We already got in touch with the company Rohloff in June this year when we had just ordered our bikes. In the biking community, Rohloff is known for producing the awesome "Rohloff Speedhub 500/14". This gear switching system is made in Germany, it is extremely reliable and high quality for a maximum longevity during bike traveling. Some units are known to be running for 500 000km or more without any issues and the Speedhub 500/14 is considered THE system for longer journeys. That was why we decided to get our bikes with this system despite the hefty price tag.
After ordering our Norwid bikes at FahrradEcke Erlangen, we got in touch with Rohloff and asked whether they would want to support us on our adventure. We got a fast and friendly reply and found out that they would indeed be interested in giving us a reduced price but they could have only offered it if we bought it directly from them. Our contact Marco promised to look for ways on how they could still offer us this reduced price even after receiving the bikes and it took until September until we got in touch again. He did not have good news on that topic but offered to provide both replacement and maintenance parts and bike clothing for us instead. The high quality and longevity requires regular maintenance and these parts will allow us to just that. So now we are in the process of checking which replacement parts and sizes of clothes we need and they will supply those - Yay! We really appreciate the great effort from Marco and Rohloff in general and are excited to see what we finally get from them, we will keep you updated!
All the best,
Vroni & Jonas
ps: For everyone interested in Rohloff's Speedhub, check it out here: Link to Rohloff's page on the Speedhub