With its 14 gears, the Rohloff gear hub is a reliable shifting companion - and is slow to adapt to new trends. That will soon change: A Swiss inventor has penned the hydraulic shift linkage, which puts an end to twist grips and shift cables.

Since 2009, Sven Jan Hiltbrand has been building customized and custom-made bikes under the motto "bike prep on demand - or bpod.ch for short. In doing so, he primarily relies on original manufacturers, i.e. mainly products made in Switzerland, Europe and America.

Rohloff hydraulic shifting
During his work, Hiltbrand came across the Acros A-Ge hydraulic drivetrain, which inspired him to develop hydraulic pressure shifting for the Rohloff hub. He replaced the twist grip with the shift cables with the hydraulic thumb shifter from Acros.

For mountain bikes, the version is called "psh'R 1.2 MTB", currently in the pre-production stage and scheduled for market launch in 2017. According to the lever logic of the Acros shifter, two shifting paths can be realized with one lever and up to four gears can be shifted with one pusher using the thumb. The operating force always remains the same and the Matchmaker compatibility ensures a tidy cockpit. If you opt for the "psh'R 1.2 MTB", you can save around 130 grams compared to the original solution with twist shifter and shift cable and outer covers. The "psh'R 1.2 MTB" lever is optionally available for the left side.

Also for drop bars
Hiltbrand also thinks about road cyclists with Rohloff and has a suitable product in its vest pocket with the "psh'R 2.2 RR". This brake/shifter combo is based on the hydraulic converter developed by Hiltbrand, which is screwed onto the Speedhub instead of the Rohloff gearbox. Instead of the Acros thumb lever, a specially developed brake lever unit is used, which combines hydraulic thumb shifting with perfectly metered hydraulic braking in conjunction with Brakeforce one for the road bike handlebars.

Extensively tested
The "psh'R 1.2 MTB" version has already been extensively tested in the Bernese Alps and in everyday use and was also recently very well received by visitors to the Willingen Bike Festival, who were also able to test the system there. "I was particularly honored when Barbara and Bernie Rohloff looked at and tested the system, with Bernie praising the great usability and the good pressure point," says Hiltbrand about his successful appearance at the bike festival in Willingen.

Comfortable and light
"The lever is suitable for all Rohloff riders with external shift control who are looking for comfortable, light and fast shifting in all conditions! No friction loss of the cables, always the same shifting resistance, 3 gear jumps at once, less weight and with psh'R 2.2 RR then the perfect choice for racing or cross bikes," says Hiltbrand. Cross bike," continues Hiltbrand.

Also for Pinion?
An innovative gearshift solution for the Rohloff hub is not the end of the story for the time being: a variant for the Pinion gearbox is already planned.

www.bpod.ch
www.pshr.ch