Internal hub gears - yey or Ney utility commuter bike

andyh01 · September 2018

So looking for a new bike looking at ultegra drop adventure, I'm currently borrowing a hybrid which has 7 gears on an internal hub and got me thinking would I be better off with internal gears.
The things that put me off are weight, initial costs and flexibility of changing gearing or wheels as well as maintenance/repairs if something did go wrong
How efficient are internals compare to std ?
I don't go through that many chains or cassette I occasionally clean and lube the drive chain but not religiously maybe with a new bike I'll look after more then usual
Main use is 9 miles each way commute and everyday riding.
Thanks Andy

asprilla · September 2018

I had one with a Gates Carbon Drive a few years ago. I thought it was the future.

Actually it was heavy, inefficient and and had weird spacing between gears.

Ditched it and haven't looked back.

N0bodyOfTheGoat · September 2018

Had an Alfine 8-speed on my old Saracen Plylon8, absolute bargain bike for £350 back in 2008. Decent spread of gears and being able to change gear while stationary was handy, but I could really feel the weight of the bike up the ~5% hill back home.

Gutted that I found a crack ~66% around the seat post in 2014 near the top tube join... Decided I didn't want to risk losing more teeth by riding it after that! :shock:

CitizenLee · September 2018

I had an Alfine equipped Cube Hyde for a while and it was great in use for my short commute, but wasn’t without it’s issues which ultimately made it more hassle that it was worth.

The main problem was the spokes would go very loose every 100 miles or so. I assumed it was just a bad build from factory then I met a guy at work with the same bike and the same issue. He put Loctite on his nipples (oo-er) which solved it for him. Seems the extra rotational weight likes to work them loose. The strange thing is it wasn’t a progressive, over time loosening, they just all seemed to go…. like they all just decided “nah, we’ve had enough!”.

The other issues were the way the cable attaches to the hub makes it super fiddly it is to adjust cable tension, the fact you’re stuck with that wheel, and the noticeable weight penalty.

I bought a new commuter recently, and didn’t even bother looking at any hub geared bikes this time.

rhodrich · September 2018

I've got a 1978 Raleigh Twenty folding bike (AKA 'Shopper') with a 3 speed Sturmey Archer hub. Perfect for that sort of bike.

For long distances or commuting though? Forget it! Heavy and cumbersome. You're always worried about the difficulty of getting the back wheel off if you get a puncture, so you end up running Marathon Plus tyres, which just make the bike even more unpleasant to ride.

Have you thought about getting a bike with only one gear? All the advantages of a hub gear in terms of maintenance and durability, with none of the weight. I'm not sure where you live, but for most of South East England, gears are pretty unnecessary.

andyh01 · September 2018

Having done a bit more research whilst the Rohloffs super with carbon gater belt I think the cost and weight penalty outweighs the positive of wider ranging gears and maintance/reliability.
Whilst I would like to do a trans continental race through mud/gravel, it's not going to happen. At best may do C2C or LEJOG unsupported in the main day to day use/commute standard derailur gears be fine.

Next question - do I want an electric bike? Probably not

Internal hub gears - yey or Ney utility commuter bike

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