[Closed] Amazing Alfine? Or not?

beefy - Member
Just wondering what people think of alfines etc nowadays? I run a carbon 456 with one and a genesis day one alfine...

All this begs the question, what do people think of hub gears nowadays?...

I will never use a bike with external gears again....

Please allow me to see the light?

You've seen the light. 🙂

Still getting on fine with my 11, also on a C456. Doesn't stop me keeping up with my riding mates (fitness does), it's about a 2lb heavier than my previous setup (26.7lbs with Alfine) but feels balanced with the front end weight, it's also been trouble free and cut the post ride cleaning\maintenance right down (especially through the winter), and also doesn't degrade in performance over the same time period as my previous setup would.

[b]Bad[/b]
Weight
Some resistance on steep climbs
Ugly, like the C456 😛

[b]Good[/b]
A lot Less maintaining and cleaning - and chain lasts a lot longer
Quiet
Changing gears without pedaling is handy - sudden change in speed for example on technical trail sections

It still needs improving on but that's just a case of time. I'm curious by the idea of a lightweight 3 speed hubgear, with a gear for higher speed, one for technical (direct drive) and bailout for steep climbs.

I love mine, probably only swap it for a gearbox

I have a pathological hatred for front mechs, so ran an alfine for 2 years. It was great, decent range of gears, zero/low maintenance.

Recently I changed over to a clutch meched 1x10. I now have a similar range, no dropped chains and I still dont need a front mech. The bike feels a lot livelier, the problem with the hub gear is that the rear wheel does feel like a big anchor.

In an ideal world i'd run Alfine in the winter and 1x10 the rest of the time.

They've got to be the future. Durrelliers pushing and pulling chains about just seems so out of place in todays modern high tech world. I just wish they'd release an Alfine that mounts in the bottom bracket area so the additional weight is in the middle of the bike. Obviously you'd need a frame with an enlarged BB shell.

I'm Looking to get one on my Currently SS commuter, but now I've gone 1x10 on my MTB I think I'll be sticking with that on the MTB. Good to know they are robust enough for MTB duty though.

I just wish they'd release an Alfine that mounts in the bottom bracket area so the additional weight is in the middle of the bike. Obviously you'd need a frame with an enlarged BB shell.

Feels way more balanced than any hub geared bike I have seen

the problem with the hub gear is that the rear wheel does feel like a big anchor.

+1, I tried a friend's, didn't like it for this reason.

A lightweight 3 speed could be appealing as @fibre says. I mostly run SS nowadays, 3 would be plenty. It would need to be light! I can't see a big market for it tho as most people buying their first bike think they need 30 gears, and the few SSers about are mostly happy with it.

^^ 2 chains, more wear & tear ballache, that's specifically for FS sport applications I guess tho.

How does the rear wheel come out?

Full details on the zeroed site. Nicolai do one too. You need to account for chain growth in full sus. Mounting the gearbox there means standard cranks etc.

I bought a second hand one, every few months my hardtail gets swapped from singlespeed to alfine or back.

Maybe I should leave it singlespeed and try the alfine on my full suss? Dump the mechs once and for all... Just not sure how the higher top gear will induce bob on the steeper climbs. Older Yeti 575 with a pushed RP23 if anyones tried it..?

I've got mine on a fs, not a problem.

Zerode keep teasing us with trail bike prototypes. I'd love one if they do. Oh and the two chains are only a couple of links longer than a normal chain so very little extra hassle

fibre - Member
I'm curious by the idea of a lightweight 3 speed hubgear, with a gear for higher speed, one for technical (direct drive) and bailout for steep climbs.

Me too, that'd be just about perfect. I know that people have tried the 3 speed Nexus but it has that horrible bell crank stuck on one end of the axle and a twist shifter.
A nice, lightish, weatherproof, disc 3 speed hub with tidy, unobtrusive cable routing and a nice shifter ( a three speed thumb shifter would be fine) please Shimano.

I used the 3-speed Nexus on this bike
[IMG] [/IMG]
for years [just upgraded to an Alfine 8]. You need to be aware the range is extremely limited, quite a lot less than the 8 speed, or the 11 or a Rohloff for that matter. Having said that, it took me many many miles, and was ridden from London to Cornwall with me for some reason carrying the groups water on may backpack? Shifts are good.

