Matt outlines the pros and cons of a traditional chain and derailleur setup versus the Enviolo hub drive and Rohloff E-14 electronic system. All three options are available when choosing the right e-bike for you from the Riese & Müller line!
Here at Oregon E-Bikes, we often get asked from our customers, what's the best gearing system for me? There's really three that we offer here. Your regular derailer, your enviolo hub, and your rohloff hub. Bikes like the recent Muller's, the same bike, you can actually choose three different hubs to come on the same bike. So it's important to know the advantages and disadvantages of each, which we'll go over now.
On this BMC here, you'll see your regular chain and derailer and cassette set up. The advantages of that are that A, it's quite common. People know it and are used to it, their shifting is what they're used to and it's fairly light and it is probably the least expensive of the three options. The disadvantages are you can't shift gears standing still, you have to be pedaling.
Whereas on the enviolo hub, as you'll see on this recent Muller Nivo, you can actually change gears while you're standing still. So if you come to a stop sign or stop on a hill and you're in too high of a gear, you can downshift while you're actually stopped and when you start up, it'll be nice and easy, gentle on the body, the knees, the hips, the ankles, and that can be really, really helpful for people. The other big advantages you'll see this actually uses a carbon belt drive, so you don't have to deal with oiling the chain, chain stretch, chain breakage. This carbon belt drive will probably last longer than your bike and it's maintenance free. All of the gearing is actually in this hub rather than out here on a derailer that can get knocked off. So your chances of needing some adjustments are much less. And the enviolo has a Vario system where you don't have like 11 speeds. It's set in between a high and low and you can just turn the dial and anywhere you stop as a gear. So it's really easy and once you get used to it, most people absolutely love it.
The third system and final one today is one of my personal favorites is the rolhoff 14 speed hub. Big advantage of this is you have electronic shifting, so you could actually see what gear you're in on the screen. So here I'm in fourteen and if I want a downshift, I just hit this thumb lever and I can quickly get down from fourteen, all the way to one, with that electronic cable, it's really precise. It's not going to go out of whack. The cable's not going to stretch. You could shift really quickly. Probably the most amazing thing about the rohloff is the settings between the high and the low gear. You have a really low, low gear and a really high, high gear, huge range of gears. I think the biggest on the market right now, so no matter if you're going up super steep or super downhill, you can find the right gear for you. As well, it has the carbon belt drive with all the advantages that we talked about on the enviolo. I love the rohloff hub.
Please give us a call here at Oregon E-Bikes if you have any questions and we'll help you find the perfect gearing system for you.