Shimano Alfine or SRAM i-Motion?

Tell me about your experience with using these geared hubs for offroading. Durability? Flexibity in gear ratio? Setup – e.g. easy to use with your choice of brake? etc.

I’ve not put enough mileage on to be able to comment on durability, but with a 32/20 setup it’s about the same spread of gears as the middle ring with 12-32 I think.

No problems setting up, centre-lock mount so I’m using an A2Z converter with a old-style 165 Mini disk.

There’s also an eight-speed Sturmy Archer hub which is disc compatible to consider as well, just to complicate things, which is around £157.

Oooh, more options!

I Got a Genesis iO iD just before Christmas.

I’m running it as stock from the shop and it’s great! I mainly ride on the Malverns, which has a lot of Up and Down and I was worried about managing some of the steeper climbs with the range on offer.

I can report that I have tackled even the steepest bits without any problem. Infact, if they can ensure that the hub becomes suitable for more than ‘light xc use’ then I can seen no reason to remain with deraileur systems on mountain bikes in the future.

Ben

How about if you added a Hammerschmidt as well, would that be like a double or would the gear ranges cross over?

gearing would cross over, but no more than normal, only the last 3-4 gears are “new” each time you shift the front ring. But with a straight chainline there’s no reason (assuming the hubs can take the torque?) that you can’t ride in the theoretical 22 on the hammershmit and be in top gear at the hub. Giving a propper low range set of gears for climbing and normal gears for elswhere.

ohh and the reason ive not jumped straight on the bandwagon,

derreilieur 200g
cassette 250g
hub 400g

shimano alfine 1.6kg!

Thats got to make braking bumps a nightmare surely?

finished mine on new years eve but only done 80km on it so far, but set up was easy, running 32/20 on a ti29er, the bike is light and only notice the weight when handling the rear wheel alone

pros – quite cheap really, smooth changing, no rear mech to destroy at MM/SITS

cons noticed so far include – shifter doesn’t sit in my preferred location (too far inboard), feels a bit dragging in the low gears, cable still stretching resulting in gear changing from 2 to 1 a bit effy

All good info, keep it coming!

i have put about a thousand miles on mine in all sorts of condition and places, has not missed a beat, changing from 4th can be a touchy notchy if you dont back of the pedals,yes its not a light hub but its just so maintanence free

I’m running 2, one on an iO and one on a Rig (29er). They are both great once you get over the initial cable stretch fettling. And I run the Nexus twist grip shifter cos I’ve got a spazzy thumb.

I run an Alfine these are my thoughts so far

PROS – runs through all weather with consistent gear changes, easy to set up, stealthy (runs very quiet), awesome on days rides, cruising around on bridleways, forest trails and the odd singletrack. The bolted rear makes the back stiff.

CONS – heavy rear wheel is noticeable, changing gear underload isn’t great which in turn lends it not to be that great for undulating singletrack where quick gear changes are needed.

I like it but on the right type of ride which is all day riding as mentioned above, very muddy or nasty weather conditions.

Yeah, agree with the shifter comments – it doesn’t interface well even with Shimano brakes.

Hadn’t noticed the draggy feeling – I can’t see how you’d feel it on a mountain bike (but then the iO is the first hardtail I’ve ridden for a while, so it all feels very direct)

TINAS comments about weight: don’t forget the 2 chainrings and front deraileur/shifter as well – I know that doesn’t total 1.6kg but it does bring the comparison closer.

As noted, it won’t change under load too well although a tiny pause in peddling (like a ‘hiccup’)is enough to shift, however I always back off the power on a deraileur system when changing, so for me there’s not a huge difference in the systems. I do love the fact that I can select a gear whilst stationary or freewheeling and it picks up immediately the cranks are turned.

Ben

Who stocks these bloomin things though? {Alfines that is} That’s what I want to know?

Forget about the Sturmey Archer 8 speed – it’s a lump of junk. I bought one before getting an Alfine.

Thanks for all the input peeps.

The Alfine is sounding quite attractive, certainly no one is condeming it aka IMs comment on the Sturmey Archer :¬)

I can live with a little extra weight – makes your legs ‘ard! And being a singlespeeder most of the time love the idea of a neat and clean configuration with all the benefits of a SS with regard cleaning and manitenance.

It doesn’t sound as if any of you have found it lacking in terms of ratio range..? Can you get up the steeps OK without busintg your knee caps?

I’ll probably want to run one with a Hope disk brake set-up. Any comment on that?

And, seems like no one has yet tried the SRAM hub?

Cheers!

Molds

Still no word on stockists? Can’t find them anywhere….

you can get them from singlespeedcentral
http://www.singlespeed.nl/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=60&products_id=184

It’s worth a look here too: http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=154

IIRC with an alfine, it’s like having a standard 3×9 setup but you lose top very top and bottom two or three gears so it’s like a 1×9 with one higher and one lower IIRC.

I have an alfined inbred, I really rate it! I certainly don’t notice the extra weight on the rear wheel, I guess if I concentrated I might be able to but in the real world of riding I just don’t 🙂

I run a 32 up the front and I find it to be the equivelant of a middle ring and 9 speed cassette. Fine for general riding, though I do sometimes wish for a faster top-end gear (is that the right term?) for when you want to go a bit quicker than 25-27km/hr… I might see if I can track down a 36 front ring (does such a thing exist?)

All in all, I like my Alfine… 🙂

Oh, and I have hope brakes as well… you’ll need to splash out on some centrelock to 6-bolt IS adaptors I think. I went with DT Swiss ones and they’re very good (about £15 each though! )

According to Sheldon
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/shimano-alfine.html

The Hub has a range from 1:1615 to 1:0.527 chich in nominal 26" gear inches is 22" to 67" with a 32:20 chainwheel/sprocket ratio

A stock 11-32 cassette with 44/22 at the front is more like 18" to 104". However if you ignore the big ring, then its 18" to 76".

running my Alfine on a Mountain cycle rumble, with slidey drop-outs. It works a treat so far, (not much mileage to date tho’) some strange jumps between gears sometimes, rather like inconsistent spacing between ratios. I’m sure i’ll not notice in a few weeks tho’.

Shimano deore disc (splined) seems to work fine with hub.

quiet, and solid feeling chain, which is a bonus.

All in all….. fab so far.

I’ve just ridden my Alfine hub the once, and it was favourable. I had a bit of problem with getting the lowest gears, but I think this is a cable issue.

Any suggestion or setup tips welcome.

Otherwise very good. Good spread of gears. I did notice the extra weight at the back, but I’m splitting hairs. I got utterly fed up with chain suck, worn chain rings, cassettes, mud fouling the gears and broken or bent deralliers. This is the way forward.

Psychle, which gear do you have on the Alfine? Just ordered one from 18 Bikes, hope its not delayed!

Tom

Anymore for anymore?

Had mine for a year or so now and gotta say you can’t really go wrong as long as you bolt it to a good frame. Plus servicing is well within the reach of competent tinkerers.
http://aol.pixum.co.uk/album/3762026/
Hope linky works

Agree the shifter’s naff and too bulky, and so you lose some positioning flexibility with the brake lever. The shift action is nowhere near as good as even Deore rapidfires. It’s rapid-rise layout, which I’m not keen on. Nexus twistgrip may be the better option.

All; I am still struggling to make a decision! I have ordered my Pace RC405 frame (DT Swiss shocks at each end) but _cannot make up my mind whether to go for it with a geared hub or run “regular” gears. Can someone try to push me either way?! 😀

Cheers!

Molds

J
F
D
I

What’s the worst that can happen? (there appears to be a ready market for Alfine hubs if you want rid after a few weeks)