Hub gears, why not?

supersonic

For every person singing a rohloffs praises, there are 10 putting them down. In reality 9 of those 10 have never seen one let alone riden one.

Possibly, but the weight cannot be denied. And possibly efficiency.

it will be a very long time before we see hub gears on used by XC racers for these reasons, and the majority of XC bikes on the market.

ride_whenever

I don't like the extra weight on the back, rather interestingly I've got to be one of the few people who's ridden two identical bikes, one ss and one with a rohloff on the back! Didn't really like the drag much the twisters, whilst i didn't like them, i'd imagine i'd get used to them.

There'll be one on my next project (or possibly the one after that [i can't keep track of my plans]) which will be a cx bike with suspension and hydraulic disc brakes, or a 29er with 40mm tyres and drops depending on how you want to look at it. This will be hub geared although i'll probably put an alfine on it to use the drop bar hub gear shifters.

marksteven

Ive comuted 100 a week & done some sunday rides + a bit of touring on my alfine bike its slower than a normal geared bike but only just 2 nasty winters & no probs just keeps getting smoother oil bath is a piece of cake too i cant recommend it stronly enough especialy for a commuter / tourer

supersonic

That is what it comes down to in the end - weighing up the pros and cons and making that decision. For many the weather proofing and maintenance free aspect is a big advantage.

RealMan

billysan wrote:

For every person singing a rohloffs praises, there are 10 putting them down. In reality 9 of those 10 have never seen one let alone riden one.

Really? I don't think I've ever met a rohloff basher.

wobbem

Yesterday I rode a narrow single track and scraped the derailluer with brambles. My 6 month old XTR shadow foulled up and snapped.
3 months earlier it fouled in mud and broke the carbon inner hanger, ( I replaced that with a cheaper XT version)
The only broken part on the shadow is the lttle linkage connecting to the rear hanger but does Shimano offer a spare, NO buy a whole new derailluer . :evil: Arse. So I'm ordering an XT shadow and swap parts but I'm am seriously waiting for the new Alpine.
Do you reckon If I moan to Shimano they would send a replacement linkage?

supersonic

Contact Madison or a Shimano Service centre for spares. Get the part code from the tech documents.

ratty2k

woodnut wrote:

I've noticed looking at US websites that hub gears seem to be much more popular on MTBs over there.
To me they seem ideally suited to the soggy conditions in the UK, but they don't seem to have caught on so much.
I wonder what puts people off, the range, the weight, or the limited choice of ready made bikes?
Also I'd quite like to build up a 29er with an Alfine in the future, anyone else done that or considered it?

Just to chime in myself....
I have the 8 spd Alfine hub built into a 29er wheel (and rest of the bike as well....) and its fantastic, cheap, reliable, not that heavy, c'mon folks, its not like a 50lb sack of spuds out there is it? I only ever notice the weight of it when physically picking the bike up to go over a fence/ gate/ whatever... The older triggershifter is a bit bulky, but works fine. The newer Alfine when it becomes available is going to get on my Orange On-One SS456 as this is my winter bike and for Peak riding in all that lovely grinding paste we call mud.... Will be a godsend.
Oh, my Alfine'd 29er....