The reason it's not on here anymore is the sealing is pants, and by the end it was a mess of rust, water and bits of metal!

Also - Disc specific versions are rare as hen's teeth [AFAIK].

Alfine 8 is great improvement.

Andy R - Member
...A nice, lightish, weatherproof, disc 3 speed hub with tidy, unobtrusive cable routing and a nice shifter ( a three speed thumb shifter would be fine) please Shimano.

How about a Sturmey-Archer RX-RD3?
• 3 Speed internal gear hub with 70mm drum brake
• Rotary gear selector with no protrusions outside the frame

The drum brake adds about 100 gms over the other rotary selection 3 speed hub and I can vouch for the effectiveness of a properly set up drum. (It will pay for itself by not wearing out disk pads 🙂 )

To the OP - do you have a link to instructions for servicing the alfine 8 at all?

Cheers

DrP

Mine has been shite (Alfine 11)

Spewed its internal oil all over the garage, sent it off to Genesis on a warranty, got it back with all new internals and within 3 hours it had done the same. They're sending out another wheel which will hopefully be here today. If it happens again, the full bike is going back.

And the lack of shifting options is gash.

I have a Rohloff on my rigid bike which is an all year round off road commuter. The only realistic alternative to a hub gear for such a bike is a single speed. Unless of course you love cleaning bikes or are happy to keep changing your drive chain. I got 4 years from the last chain and rear cog and that's riding off road all year round no matter what the weather. The only maintenance has been an annual oil change and the occasional wipe of the chain before applying more gearbox oil.

My Alfine 8 still functions well enough but sounds like a bag of spanners, even afer a service. Contemplating a switch to a new one, or an 11 spd. The cost and the potenial reliability issues some report with the 11 put me off.

For a winter off road bike or commuter/cargo bike they are superb imo.

Mine has been shite (Alfine 11)

Katie's has done that as well. Think she's on the third one now and we're just cleaning it up and not adding any more oil. Rohloff's are meant to run fine like that.

Katie's has done that as well. Think she's on the third one now and we're just cleaning it up and not adding any more oil. Rohloff's are meant to run fine like that.

It shouldn't be doing that though. It's an expensive bit of kit that is supposedly bombproof.

Mine's only ever used on roads and the first one has less than 400 miles on it according to Garmin Connect.

I don't know if it's just cheap seals or a shite design; either way, it's not good enough.

Rohloff say that as long as you follow the oil change guidelines then you will always have sufficient oil adhering to the moving parts even if you have a leak. I've had a couple on mine which always seem to occur after a cold commute and then putting the bike in our warehouse with the very large space heater blasting away. It's never caused any performance issues though and the hub is still running well after 7 years.

It shouldn't be doing that though. It's an expensive bit of kit that is supposedly bombproof.

I don't know if it's just cheap seals or a shite design; either way, it's not good enough.

Not sure where the 'bombproof' description comes from. The ancillary/shifting parts don't look especially robust. It's not a Rohloff.

No, definitely shouldn't do it but Madison don't seem able to sort it out and it works (other than pissing oil which presumably will stop when the excess has drained).

I recently took my Alfine 8 back off my Chromag. I loved the way it functioned. It just felt so much more advanced for some reason. However, my bike was already overweight for what it is, and as mentioned above there is too much drag in the system when climbing steep hills. I put derailleurs back on my bike, and it feels like a brand new bike.

I recently changed over to an Alfine 8 on the hardtail~ I was previously running a hope singlespeed hub with a doctored 6spd cassette, due to the added wheel strength you get from a dishless build: when I discovered the Alfine builds almost dishless, I decided to give it a whirl.

To start with, the additional weight out back takes getting used to, and I also noticed the wheel has less compliance due to the shorter spokes, however, all told, I'm sold; it's nice being able to change gear without pedalling and the ability to fakie without the chain derailling is a godsend. Bit early for me to comment on reliability and maintenance, but no doubt it'll prove its worth.

Ultimately, as has already been mentioned, hopefully the future is in a bb mounted gearbox, with standard mounting available to the whole industry.

I have eight speed alfine's on a 26 and 29er. I love'em but I know many that wouldn't. Don't know whether it's just too different or not enough range, possibly. I suspect the main reason is weight distribution, all being at the rear. What I'd love is a pinion gearbox. Central weight distribution, but looks like a bespoke build currently so ££££. I'd like to watch and wait to see how reliable they turn out to be, then take a punt on one if they seem to do the trick.

