Originally Posted by
iamstuffed
It looks like there's a different dropout (the silver plate thingy) than the regular tikits, so there should be no need for a "magical" sprocket to get a perfect chain length. Also, how would building a wheel with a Nexus hub be any different than building one with a Dual Drive hub (other than the number of spokes)? I doubt they get any of their wheels prebuilt anyway, so it should take the same amount of effort regardless of the hub. They probably have a master guru bike wheel builder upper.
From Harris Cyclery:
HUH19 Nexus 8 Speed Premium "Red Band" Hub $229.95
Nexus 8 Twist Shifter LD822 $24.95
This would leave $420 left over for labor and premium; the cost of the wheel and the spokes should be the same as a regular Tikit. This all assumes they keep the $1675 cost for the final product. Honestly, I don't think they can charge that much for the Model T version if the only difference is the hub.
I'd be more interested in an adapter that would allow the regular Tikit's dropout to tension the chain for an internal geared hub.
You can use the nexus on a vertical drop out if you use the stock 53T chainring and a 18T sprocket on the hub. Works quite well. Call up BF or a local shop and have them build you the wheel.
The nexus hub is more difficult to build because it's heavy and the spokes are shorter. There's a lot of fumbling to be had trying to get all that together and not enough hands. True any wheel that size is a pain, but I wouldn't even try with a heavy hub. They probably do have a guy that does that all day and then goes home and eyes a revolver.
Whatever the market will bear, right? BF is decent sized (25-30 employees) but not that big. Their bikes are expensive because they build in the U.S. and because their sales volume is pretty low because they hand build. Their premium is paying a guy in Oregon probably close to $20 an hour to build that bike plus giving him benefits. You get a bike with no strange whipping boy labor practices from bike builders with teeth.