New bike time is coming . As it says in the title I'm looking for a hub gear tourer. Bikes are for riding maintenance is a necessary chore. So I'm looking for a minimal maintenance bike for long day rides and short tours. Budget upto 2000 What does stw recommend? Suggestions that I post this on a road bike forum will be welcomed but ignored:-)
Not quite enough detail 😉
Do you want to ride fast or slow?
Will you be cycling ultralight or fully-loaded?
Is your route mostly on-road or off-road?
(Cribbed from a blog)
Better not to ask me though because I recently bought a retro 531ST handbuilt British tourer + Brooks pro leather saddle. Absolutely love riding it in every way. Fast and light, strong and simple. Maintenance = change brake blocks once a blue moon, then the chain, cassette and rings come some decade or other. Don’t know when that will be but it’s still working fine on it’s 1989 setup!
Over the years I’ve found that the best ‘maintenance’ for a tourer is to lube often, always store dry indoors and most of all fit full-length mudguards and flaps
If you're staying on tarmac then I'd question whether the amount of maintenance you save with a hub gear (which isn't all that much if the drivetrain's not constantly getting slathered in mud and grit) is worth the expense, noise and (at least perceived, if not real) drag of a hub gear.
I've got a Rohloff on a tandem and I wouldn't want one on a solo, maybe if I was doing a round-the-world trip but certainly not for day rides or short trips; the constant whirring noise alone drives me nuts, as does the need to use a gripshift and a flat bar (or an awkard bracket of some description). The only thing I really like about it is that it can be shifted while stationary, which on a loaded tandem (or indeed any tandem or a heavily loaded solo) is really quite useful. But the maintenance difference is a non-issue for me.
Not sure how much of that applies to other hubs but my experience with a Sturmey Archer 3-speed wasn't great either, for different reasons (not least that it seemed hypersensitive to maladjustment and would frequently disengage drive; maybe largely operator error, but nevertheless it's an issue that I've always resolved in a few seconds if it occurs with a derailleur).
I do appreciate that this post is firmly in the grand STW tradition of completely failing to give an answer to the question you actually asked. Apologies for that 🙂
*Edit
re forgot to mention - IHG - will the range in that price bracket (guessing Alfine 11?) cover your touring requirements? You could I suppose buy a Rohloff Speedhub and fit to a budget touring bike for yr budget. Or a Rohloff and fit to a decent used tourer (as long as they’re designed to use IHG)
Could always buy a Genesis Day One and see how it goes? Save a wad for spending on clothes/luggage/lighting kit.
I really like my 3spd Nexus hub for the town bike/grocery-lugger and wouldn’t change it for anything. But the thought of a hub gear on my tourer/Audax fills me with horror. ymmv
The significant question is can you stretch to Rohloff?
If not your looking at Alfine, I have an Alfine 11. You could consider an Alfine 11 Di2 as it alleviates any cable tension issues.
Drop or Flat bar?
If flat you could consider a Cube Editor. You'd need to swap from belt drive to chain in order to get low enough gearing (i'm going 39/25 soon). You could likely sell on brand new unused Gates CDX chainring / cog & belt very easily as there is a shortage on them right now & they are damn expensive so you could claw a few hundred quid back.
Also see BMC Alpenchallenge & the Canyon commuter type bikes.
Shand.
Spend as much as can. They have a variety of hub geared bikes.
My mate has a genesis day one, alfine 11.
He seems to fiddle with the cable adjuster most trips.
There is drag, it’s not massive, but it’s definitely there. His lbs told him that his hub spins better than most alfine 11s do.
His bike is certainly heavier than my (considerably cheaper) charge filter (10spd tiagra from 2012)
None of those things are actually that big a deal tbh.
But I’ll tell you what is, if you go for drop bars the only 11spd shifter is the versa one,
And bluntly, it’s not in the same league as a proper shimano one.
My advice then is go for the di2 version, or flat bars.
Edit: despite my criticism, the genesis remains a very nice bike overall.
Thanks all above. I won't be touring any more than a week or two at a time. I live in Fort William so will be doing mostly day trips on a mix of hilly roads with a fair per centage of off road so off road capability will be the default setting.