I'd steer clear of the 11 speed. I found the range great but it was very fussy. I know of some who get along fine, but there is talk of many broken and returned hubs over on the CTC forum.

Love my Rohloff.
Had an Alfine-8 for a while too, it had advantages over the Rohly - crisp gear changes when indexed correctly, and price, but it lacked on reliability and gear-range.

Pining after a Pinion now (see what I did there?)

I had a ride on a bike with an Alfine 11. 2nd gear was broken and unusable, and I found the gap between 1st and 3rd pretty big. From what I've read the gap between 1st and 2nd is the big one. I also felt that 1st wasn't low enough for really steep off-road climbs (I don't know what the gearing was, or if it could be lowered without damaging the hub). I liked other aspects of it, though. I was able to try another similar bike at the same time which had 'normal' gears, and it did feel more lively.

I'm considering buying a used Rohloff from someone - I've not used one, and I've always been put off by the idea of its inefficiency, noise, and weight. However, maybe it's something every cyclist needs to try, and plenty seem to love them.

I'm curious by the idea of a lightweight 3 speed hubgear, with a gear for higher speed, one for technical (direct drive) and bailout for steep climbs.

+2

inefficiency,

noise

weight

Yes, I'm less bothered about the weight. I'm not looking for a silent bike either - it's more that a Rohloff can sound like things are grinding away within the hub (based on overtaking a couple of Rohloffs on long road climbs), and I could easily convince myself that it was slowing me down. I'm still very likely to buy it, though.

Wow, looks like I am not alone! Dr p, servicing is as easy as removing large plastic seal from drive side, undoing and removing disc side cone nuts and sliding the whole thing out of its shell, clean, dunk in auto transmission fluid overnight, grease and refit, will post instructions of I find them.

I love the idea of a light 3 speed too, one thing that did catch my eye a while back was the mountain drive two speed crank, bit pricey though www.kinetics.org.uk/html/mountain_drive.html

This has a good guide.

www.muddymoles.org.uk/reviews/stripping-and-an-oil-bath

It's ok until it goes wrong somewhere away from civilisation, or even in civilisation. A derailleur set up is more bodgeable or repairable as there are many more of them and spares about.

paul4stones - Member
It's ok until it goes wrong somewhere away from civilisation, or even in civilisation. A derailleur set up is more bodgeable or repairable as there are many more of them and spares about.

That's precisely when I'd use a Rohloff.

My brother was been riding the Bicentennial Trail in Oz with some mates, and that can mean 100s of miles from anywhere. He used a Rohloff which was totally trouble free despite the weight of his trailer. His mates had to carry spare derailleurs, cassettes and chains because they broke too easily when subjected to continual grinding through bulldust. For the next venture, they will all be on Rohloffs.

I know the first batch of 11's were bad, mine was a later batch and I've had no problems. The cable tension has to be spot on when setting up and you have to learn to ease off at the right moment while shifting (milliseconds), but once I got used to it I was actually pulling away a lot quicker and harder than my 1x9 XT setup (and my riding mates). I found the gear ratios were fine once I got used to it, same as going 1x9 or 10. I might be sticking on my 1x10 to see the difference during whatever summer we get.

The idea of the 3 speed I suggested would be like a singlespeed plus 2, designed from the ground up for hard use but lightweight, simple gears for speed> tech(direct drive)> climbing. I think a lot of people like me have tried singlespeed and liked it but felt like they needed another gear or two. I missed the speed on the flat and it is hard on your knees and legs on longer\steeper climbs. I have friends who only ride SS and are still quicker, but they are whippets.

They're great until they break or let you down 30 miles from home. Watch the bike shop laugh at you when you ask for a spare nut thing that hangs off the gear cable (that came off down the road).

rumbledethumps - Member
They're great until they break or let you down 30 miles from home. Watch the bike shop laugh at you when you ask for a spare nut thing that hangs off the gear cable (that came off down the road).

It'd be a pretty incompetent bike shop that couldn't rig up something that would do the job (unless it was the same incompetent that fitted it).

Never heard of one falling off.

Love my Alfine, started on my Karate Monkey when it went from singlespeed to gears, now destined for life on a cyclocross Genesis De Fer, when I find a few hours to build it.

