Alfine hubs and the like

On my city bike I have one of SRAMs Spector gear hubs. Great for riding around town but it is really annoying when you want to change gear that you have to stop pedalling for a second. Just wondering if all hubs gears are like this as it would be really rubbish for a mountain bike. Coming up to a steep climb changing gear and then having to stop pedalling for a second so that it can swap into the next gear. IS that what the Alfine is like?

not so much stop more an “ease” off

A WHOLE SECOND!

Right cancel my Alfine 11 order. Nobody told me that’s rubbish

in the past i had an alfine and now have a rohloff. in both hubs there is no need to stop pedalling, all you require is to easy off during pedalling to change gear.

I think any disadvantage caused by having to back off very slightly is more than compensated for by being able to change to any gear while stopped. I didn’t really think about that advantage when I bought a Rohloff but find it really useful now I have it.

Sorry but even easing off for a moment on a steep climb could lead to you stopping and is also rubbish when you try to sprint from a slow start. I don’t really see the advantage of being able to change gear when you are stopped as the result of being stopped is not moving. You can change your gear quite easily stopped with dérailleur gears.

I am sure hub gears are fine for pootling but they are not really high performance.

I find changing to a higher gear on the alfine you hardly need to ease off at all but changing to a lower gear a concious easing off is needed

No-one told me there were gears in my alfine hub!!

I am just talking from experience of trying to sprint off from the traffic lights and not being able to change up when getting up to speed without easing off. Then climbing up a hill and not being able to change down without stopping. I am sure different hubs gears feel different though.

You can change your gear quite easily stopped with dérailleur gears.

Really?

You can change your gear quite easily stopped with dérailleur gears.

Really?

Erm yes. You are stopped so you change gear get off the bike and turn the crank. Genius.

Some might say that getting off the bike would be a disadvantage…

Some might say you are already stopped so who cares?

I am sure hub gears are fine for pootling but they are not really high performance.

I managed to ride my Alfine to 10th in the male pairs at the 2008 Dusk til Dawn quite happily and it’s got me round a few laps of Afan

For ‘high performance’ cycling as you suggest in your second post then yes the easing off might cost you precious tenths of a second or cms distance, for joe bloggs out riding with their mates it is not noticeable. Even when using derailleurs I always ease off chnaging down anyway, can’t say the alfine is much different and as TJ said you can change up and keep the pressure on. If it’s not for you it’s not for you.

strawman argument.

In a conventional set up you have to have picked the right gear too, you don’t want to be changing under heavy loads.

And stopping for half a second is pretty handy tbf too, a few times I;ve been stalled on too steep a climb, half a second later i’m down to gears and moving again all without putting a foot down, unlike a conventional where I would be stuck.

But the alfine is deffo more of a pootle gear system than a racing setup tbf.

Since nobody has really said “You are wrong I find changing gear no problem when climbing really steep hills or sprinting!” I assume I am right then. I do like my hub gears though. The biggest issue for me though is that the one I have has a back pedal brake in it which makes track stands hard. Would love a Alfine one but just wondered about the disadvantages for proper use.

Some might say you are already stopped so who cares?

I’d stick to a singlespeed if I were you, gears are clearly too complicated…

Alfines – just change gear. Going to higher gear it just clicks down. Going to a lower gear it changes when you go over the 12 o’clock – 6 o’clock position unless you are miraculously smooth and circular in your pedal strokes. Nothing dangling – which should be good for MTB (although mine’s on my commmuta). Have to say there’s considerably more bugg5ration factor fixing flats though.

You are wrong I find changing gear no problem when climbing really steep hills or sprinting.
HTH.
most changes happen instantly, sometimes changing down under load requires a little easing of pressure. accelerating with a front mech requires easing to change on the front, no? and on the rear too, either up or down, unless you change without much finesse.
TBH the flat fixing is a bit more of a pain, but then, fixing a flat is a pain anyway…

anyhoo. get one if you like, or don’t. 😀

edit: alfine BTW.

I am sure hub gears are fine for pootling but they are not really high performance.

At the risk of resurrecting another thread I started, a friend of mine regularly finishes top third in solo marathons on a Rohloff.
He even changes gear while riding up hill without stopping.

FWIW (not much, admittedly), I did find it a little irritating having to back off slightly rather than attacking all the way when climbing with a Rohloff. Going up the gears while pedalling (ie speeding up), normal derailleurs do have an advantage (and going down the gears while pedalling is where rapid rise come into their own).
However, I’d have to say overall from a gearing/ shifting perspective, hub gears still made more sense to me than derailleurs. Didn’t stop me going back to XT shifters and mechs, though :s

GEDA – Member
Sorry but even easing off for a moment on a steep climb could lead to you stopping and is also rubbish when you try to sprint from a slow start.

I am sure hub gears are fine for pootling but they are not really high performance.

I’ve always eased off a little when changing gear on bikes with derailleurs, usually off road riding throws a little dirt into the chainset/cassette and trying to change gear whilst continuing to put full power down often causes the chain to slip.

I’d say the opposite myself. With Rohloff, I think a change down on a steep climb is quicker and with less loss than with D’er. Slap it in at pedal TDC. I’ve never got stuck in the wrong gear on a slope. There’s not a D’er rider who can say that’s never happened to them, however good the plan. With the Rohloff the ease-off is so ultra quick, the pedals don’t stop. Never tried an Alfine mind you, so no comment there.

And anyway, if you keep full tourque on a D’er you often ask for it..

FWIW I’ve got an old bike with a 7 speed Nexus, having to back off for gear changes is a little bit annoying until you get used to it. It’s nowhere near as annoying as trying to put the power down, having the gears skip and then cracking your nads on the crossbar though.

Hopefully my next big bike purchase will be an 11 Speed Alfine (assuming it gets good reviews).

If you don’t ease off when shifting with a derraileur, you will end up snapping your chain. So what’s the problem with easing a bit on a geared hub? Does it wind you up that you can’t just ram your car into a lower gear without using the clutch?