Managed to discipline myself to ride 1x 9 on the Quantocks today .Simply not changing out of the middle ring .So this got me thinking .Make it proper winter proof and look at an Alfine wheel .How are these shaping ?Practical or some drawbacks ?I must say i would be reluctant to ditch the Pro 3 wheel i have at the moment and haven’t checked out the price .Bikes a Hummer B.T.W. just out of interest .
How much would a complete wheel cost ?

this interests me. genesis put it on one of thier bikes and sell it as a hassle free all year round mtb.

just read the review on bikeradar and they sound good and would be easier than a 1×9 as the lowest gear equates to a 38 tooth sprocket on a derailier system http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/hubs/product/alfine-disc-hub-31670

‘The eight-speed gear range is more than enough for regular town and country use. If you’re interested in the numbers, the gear ratios are: 0.53, 0.64, 0.75, 0.85, 1, 1.22, 1.42 and 1.62. With a 20-tooth sprocket on hub, this approximately imitates the gears on a 12-38-tooth cassette.’

Think of riding a 2 X 8 with every 2nd gear missing and thats kinda what a 8 speed alfine is like, there good if you can track stand 😉

Next ride, keep it in one gear 8-;

Just did whites level today, with a mate who has an alfine-eqipped 29er in-bred. He has a single chainring, and he likes the hassle free nature of it. No issues so far, in about 4 months…

I like the hassle free nature of my triple.

Next time my drivetrain needs sorting out I think I’ll get an alfine, seems like so much less hassle so long as they last long enough to justify the cost.

I’d go for the 11 speed if you can afford it for no other reason than it uses an oil bath and therefore maintenance should be a lot easier than the 8 speed.

hearsay is 11s blow up.

The 8sp is exactly the range of an conventional 1×9. You can alter the overall gearing with either the rear sprocket or front chainring. I have a gear claculator for it if anyone wants a copy – or there is one on sheldon browns site It just works is all. A bit hefty and the weight at the back, jumps between ratios are not even and a bit wide in places.

But it just works, No chainsuck, no clattering gears, no missed shifts. Chains and chainrings last longer. I don’t find the drag noticable tho some folk do. No one seems to break then either.

Its not as good as a dérailleur set up that is clean and well lubed – but the rest of the time its loads better

@cynic-al – where have you seen said that 11sp Alfine hubs aren’t reliable?

I have one on a charge duster. It’s my only bike and I love it. I had a smug sense of satisfaction watching everyone ride through the grinding paste that was cannock today ! I would say it does depend on where you ride though. Where I am you can do it all on a 100mm steel Alfine hardtail. All IMO obviously.

My mate has been running one for about 18 months all good I believe.

I was out with a lad from my club a couple of weeks ago and his Alfine had frozen in the one gear, tbf it was brass monkeys but something worth considering.

Thats one way of solving the hummer chainsuck issue 😉

2 yrs, 3500 miles, one service (more to have a nosey than owt else) no missed gear change, 2 chains and 1 chainring, can even change gear mid trackstand. Scottoiler fitted, all i do is wash off the road salt once a week, thats it, job sorted.
Prob only drawack id the weight all out the back, other than that, do it.

loving mine, got word yesterday that the 11spd bits have started to arrive at bike shop. 😀

Have been running an Alfine for 14 months. Never touched it, barely cleaned drivetrain and never lubed the cable. Been faultless all this time until Boxing day, after having been left in a van overnight at -10deg. Not sure if it was the cable sticking or the hub, but was jumping gears for the whole ride and only way I could get gears 1 to 4 was to “manually” move the arm. It’s fine again now it’s been warmed up. But might even lube the cable in 2011!

the 11 spd shifter feels a bit dawg after using xtr. it would annoy me more than the weight of the whole thing.

my housemate grumbles a bit about gear ‘5’ jumping if he pedals too hard, does this sound familiar to anyone?

(8 speed alfine)

i’ve just ordered one myself for £130 from on-one.

(+ £25 shifter)

(+ £10 20tooth sprocket)

(+ £15 tensioner)

(+ £40 for a nice rim)

(+ £40 for spokes and a good builder)

£260 by the time it’s built and ready. i’m a geek, and i have a pair of calibrated scales, watch this space…

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/stu-mcgroos-lets-put-this-alfine-weight-issue-to-bed-once-and-for-all-thread

The shifting problems sound like cable maintenance or maladjustment problems to me.

