Last year we saw the introduction of an aftermarket shifting control box made by Gebla to give Rohloff users more flexibility when it came to shifter setups. The 14 speed internally geared Rohloff hub has long been a sought after solution for all types of riding due to its durability and low maintenance, but besides its high price, it has been held back by being limited to a single twist shifter that only works on standard flat bars. The Gebla Rohbox let you use standard (albeit modified) road or mountain shifters, but still pulling a pair of standard shift cables. Now from the relatively young Swiss company Bpod comes a pair of hydraulic alternatives under the new psh’R name. Take an up-close look at the both road drop bar shifters and the trigger shifters, and find out why go hydraulic in the first place…
Having put a lot of time in riding a Rohloff off-road myself, the only issue I had ever experienced was with the mechanical shifting setup. Having two cables coming out of the shifter – one push, one pull – meant that getting cable tension set up perfectly was key, and any contamination of the cables resulted in friction inside the housing and a lot of effort required to shift. Then that twist shifter becomes a chore to use. The Rohbox mostly eliminates that problem, since you end up with two pull cables, but there are still two long shift wires that will stretch and wear over time.
The new bpod psh’R however promises the same benefits as the Acros A-GE shift system that it is based on. Lighter weight fluid filled hoses, and friction free shifts for the life of the hydraulic fluid.
The single Acros/psh’R lever works just like the standard A-GE shifter. One lever with a push-pull hydraulic system using two hydraulic lines will drive the psh’R box that shifts the Rohloff at the hub. With the same flexible Matchmaker mounting available for the Acros shifter, it will open up a lot more possibilities for flat and alt-bar Rohloff setups.
The flat bar bpod psh’R 1.2 MTB setup is expected to be available at the beginning of 2017. It is projected to cost 500€, including the Acros shifter, 2 full length hydro lines, and psh’R control box. It will be available in a number of anodized colors, as well as with a carbon cover on the controller, and claims to drop 130g off of the standard Rohloff twist shifter.
For those looking to take your Rohloff Speedhub over to a drop bar bike, either for road, cross, or touring will get another bpod psh’R option as well. We’ve only seen renderings of the psh’R 2.2 RR so far, but it uses a simple and light (drillium) set of levers that pair up to the same psh’R controller for shifting and a pair of Brake Force One calipers for stopping (apparently other brake pairings will be available as a separate option.) The shifters have thumb paddles, similar to Campagnolo, with one side providing upshifts, while the other downshifts.
