Hub gears

mikebikemike

I've never used hub gears but am aware now that I'm commuting that the gears on my bike are taking more wear due to urban muck and my lazy attitude to maintaining them.
At some point I'm going to buy a bike specifically for commuting. Obviously hubs/discs will wear better. How differently will they ride? Is having all that weight in the centre of the back wheelreally annoying?

godders1

Not really. Most hubs will be heavier in general but having it concentrated in the hub doesn't really affect handling.

I like my Alfine 8 although weight and the fairly big jumps between gears are downsides. Obviously you can spend more and get lighter hubs with more gears.

Mines done a bit over 2,000 miles since last December and other than slight adjustments to cable tension (which takes about 5 seconds) it hasn't needed any attention at all.

Big_Paul

I have a Nexus 8 with a coaster brake on my Corratec, it's been ok, although my one is apparently one with a seal that can let water on, and because of the coaster brake, you can't dip it in oil if it needs lubricated. The gearing is a bit funny, it's almost like a transfer box on a jeep, gears 1-4 are very low, then a huge gap between 4-5, then 5-8 are the gears you really need.

Biggest downside is the time taken to remove the wheel, what takes 5 seconds on a bike with QR and derailleurs , turns into a fiddling session with spanner etc.

godders1

Yeah forgot about wheel removal. I have Marathon+ tyres so never had to remove it!

mikebikemike

Good stuff. I guess the alfine 11 might get over some of those ratio jump difficulties.

corshamjim

Yes, although whether the jumps between gears will bother you on an urban commute really depends on you and your style of riding. I do find the irregular jumps between gears on the Alfine 8 mildly annoying at times on long weekend rides, but on my 4-mile commute I never have a stretch of road long enough to settle in one gear for long anyway. More often than not I use my three-speed Pashley for the daily commute.

Big_Paul

One thing to bear in mind, is that my hybrid weighs in at something like 44lbs so on a lighter bike the ratio jump might not be so noticeable, there's one hill I would climb regularly, 5th is too high but 4th is too low. Working with Sheldons calculator thingy, the ratio jumps don't look as bad as they feel on the bike.

The Alfine is an excellent hub, but pricey!

The Rookie

FOURTY FOUR pounds........WTH?

choldy

I've been running a Sturmey S2 on my commuter for the last, I find it simplistic and robust for my 7 commute along the back roads of Hampshire

Big_Paul

The Beginner wrote:

FOURTY FOUR pounds........WTH?

That's with lock, panniers, lights, basket, few tools etc.

Even without all those, it's a massive lump of a bike.

godders1

My pompetamine is about 27lbs. Fairly weighty but steel frame, disc brakes, brooks saddle so not entirely the hubs fault!

corshamjim

You lot inspired me to to get the bathroom scales out ...

My Pashley Paramount which I use most often for commuting is 37 lb ( steel frame, drum brakes and hub gears and hub dynamo ).

My winter hack, the Raleigh Mambo, a cheap old steel frame hybrid is 41 lb.

My Charge Mixer, a modern steel frame urban bike with 8-speed hub gears, disc brakes and steel mudguards is 30 lb

The Mixer feels a lot lighter to ride than either of the others. I think that's more to do with having relatively lightweight rims and tyres though than the overall difference in weight.