Almost every new model bike coming out now has through axles.

It was bad enough that frames generally lack the ability to adjust the chain tension, but it was possible to get round that problem.

Now that through axles are the common standard, the only hub gear available is the Rohloff which is the gold-plated option.

Has anyone heard of anything coming from Shimano that would suit?

I fear the days of the fully enclosed long life gear system are over for mtbs and gravel bikes.

This has nothing to do with boost.

I fear the days of the fully enclosed long life gear system are over for mtbs and gravel bikes.

I fear there are you and about 6 other people using them, none of whom would ever buy a boost frame anyway.

I fear the days of the fully enclosed long life gear system are over for mtbs and gravel bikes.

Pinion and effigear, among others, may disagree.

I’m sure Shimano will make a through axle hub gear soon enough.
Through axles are going to get more common on touring/trekking/hybrid bikes. Shimano already make a thru axle dynamo hub, which is a similar sort of niche market.

Putting Alfine Bike into Google still comes up with plenty of 2020MY gravel and light off road options.

My experience of current Sturmey hubs is the sealing (or complete lack of) isn’t up to winter off road slop, and even the “old” mtb standard of 135mm axles was a factory supplied bodge of spacers, long easily bent axle (due to the spacers and very inboard bearings) and awful chain line. So they were almost a self inflicted non starter before boost ever showed up.

Alfine was never really intended for MTBs though, it just shared a hub spacing.

I thought alfine was intended for MTBs – nexus being the rim brake commuter option

And whilst epicyclo is around – do you want any more Quasar forks to add to the collection?

In one piece but a bit scruffy and elastomer has gone rather squidgy. Foc if you want them 🙂

Alfine was just posh Nexus for sports hybrid bikes – I think some needle bearings in place of bushings.

@mick_r yes please. 🙂

I agree about current S-A hubs, they would be better to rely on oil so they could be flushed out like we used to do.

Best suited to gravel bikes.

Wouldn’t want to jump one though. 🙂

I thought alfine was intended for MTBs – nexus being the rim brake commuter option

From Shimano:

Hit the town in style, with ALFINE — a high-grade groupset built for the sophisticated urban rider. Along with its premium build quality, ALFINE brings you finesse, versatility, and effortless operation. Whether in an 8-speed or 11-speed configuration, ALFINE presents a clean look and a wide gear range that serve to enhance any frame.

Support for cross bike and road bike styles
Highly efficient 11/8-speed internal geared hub
E-TUBE platform for optimum flexibility
DI2 shifting system for internal geared hub

Narrow wide with a clutch killed off my alfine.

You can have a 142×12 or Boost compatible Speedhub if you want.

You can have a 142×12 or Boost compatible Speedhub if you want.

You can indeed, was mentioned in the first post.

I thought alfine was intended for MTBs

No, the Genesis iO Alfine was done without formal ok from Shimano, Genesis/Madison had to back it themselves. Wasn’t a problem for XC use though as long as it wasn’t geared too low.

My commuter Alfine does seem to tolerate neglect… But I’m probably storing up trouble as the early ones had a reputation for getting written off due to bearing race corrosion.

And some Sachs treasure to excite the OP

The hub gear – the thing everyone thought was going to be great 15 years ago IF they could make it much lighter and less expensive. 15 years later and as far as I’m aware, 99.9999999% of mountain bikes still come with those dangly gear changer things.

I guess the question is, can something be killed off that was never really ‘alive’?

The hub gear – the thing everyone thought was going to be great 15 years ago IF they could make it much lighter and less expensive. 15 years later and as far as I’m aware, 99.9999999% of mountain bikes still come with those dangly gear changer things.

The problem is dangly gears work brilliantly, until they break.

Hub gears work pretty poorly*, until they break.

You’re just trading off one theoretical failure, for a different one that while less likely is still going to happen eventually (but perhaps more likely to be found as a chronic wearing out in the workshop than an acute rock-mech interface).

*be honest, they feel like pedaling through treacle, the ‘shifting’ isn’t great, the freewheel feels vague. I like the hub gears on my commuter, but it constantly feels like I’m about to rip it apart every time it shifts.

I’m currently looking at new frames to use with my 135QR rohloff. I know they are a bit niche, always have been, always will be especially if you wanted a neat rohloff ready frame without sticking on torque arms, monkey bones etc but I’ve noticed it’s even trickier now with through axle and boost sizing.
Most of the new frames come with these new “standards” giving me two choices. Sell my rohloff and buy a through axle/boost one to go with the new frames or get a custom frame made.

Think I’ll go custom as a rohloff doesn’t need the supposed benefits of boost as it builds a dishless wheel and never had problems with it being QR so see no need for a through axle.

Ultimately though it’s such a small market no one really cares enough to accommodate all the options.

thisisnotaspoon
Hub gears work pretty poorly*, until they break…

70 year old hubgear with roughly 60,000+ miles on it on a 150km day ride including 40km of HT550 route

I’ve got a number of vintage bikes with similar mileages and the hubgears all work perfectly fine.

Hubgears can be made to last.

Which hub feels like treacle? That sounds a bit like my daughter’s commuter bike with an Alfine 8. I checked and retensioned the spokes on the OEM wheel. They were adequate, but much saggier than anything I build. Once tensioned up, the hub felt ok. Are you sure it wasn’t a saggy wheel?

I’ve found the shifting on S-A 3 speeds to be reliable and good.

My Alfine 8 speed is now several years old. It still works perfectly. It doesn’t get jumped but it’s been through more than its fair share of bogs and deep mud (it’s on my bog/fatbike). The only maintenance it needs is the occasional greasing and adjustment of the cones. Its gear change is good so long as you remember hub gears need a different technique to derailleur.

I’ve never ridden an 11spd Alfine, mainly because I was suspicious from the start about its longevity (after seeing the exploded diagram), so I can’t comment on them.

Rohloff – I have one but I haven’t got the patience to bed it in until it stops doing an impression of riding a coffee grinder. Yet I know they are dead reliable – my brother does long rides pulling a heavy trailer in the bush in Oz with no problem. His mate carries a spare derailleur for his bike and has needed it.

A roller clutch hub gear always feels a little soft whereas ones with pawls has much firmer drive.

Alfie 8s run a lot better after a dunk in ATF

His mate carries a spare derailleur for his bike and has needed it.

…and yet literally millions of other riders have never carried a spare and have never needed to.

Hub gears killed hub gears by bringing to many inefficiencies to the system.

I have Aldine /rohloff and a sturmey archer.

I preferentially ride a singlespeed because it’s nicer /faster/morefun and all round less shit.

I use my hub gears when it’s just too muddy to get traction stood up.

If I want To go faster than a singlespeed I take derailleur gears. The bike just rides better with them +less drag + less weight at the rear etc etc.

When a hub gear breaks you won’t be finding spares on the move.

nickc
…and yet literally millions of other riders have never carried a spare and have never needed to.

Agree, but I was talking about the comparative reliability in specific harsh conditions.

@trail_rat That’s basically what I run and for much the same reasons apart from the derailleur. I’d use one on the road if I was interested in going aero fast, but a 3 speed S-A allows me sufficient range to maintain audax speeds on a day ride, and that’s fast enough for me.

However I have never experienced the failure of a S-A, nor the Alfine 8, or heard of anyone stranded with a broken Rohloff.

Anyhow, it doesn’t matter what our opinions are on the reliability etc of hubgears, it looks like we won’t have the option to spec them on anything but a commuter bike.
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BTW If anyone has a broken Alfine 8 they don’t want, I’d love to get my hands on it to see what broke.