8 speed version, never missed a beat. Works well with Verso shifters for drop bars too.

I might try the Sturmey Archer CS-RK3, if I can find where to get one from.
3 speed 75%,100% and 133%, disc brake and will take a cassette (so could be used with a single sprocket and spacers).
[img] [/img]

It's not ancillaries like the nut/cable that are a concern, it's the magic inside. If the spell wears off, how would you fix it when out and about?

I did a 50 on mine yesterday, all bridleway/offroad (though in the Fens so a bit tame). The shifting is very good but you need to be positive with the changes and back off a little to avoid expensive noises.

There is a slight risk with Versa levers in that the cable adjuster is a bit free to move and can/does if you catch it when moving around on the bars. I've put a drop of threadlock on mine and added a telltale so I can see at a glance where the adjustment is.

The only real downside for me is the weight and the ride feeling a bit dead compared to other bikes I have. Still fancy a Rohloff if anyone is moving one on?

I've done just over 1200 miles on my alfine 11 and no major issues. Getting the knack of the gear changing took a while but I seem to be there now, and I'm getting used to the weight. It's not on a particularly light bike to start with so by and large I'll just be pootling on it anyway. For fast road rides I'll use a standard road bike, but the pompetamine with alfine is great for rides with a mix of road/cycle path/track.

No leaking issues here even after I serviced it myself (I was a bit worried I wouldn't get the seal right).

I've recently been touring on it. I was a bit wary about using panniers and adding even more weight to the back, but it was fine - except trying to get it through gates...

[img] [/img]

when magic attacks

and the ability to fakie without the chain derailling

+1 for more gearbox development - the hope of this is the only reason I havent converted to hub gear. put me down as an early adopter for gear boxes though. It should work great for 160mm Enduro bikes - Putting the weight in the middle of the bike - reduce the unspring + rotational mass of a hub gear. And it should be possible to run with no chain tensioning too if the suspension is designed correctly.

11 speed at the cranks, double or triple hub gear on the back.

Plenty of range, better weight distribution.

I'd like a 3/4 speed wide range hub as well.

Tried a Rolhoff, never tried an Alfine, things that put me off in no particular order ; weight, price, noise, serviceability, crap shifter. I guess I could used to the weight, price of the thing was unbelievable, I think I worked out that I could get ten years of normal gears before I'd break even. Rolhoff want it back to do a service, that's sending a hefty bit of kit back to Germany....and no trigger shifter and a really shit quality twist grip thing that was an embarrassment given how much the thing cost.

I can see the appeal if you're a frequent destroyer of normal gears. In 15 years + I've never smashed a mech or been unable to set up gears so they work properly and noiselessly. For me it's solving a problem I don't have.

a really shit quality twist grip thing

Jagwire brake-outers (with lining), and standrad gear inners FTW. I'm just looking into using some V-Brake noodles to tidy up cable bends into the shifter and click-box.

I can't see a 3 speed hub being much lighter than an 8 or 11

The Grip Shift on a Rohloff is a bit industrial, but it's made from Aluminum, Nylon and Steel with a thick bonded Rubber grip and so-far has proved in my case extremely hard wearing [4 years, maybe 50% worn]

According to my copy of the Bodyspace textbook [Ergonomics and such], three sided grips provides more purchase than round ones, and the diameter is 38mm which should provide approx 70% of peak torque about the axis of rotation [Max @ approx 70mm which is a bit big for a bike gripshifter].

While it is rather heavy and rough looking I find it delivers a nice mixture of fast block shifts with the thumb and finger grip and single fingertip and thumb shifts when cruising.

Lastly, having just serviced mine, I can say that a smear of teflon-grease on the mated surfaces and new inners and outers really makes a difference. I use a tiny wipe of Lumpys Crack Wax on the gear inners too, and then thread them into spiral-wound lined brake outer.

On the Alfine, I am using the Nexus 8-speed gripshift, as I understand the trigger shifter is limited to single shifts.

My Rohloff shifter is still running the original cables after 7 years with no adjustments required. It is a bit basic but I can live with that for something so easy to live with.

what is a fakie - sounds impressive on a bike if its anything like the snowboarding equivalent!

