Alfine 11speed users. Your experence sought

Hi all,

So is anyone running Alfine hub gears on here? Any problems? Do you notice the extra weight in the back end? How are you finding the spread of ratios?

Cheers
Si

[pulls up chair, for future reference]

There was a fairly comprehensive thread on SnootyTrailcentreWarrior a while back:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic ... all-thread

The gist of it was that the C of G only moves back about 30mm but you can still sense the concentration of weight in the hub.

I remember passing a chap riding the 8(?) speed one at the big dog last year and he was doing a lot of swearing at it I asked him if he did that a lot and he replied in the affirmative.

I have tried the 8sp and found it smooth as silk, the weight was noticeable on lifting the bike only, the balance is way off with one fitted, though it was on a non suspended dale.

The great thing apart from bombproof built, was the fact you can change gear at a standstill. Came in handy around town, on the beach etc.

You could be in top gear, emergency stop, knock it down, then lat off up a hill of from traffic lights.

11sp is going down well with the fatbike groups in hard areas.

IGH section on mtbr

http://forums.mtbr.com/internal-gear-hubs/

I've no experience of the 11 speed but I've been using the 8 speed for a couple of years now.

The only negative (for me) is the weight - it's most noticeable when you pick the bike up to chuck it over a gate or fence but you do notice it a bit while you're riding too. It just takes a bit more unweighting to get the back wheel up steps and over logs and the same with endo turns on downhill switchbacks - you've just got to exaggerate your weight shifts a bit.
Being able to select a gear when trackstanding or coasting is something that you only appreciate when you go back to a derailleur system and realise that you can't do this.

Engagement feels "soft" (it's the roller clutches) and if you have come from a fast engagement hub like a Hope SS (and, if like me, you tend to ratchet a lot in trialsy type sections) then it takes a bit of getting used to.
The weight fairly low at the back does make the bike feel very "planted" on steep techy stuff though.
For the sort of riding I do I love it, no mech to get caught in heather and branches or drag along in the mud, no chainslap, less faffing and cleaning time.
I've got mine geared low, at 32:23 - I don't mind the lack of top end speed because I'm used to riding a singlespeed, I think I can spin pretty well and I don't have the brute strength to push huge gears on the flat anyway.
Most of my riding is all up, or technical and slow or steep down anyway, plus I'm no racing whippet anymore. Having said that, I did do one race on it last summer and felt quite smug every time I heard derailleur gears ratching and grinding after being caught out by some steep little blind climb.
I did ok too - probably as well as on any other bike.

From what I read, the last iteration of the 8 speed (SG 501) is proving more reliable than the 11 speed - there seem to be a few people complaining of indexing problems etc.

The internal gear hub is best invention since flushing toilets and sliced bread

I have no experience with the Allfine but my regular non-retro ride is a Rohloff equiped bike. The weight is noticable in the beginning, but so was the weight of your first suspension fork. You mostly notice when bunnyhopping or doing some of the higher drop-offs. But you get used to it quickly.

Immediate and standstill (or non-pedalling, during) gear changes are fantastic. Standing on the pedals in downhill you already can select the right gear for the next climb. Cable stretch does not affect the shifting (the clickety mechanism is in the hub, not the shifter) and maintenance is close to nill. The biggest plus: it's virtually impossible to make shifting mistakes and on wet muddy rides, the IGH always works.

Frankly, I am surprised I don't see more IGHs on here in the 98+ section. Most members coming from a rainy island and all that

How does the weight of an internal geared hub compare with a front and rear mech, 2 extra front chain rings, rear hub, cassette, extra shifter, extra outter and inner cable, longer chain etc?