Rohloff’s Speedhub E-14 system combines their 14-speed internally geared hub with their electronic shifting controller, and now they’ve teamed up with Bosch to offer bike brands a synchronized system that can (sort of) shift automatically based on rider input and output.
Designed perfectly for mid-motor designs, the Rohloff Speedhub packs 14 distinct gears inside the rear hub, with a sealed design that boasts hundreds of thousands of kilometers between service intervals. It’ll deliver a 526% range, and you can shift without pedaling, making it easy to get in the right gear at a stop sign or while coasting and descending.
Their E-14 system gives it electronic shifting, moving between gears in just 180ms, with a small up/down button set on the handlebar, and now it’s compatible with the Bosch Smart System for e-bikes. Technically, it will be compatible, as it’s billed as a 2024 offering for OEM (bike brand) customers to integrate into their bikes.
The combo will let you use the new E-14 App to setup custom auto-downshift between certain gears, which could make the bike automatically shift to an easier gear when effort reduces or stops. It’ll also let you reverse the button function if you want to change the ergonomics and deactivate the multi-shift function.
Once paired with the Bosch BES 3 Smart System, it opens up more autoshift functions for a smoother, easier riding experience. Details are still light (we’ve reached out for more info), presumably you’ll be able to set the shift points, and there’s some integration with the Bosch ABS braking system, too.
UPDATE: The automatic downshifting appears to be the only automatic shifting, it’s not able to shift gears based on cadence or effort during normal riding. The ABS “integration” is simply that Rohloff offers their proprietary 4-bolt disc brake hub with the slotted ABS channel built into it, making it compatible with Bosch’s anti-lock braking system.
For commuters looking for the simplest experience, the technology further eliminates reasons for anyone not to commute by bike.