A fakie is rolling backwards, still trying to work out if the one at 2:05 in this vid is real:

I have an Alfine 8 which has run flawlessly for a few years. It's simplicity makes it fun to ride and I have it on a 29er which I commute to work on etc. On longer rides I feel there is mechanical loss but this is probably just my fitness. Changing tube when you get a flat is a bit of a faff.

The 3 speed would be interesting but it would need to be a wide ratio 3 speed as the current offerings appear to be approx. 185% range (see http://www.hubgear.net/table.html). I ran a 'singlespeed' with a triple on the front for a while which worked quite well, just gives 3 very widely spaced gears.

boblo - Member
It's not ancillaries like the nut/cable that are a concern, it's the magic inside. If the spell wears off, how would you fix it when out and about?...

Most hub gears are stone axe reliable. Problems are usually down to cable maladjustment. The Alfine 11 has been the exception and is seen as fragile. The 8 speed Alfine is robust.

Three speed Sturmey-Archers were good for at least 50,000 miles 100 years ago. They're probably one of the last non-consumable working parts on a bike. No magic, just plain simple good design properly built.

thepodge - Member
I can't see a 3 speed hub being much lighter than an 8 or 11

S-A 3 speed is 1,040gms, a S-A 8 speed 1,800gms.

Three speed Sturmey-Archers were good for at least 50,000 miles 100 years ago.

I've got one of the new SA 3 speed hubs with disc mount and 135mm axle spacing. It takes a single cassette sprocket (not the old 3 spline sprocket) but still has the axle-end shifter cable.

Pros -

A bit lighter than an Alfine setup.
1:1 is true direct drive and very efficient (unlike Alfine which spins loads of cogs for 1:1).
The other two gears also feel very efficient and drag free.
Quite direct feeling (pawls instead of the roller clutches in Alfine so feels less mushy on power take-up)
Very nice thumbshifter
Cheapish (£100 all in)
Gear range is OK if used to singlespeed (one extra gear each side of ss for road and big hills).
Silent in gear 1 so not annoying when climbing really steep stuff.

Cons-

Still a bit heavy.
No sealing whatsoever.
Cassette sprocket is still held on by a circlip, so need to fiddle with spacers to stop it being wobbly if using other manufacturer's sprockets.
135mm spacing is achieved by a longer axle + piles of spacer nuts - bearings a long way inboard so axle might bend with heavier riders.
Due to axle spacing, chainline is a long way inboard - awful alignment with a regular ss chainring setup (e.g. Middleburn UNO). Alignment is bad enough to burst open half links or ss chain springlinks.
Nuts and anti-turn washers are nasty and low quality compared to Alfine.
Axle end cable roller thing is huge, heavy and might clip your heels - I went back to an old style Sturmey hollow nut.
Setting indexing is a bit of a guess.
If using old style hollow cable nut, it needs a cable stop in just the right spot on your rear stay.
Floppy slack cable in 3rd gear rattled against frame off road and could work loose.
Gear range not wide enough for big steep long hills (I tried and failed in Austria last summer....).
Incessant tick tick tick in gears 2 and 3 just like childhood memories 🙂

So I'd say 50% of the way there, but needs improvement.

mick_r - Member
I've got one of the new SA 3 speed hubs...

Agree with most of that.

When you say setting indexing, are you referring to adjusting the chain toggle to the mark? If so, no guesswork needed.

I got round the slack cable rattle by running the cable down the seatstay as in the pic. I rigged up a clamp on cable stop and adjuster from an old brake adjuster. You may be able to make it out in this pic:

[url= http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4138/4899508908_26ea2879a3_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4138/4899508908_26ea2879a3_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

There used to be a cog with 2 sets of ratios you could get for the hub. That way in Alpine terrain or when doing loaded touring you could slip the wheel forward and use the larger of the rear cogs - obviously you had to stop to do this. 🙂

My 60+ year old Humber has a 3 speed on it, still with the original cog in the oilbath chaincase. Its first owner had it 30 years and commuted on it. The next owner had it for a similar period before I bought it and he used it regularly. The mileage it must have knocked up is pretty big, and yet the gear change is still clean and precise.

When you say poor sealing, just how bad are we talking? Re-grease every ride bad?

I've completely had it with rear mechs. They just dangle there attracting the attention of every rock and root like a dripping nipple to a hungry angry baby.

God help you if you bend the rear mech hanger and try to shit into 1st gear a bit quickly. ****ed mech, wheel, and if you're unlucky ****ed frame.