Bigblackshed I think you're right, my girlfriend disagrees.
Shand would be the people I'd start with, but suspect Spa, Thorn or SJS will be able to help too
Cyclingabout is an excellent website for bikepacking and touring. Alan's reviews are well written and he's ridden hub geared bikes all round the world.
Great Youtube channel too
I'd go Shand aswell, especially as you are in Scotland. They post a lot of the bikes leaving the factory on their Instagram account, understated loveliness.
Thorn Mercury served me well. I kinda wish I had kept it as the point of a Roholf hub is the a lifetime of use!!
I built a dropped bar version and made a great winter bike/ commuting bike and touring bike .
I did LEJOG on it and had various trips bike packing with it . The gearing was fab for touring.
But I sold it to fund another bike project.
What's the reason for hub gears.
I've had/have most of them. I wouldn't thank you for any of them on tours.
I took 8speed claris on my last tour across northern Canada and left my rohloff in the garage Didn't need any maintainance.
Wouldn't waste my time with Alfine/nexus they are a pain in the arse. -we have had 3 . Only one left .
As already stated. Maintenance is not an issue for tours up to a month or two. For wide gear range 3*9 and 47c tyre clearance with mudguards plus a bike with various options you can choose the Spa Wayfarer. Good handbuilt wheels as well. And well under budget.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s225p3866/SPA-CYCLES-Wayfarer
finally ordered a genesis day one to replace my SS commuter.
whats good in the world of full guards, rear rack and panniers?
panniers need to easily swallow - shoes, socks, boxed shirt, towel and occassionally laptop and bits?
After a lot of negotiations Shand won and I am going to be the proud owner of a Daunder rohloff Thanks all for the advice
Contrary to the others above I love hub gears especially for touring bikes. I have used rohloff and SA 3pd and alfine 8.
the shand is a great choice
Oooo, nice bike.
Pics required of course when it gets here.
£4k commuting bike supplied without guards or rack, or lighting? Peak STW 😉
(Looks ace, OP)
whats good in the world of full guards, rear rack and panniers?
Good? Possibly whether riding much offroad whether you’ll want plastic/composite guards or metal
For general touring I’d be more than happy with SKS guards, Tubus racks, Ortlieb panniers. I like to ‘float’ the guards when fitting by using leather or rubber washers everywhere possible, then fit and forget.
Posh touring/Randonnée? Honjo aluminium guards, Velo Orange Campeur rack, Gilles Berthoud panniers
Some good (if slightly dated) reading here:
https://www.cyclingabout.com/mudguards-and-fenders-for-bicycle-touring/
Too late for a not-very stealth ad?
Im selling a Ridgeback Advance with an 8sp Alfine Di2. Discs, racks, mudguards, etc. I'm 5'11" and about as short as is suitable for it,
The modern answers are
PDW full metal fenders
Tubus stainless steel racks
Ortlieb seem to be the go to but from what I see they are good at being waterproof when new but don't last and rattle We are still altura orkneys from 2008. They have been round New Zealand , Australia , west and northern Canada and the Rockies , Scottish islands and many years of daily commutes.
Did you spec the Dyno hub from Shand. Highly recommend b+m iq-x and top light + for rear for fit and forget touring.
@p7eaven Definitely peak stw 😊 I'm hoping that this bike will outlast me tbh.
@trail_rat Yes I did opt for the dyno hub from shand complete with USB charger socket I have plenty of bike lights but it'll be good not to have to remember to charge them or swap them from bike to bike. This is also very peak STW.
I’m hoping that this bike will outlast me tbh.
No probs. Steel repairs easily.
I bought my 1980s (531 super-tourist) from a bike mechanic who was in his 80s. It was £80 to me and it came with a NOS cassette. It has a few spots of paint touched up but otherwise runs like a dream. The old guy proudly handed it over with the words ‘I’ve ridden a lot of bikes, but this was the best of them’.
Can’t see why another 30-40 years is impossible on this old thing, so you should be well set up for handing yours over with similar pride when the time comes 😎