Photo: Georg Grieshaber

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For some, the Holy Grail for touring cyclists. Expensive, loud, heavy say others. The Rohloff gear hub has always polarised opinion. We test how the premium gear hub fares in the latest comparison.
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The BIKE conclusion on the Rohloff 500/14

The slight grinding noise in the lower gears is particularly noticeable. Otherwise, however, the Rohloff clearly shows in the test why it is so popular among touring cyclists. Very fine gear gradation, high range, good efficiency and a high-quality look. The price is high, but you get a lot for it.

Rohloff 500/14: The facts

ModelRohloff 500/14
Price1350 Euro >> available here
Weight1820 grammes
Bandwidth526 per cent
Smallest gear6.4 km/h

The price and weight are manufacturer's specifications and refer to the complete system of gear hub and twist grip. For the smallest mountain gear, we use standardised parameters for tyre size and cadence (28 inch, 47 millimetres, 60 rpm).

How the Rohloff hub rides

Originally developed for mountain bikes, the Rohloff hub is the dream of many trekking and touring cyclists. It combines a high bandwidth and wear resistance with 14 finely graduated gears. Made in Fuldatal near Kassel, quality and durability have always been Rohloff's strong points.

The operation of the gear hub itself is crisp and direct, even if the twist grip is not everyone's cup of tea. When shifting gears, the Rohloff needs to be relieved slightly, otherwise there is an audible clunk in the gearbox. However, this is the case with many hub gears. And the Rohloff clearly doesn't have the Alfine's problem of excessively long climbing gears.

But there are also some disadvantages. The Rohloff is of course expensive and somewhat heavier than a derailleur system. From 7th gear downwards, the gearbox emits a slight grinding noise. This can be irritating. On the other hand, the Rohloff is highly efficient for a hub gear system. The Rohloff is now also available in an electronic version with intuitive push buttons, which also makes sense on an e-bike. All in all, a great system if you are prepared to pay for it.

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Advantages and disadvantages of the Rohloff gear hub

Strengths

  • High bandwidth and small gears
  • Fine gear gradation
  • Good efficiency and crisp operation

Weaknesses

  • Grinding noise in the small aisles
  • High price
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Adrian Kaether

Adrian Kaether's favourite thing to do is ride mountain bikes on bumpy enduro trails. The tech expert and bike tester knows all about Newton metres and watt hours, high and low-speed damping. As test manager at MYBIKE, Adrian also likes to think outside the box and tests cargo bikes and step-through bikes as well as the latest (e-)MTBs.

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