Do you have retainer rings on your Rohloff hub?
There you are. In Mozambique. With your 13-year-old fully loaded Santos tandem. And a broken rear wheel... This was not the adventure you had in mind. A broken spoke or flat tire perhaps? It turns out to be worse: the flange of the Rohloff hub is broken at one of the spokes. The combined weight of riders, tandem, and baggage is almost 200 kg. Continuing to ride with 31 spokes is not an option.
This is a true story. Not too long ago, about a month or so. Luckily, we were able to help these riders get back on the road. But it was not without some difficulties.
Could it have been prevented? With this tandem, the black retainer rings were not present on the 13-year old Rohloff hub. Nowadays, they come standard. During a maintenance check, they can still be placed on older Rohloff hubs. A little extra assurance, just in case.
What do these rings do? If you have a lot of luggage on the back of your bike, there is more pressure on the hub. If it were to become damaged, these retaining rings will still get you home - a safe feeling!
Do you also have a Santos with a Rohloff hub? Check to make sure you have these black retaining rings. If not, have them added during your next maintenance service. This can be done at any Santos Dealer.