- This topic has 5 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by stretchtoo.
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2015 Genesis Day One Alfine 8
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northernmattFull MemberPosted 9 years ago
Anyone got/ridden one?
Just signed up for C2W scheme and don’t really fancy an all out road bike so thinking this may be just the thing along with having the added bonus of a bit less maintenance. Only thing that puts me off is the bar end shifter, I’ve briefly used Shimano 105 shifters so have an inkling how they work and I like the idea of having brakes and gears in one thing. I know earlier years of it came with them integrated but as it’s C2W it has to be new.
I need to make a decision soon as every time I start looking I end looking at something completely different. If only I could get a Krampus for £1k……..
piemonsterFull MemberPosted 9 years agoI have one, it’s lovely. Really nice ride.
Weighs approximately 1000kg, although once it’s going you don’t notice it. Must be the inertia.
It ‘might’ not be as low maintenance as you think.
northernmattFull MemberPosted 9 years agoI had noticed the weight but the bikes I have (a fatty and 160 FS) are both on the wrong side of 30lb so I can’t see that being a problem.
rumbledethumpsFree MemberPosted 9 years agoMy experience? I owned one and never again. All this no maintenance talk? Faffing with the dots to allign gears, having to lug a spanner tool with you just in case you need to whip the rear wheel off (not to mention the guards if you have them fitted).
Stick with a traditional mech. Lighter, cheaper to repair and you can get the parts from any bike shop should you be left stranded.
Not to mention the Alfine Day One weighs a ton.
opusoneFree MemberPosted 9 years agoI have a 2013 edition and I think it’s excellent. The worst thing about the bike is the verso shifter, which I gather they’ve changed for the newer editions, so that won’t be a problem. Zero maintenance once the cables have settled it, lovely to ride and actually I think that once you get the hang of it the rear wheel is *easier* to remove than on a derailleur system, even if you have to carry around a spanner. It is heavy, as people will tell you constantly, but if that doesn’t matter to you (as it doesn’t to me – I enjoy the extra workout and it make it feel more stable at speed) then it’s grand.
With the alfine hub, I’ve read a couple stories on the net about people having big problems with it, which ended with shimano replacing theirs under warranty, but to me it’s been no bother at all. According to a bike mechanic friend, Shimano have an alfine hub in one of their testing labs that has done 80 million miles and still not failed, so they are generally pretty robust. Allegedly they’re less efficient than derailleur systems, but that relies on you having a perfectly maintained derailleur drivetrain which is kind of difficult in the northern winter.
stretchtooFree MemberPosted 9 years agoI had a nexus 8 hub in my Surly Crosscheck on and off for 5 years, so nearly relevant, feel free to ignore etc.:
Hub gears on steel frame cyclocross notes:The bar end shifter I had was great, and suited the wider spacing of the gears. I loved it. Still have it. Must flog it.
The hubs aren’t zero maintenance, you have to rinse and relube at 500 miles then every 2k, it’s a very easy job once you know. They are, however, dead cheap to replace chain and cogs and need a lot less maintenance. But then mine died last year with about 8,000 miles on it.
The weight isn’t a problem on road (great for commuting) and on tracks, but it’s always there. Where that extra weight in the back wheel really screws your ride is the handling on rough stuff. I found out later when I went fixed and realised the Surly’s handling is quite sweet, and climbed stuff I couldn’t manage with the gears . Are heavy gears worse than no gears? Depends where you live.
Knowing what I know now I wouldn’t choose a steel bike/hub gear combo again. That said the Alfine is better than the Nexus and I much prefer Genesis steel stuff to Surly.
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