10 or 12 years ago, I wanted my retired parents to get a couple of bikes for use on the numerous local rails to trails. Dad was completely opposed to the idea, so I dropped it. 😐
Last week, we went to REI and he wanted to buy 2 bikes and a car rack! 😯
Fortunately, I didn’t see anything suitable. 🙂 The LBS has Torker bikes which we all like; the question is which model. The 510 ($450) has an entry level 3×7 drivetrain with twist shifters. The 800 ($650) has an 8 speed Nexus hub.
Neither parent (now mid-70s) has had a multispeed bike before. Dad also lacks patience and tends to use the brute force with a BFH approach to fixing things, which I fear won’t work well on a rear derailleur. So I’d like to see them get the 800 models with the hub gear as it would be less confusing and more reliable.
Is it be worth the extra $200/bike for the 8 speed Nexus?
Are there any drawbacks (other than more weight and cost) to the Nexus hub?
Low maintenance, harder to damage in transit or storage, fewer areas to collect dirt, lower long term running costs, reliable indexing even as they wear. I’d go for hubs on anything but a performance bike myself.
I’ve not ridden nexus but can’t imagine any big downsides compared to the sort of conventional gears you’ll get at that price point.
On those bikes it lets them fit a proper chainguard (and you’re getting racks and mudguards as well).
Nexus, I’d say. They’re pretty much standard on prdinary bikes over here in Sweden and that’s with good reason. The one on my wife’s bike must be about 10yrs old now with nothing more than a couple of new sprockets and a shifter in that time.
For general utility riding I think hub gears are ideal. As @simons… says there’s a lot of benefits. One he doesn’t mention is that (usually) there’s only one chainring so there’s no thinking about should I be in the big, middle or small ring, it’s just move up/down a gear to adjust as necessary, like you say: “less confusing”. I think (from memory) that the Nexus has a 350% range of gears so unless your folks are in a particularly hilly area then it should be fine.
Having said that, the Alfine on my commuter is playing up at the moment something rotten 😳 From what I’ve read, the Nexus is more reliable than the Alfine, it seems like the latter is at the limit of the design that Shimano have taken.
Dad also lacks patience and tends to use the brute force with a BFH approach to fixing things, which I fear won’t work well on a rear derailleur.
At least with a rear derailleur you can see what it is doing and it is pretty obvious – with a nexus you have to ensure that it is adjusted so that the little green mark is within the small window on the hub, and even then it might slip, plus dirt gets into the window blocking the view.
It can then get frustrating so the externally exposed derailleur might be a better idea. Just make sure it is of decent quality.
Plus the hub gears like the nexus can be a little draggy, which you might not notice offroad but can on-road.
One massive + with nexus hubs is the fact you can change gear when stationary – perfect for non cyclists when they set stop at lights and set off again.
The Alfine is the 11 speed, the Nexus is 8 speed. Mine’s the 11spd, gearing can be fine in the morning then with increased temperature, humidity, whatever will be slightly out in the afternoon. Dirt in the groove of the changer arm can affect gear changes as well. The CTC/touring forums have threads on the Alfine, it seems like it’s luck as to whether you get a good one or not.
I converted my sister-in-law’s Raleigh hybrid / commuter from derailleur to Nexus. 2 years on and she absolutely loves it. For this kind of application they are perfect (flat-ish routes, foolproof, faithfully reliable). The only downside is slightly more complicated rear wheel puncture repair.
Nexus / Alfine 8 speed is generally reliable. According to the guy I chatted with in a Danish bike shop, Nexus 7 speed even more so (the majority of Danish bikes still run 3 or 7 speed Nexus).