I suspect when mine did it it was ice in the cable

DoctorRad – another thread here, maybe the weight one. Hearsay only as stated.

Interesting that the transmission lasts longer tj, that’s counter intuitive to me.

stumcgroo’s thread is brilliant, and a link to it should be used as the standard response to any ‘weight / weight shift’ waffle about alfine.

but, he hasn’t provided a weight for the hub itself, so i’m keen to see for myself…

Al- because you can use it beyond when it starts to wear and the sprocket are full tooth engagement and the chain does not have to flex side to side /

2 years of proper riding in shite, did a bonty 24/12 on it, a coupla NPS races getting my best result ever in one.

washed 3-4 times, had to adjust the ebb 2-3 times and my axel bolts have had to be tightened a few times because of the trailer hitch i have. oiled the chain a few times and it’s still shifting first time perfectly.

spin out on roads at 32:20, but can get up pretty much everything i used to. weight is at the back, but it feels planted when scooting over stuff, only notice the weight when going over a style.

like it so much i got another for the cx bike.

had an 8 speed alfine for two years and it never missed a beat. after a ride i just oiled the chain and that was it. if i was being picky i would say that the spacig between the gears was not consistent but once you got used to it, it wasnt an issue. Also some people ask about the weight all over the back – yes it is but you adapt your riding style to suit.

i was so impressed with hub gears i got myself a 2nd hand Rohloff and have it fitted to both the hardtail and full-sus.

We have a demo IOID that I’ve been riding since the thaw, it gives a bigger range than the 1×9 option. I had forgotten how quiet it was especially in the mud when your mechs are grinding. Real and Viable for sure

@Saccades – what was your old bottom gear? Would you say your climbing has improved since (not necessarily as a result of) using the Alfine?

Thanks for all that chaps plenty of food for thought .Andy you are a NAUGHTY BOY !!!!!!

@Saccades – what was your old bottom gear? Would you say your climbing has improved since (not necessarily as a result of) using the Alfine?

was on a 11-34 cassette and 22 tooth granny ring, so the bottom alfine is about 2-3 gears up from bottom on that.

I dunno about improved – but as I can’t drop down to such a low level with the alfine (I’m a clysedale, so very slow on the climbs at the end of a spin) I’m definitly a bit faster compared to equiv companions. Have to work a bit harder, more out of the saddle though.

Not sure if this applies to Alfines, but had a demo ride with a Rohloff and the fluid in it froze at not far below 0, probably not froze solid, but certainly congealed enough to make shifting awkward. Not ideal if intended use is on a winter bike.
Could be what Fieldmarshall had?

Not sure if this applies to Alfines, but had a demo ride with a Rohloff and the fluid in the froze at not far below 0, probably not froze solid, but certainly congealed enough to make shifting awkward. Not ideal if intended use is on a winter bike.
Could be what Fieldmarshall had?

If you ride in very cold conditions you can add a bit of the cleaning oil to the hub which overcomes the problem.

i rode at minus 5ish with no bother except the forks were very sluggish, alfine was fine

ahwiles – stumcgroo’s thread is brilliant, and a link to it should be used as the standard response to any ‘weight / weight shift’ waffle about alfine.

but, he hasn’t provided a weight for the hub itself, so i’m keen to see for myself…

that’s because it’s irrelevant. without a bike to put it in you’ve just got an expensive door top. too many people talk bollocks about the weight of the hub when they should be looking at the whole package.

give me a bicycle component and i will weigh it.

it’s entirely relevant, because i want to know what it weighs, because i’m curious – is that ok?

Anyone setup an alfine with a full suss? How do you get around chain growth? I’m tempted to try it out on the full sus, I’ve wrecked 3 rear mechs in the last 12 months…

What alfine ratio would give the same(ish) as a 1×9 34t 11/34 setup?

ahwiles – give me a bicycle component and i will weigh it.

it’s entirely relevant, because i want to know what it weighs, because i’m curious – is that ok?

peace brother, it’s a free world. you commented on my thread and used “but”, i was simply defending my decision, that’s all 🙂

Anyone setup an alfine with a full suss? How do you get around chain growth? I’m tempted to try it out on the full sus, I’ve wrecked 3 rear mechs in the last 12 months…

YESS ETR-D tensioner is pretty much the only thing, and it is quite a bit less exposed than a rear mech.