As far as I can tell the options are Alfine, SA, Rohloff, and Sram. So far I'm 90% certain I'm going with an Alfine 8. Some good deals around at the moment.

Rolhoff want it back to do a service, that's sending a hefty bit of kit back to Germany

I've done hundred and hundreds of Rohloffs almost since they started making them - first one I sold was number 300-odd - and I can count on one hand the number I've had to send back to Germany.

And if I discount hubs that had to go back because someone at another bike shop did something stupid*, that number drops so low I can count it on one finger 😉

*A favourite was trying to bodge the sprocket removal tool and stripping the teeth on the sprocket carrier.

I love the description Bruce!

SA sealing is non-existent - just pressed steel labarynth washers - you can almost see some of the balls. I've only run it in the dry as convinced it wouldn't last a UK winter off road.

Did an oil bath soak on an original Alfine 8 and it was still very clean inside.

Epi - the long axle means I'm using a very long toggle chain (that came with the axle end roller thing) with a very old tube nut I had lying around - so toggle chain does not line up with anything on the nut.

The thumbshifter is like a regular derraileur one rather than old style toggle shifter that had a funny overshift feature. The cable has to be quite slack in 3rd gear to be able to get the thumbie to go into first. If it is only slightly slack in 3rd, then there is too much cable tension to click lever into detent for 1st gear (if that makes any sense).

I've made 2 frames with a cable stop silver soldered in just that position on the seatstay 🙂

Will try and post some hub pics tonight.

Just orded an Alfine 8. It should get a fairly heavy workout since my plan is to fit it on my Dialled Alpine and then take it to Åre bike park for some red and black run fun 🙂

Rolhoff want it back to do a service, that's sending a hefty bit of kit back to Germany.

Bear in mind it was bought second-hand and I had no proof of purchase or warranty.

It cost me nothing. Took about a week start to finish. and Rohloff included a letter apologising for the fast that their product had failed.

Can't say fairer than that really.

I notice that a huge chunk of the hire bikes at llandegla are now running alfine setups

When the bearings in my Rohloff started to go a bit slack (ie felt like the cones needed tightening, if it were a cup-and-cone hub), I took it to my LBS.

Shame there's no LBS any more 🙁

For the Sturmey curious, I took a few (bad) photos last night. Apologies that everything is a bit dirty / garage is a mess 🙂

I also mocked up the Sturmey cable run I use with the tube nut (couldn't be bothered changing wheels for the photo). My 29er has 16" chainstays, so the big lump of Sturmey guide roller, bracket, plastic cover etc would clip heels.

[img] https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lrLFbCs1Y4Y/UZXYfF4dRgI/AAAAAAAAAEs/1zvy5Jl19N4/s640/IMG_1846.JP G" target="_blank">https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lrLFbCs1Y4Y/UZXYfF4dRgI/AAAAAAAAAEs/1zvy5Jl19N4/s640/IMG_1846.JP G"/> [/img]
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

mick_r - Member
For the Sturmey curious...

Maybe you should get a new indicator chain to match your axle length and the nut you are going to use. Then it will be easy to adjust your hub. It's important to get it right because it the teeth aren't fully meshed you risk damaging the internals.

Try [url= http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/page/find/?name=sturmey%20indicator&page=1 ]SJS Cycles[/url] if your lbs can't help/doesn't know.

Or get your lbs to put you on the phone to the distributors for S-A. There's a guy there who knows what fits what.

Edit: BTW there is now a shifter which attaches to your seatpost. Ideal for singlespeeders who don't like cables dangling all over their bikes. 🙂 (SLS30-P or HSJ993, 27.2mm post)

Edit: BTW there is now a shifter which attaches to your seatpost. Ideal for singlespeeders who don't like cables dangling all over their bikes. (SLS30-P or HSJ993, 27.2mm post)

But then it wouldn't be singlespeed 😀 😯

But I get what you mean

If anyone is buying an Alfine 8 (or you want to upgrade your existing set-up, I'd recommend the [url= http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k896/a72866/alfine-gear-shifter-rapidfire-sl-s503-8-speed-right.html ]newer shifter[/url]

Fair bit sleeker than the original chunky beast and has dual release (2 way action) on the finger trigger. Still the reverse of a conventional shifter though.