Commuting - internal hubs and roller brakes...what's the verdict?

Hi everyone,
I have been reading about internal hubs and roller brakes for a while as I am considering a Giant XTC N7 with Nexus 7 hub and roller brakes. I commute in London in all conditions (mostly humid and wet) 15 miles to my office. I am confused as to whether nexus 7 and roller brakes would make a slick, low maintenance, hassle free and smooth commuting combination or a nightmarish duo given the complexity of these technologies. Any genuine opinions from users? What are the pros and cons? I would be most grateful for your thoughts as I am, rightly or wrongly, lured by the neat and clean and trouble-free ride that internal hubs and rollerbrakes seem to offer but I may be too optimistic.

Good and sunny days to all!
A London Commuter

internal hubs sap a bit of energy right?? coaster brake sounds fine for a city commute.. although there have been many times when I needed both front and rear brakes to slow me down in energency situations. make sure you have brakes on both tires!! unless your commute is at a very leisurely pace.

~Steve

I have over 10,000 miles (16,000 km) on my front and rear roller brake and Nexus-7 hub. The roller brakes have required adding grease every 2,500 miles or one year. The hubs have required refilling every two years. I've had the shifter cable break a few times, but otherwise no problems. I ride every workday -- rain, snow, heat, cold. During the summer, I have been towing my daughter to day camp in a trailer, although she has now graduated to an Adams Trail-a-Bike. That is 65 pounds of child and carrier, up some significant hills that have involved standing on the pedals with about a 30 rpm cadence. No need to oil and adjust the chain more than a few times a year.

The brakes are great -- no pads to wear out replace, or adjust. No brake dust on my suit. No need to replace my rims every winter from sand abrasion.

Drawbacks. The Nexus and rollerbrakes all are heavier than their sport bike counterparts. Figure on an extra pound or two for the hub and for the front and back brakes. That's maybe 6 pounds more than an equivalent derailleur/rim brake bike. You will either be horrified or think, "good -- today's bikes are all so flimsy." There is some energy loss with the Nexus hub. I don't notice it, but you may. Some people do notice it, and it bothers them. The total range of gear ratios with the Nexus is less than that of a 21 speed bike. I think that this could be a significant problem for some people in hilly locations. The Nexus hub is not recommended for offroad riders or for heavy people (over 200 pounds). Evidently, there are some maximum torque limits and a sensitivity to heavy jolts.

The rollerbrakes require significantly more hand pressure to get the same deceleration as provided by a rim brake. I would not advise them if you lack grip strength.

They are not for everybody, but they have worked very well for me. Personally, I would not consider having a primary commuting bike with rim brakes or a derailleur. If you add required maintenance time to total riding time, my bike is very fast for a given distance.


Hope this helps you decide.

Paul

Paul/Steve, you have been extremely helpful with your prompt and insightful comments. I do feel significantly more comfortablw with what I am getting myself into.

Good days!
A London Commuter

I have a commuter with a Nexus-8 and rear roller brakes. I agree with PaulH on his assessment of the internally geared hubs but I am less than impressed with the roller brakes. I ride in hilly areas and I would not feel at all safe relying SOLELY on roller brakes. The roller brakes would only slow me down going down hills whereas my front v-brakes would actually be able to stop me. I can not count the number of times I had to stop quickly due cars, pedestrians, etc. I would recommend something with better breaking power as a primary brake.

Hi everyone,
I have been reading about internal hubs and roller brakes for a while as I am considering a Giant XTC N7 with Nexus 7 hub and roller brakes. I commute in London in all conditions (mostly humid and wet) 15 miles to my office. I am confused as to whether nexus 7 and roller brakes would make a slick, low maintenance, hassle free and smooth commuting combination or a nightmarish duo given the complexity of these technologies. Any genuine opinions from users? What are the pros and cons? I would be most grateful for your thoughts as I am, rightly or wrongly, lured by the neat and clean and trouble-free ride that internal hubs and rollerbrakes seem to offer but I may be too optimistic.

Think about coaster brake equipped multi-speed hubs. No fuss, no muss. Positve, No-dung braking under ALL conditions. Plus you can carry a cold/hot beverage container and maintain braking power.

You might also consider thinking out of the Schimano box. Think SRAM/Sachs.

I'm going to bump this, rather than start a new thread. We've just purchased a pair of Electra cruisers for those rides where the tandem is overkill. I've got white rims, she's got green. The front brakes are pathetic rim brakes that seem to leave black streaks on the rim without the benefit of causing any friction. From an aesthetic standpoint, roller brakes would look much nicer, but would they offer much in the way of braking improvement? We're sticking with the rear coaster brake.

Comments and suggestions welcome and appreciated.

I would try to find out what is wrong with the current rim brakes. It could be as simple as fitting some decent brake pads. If the rims are coloured over the braking surface the braking could be poor until the pads wear through the colour to the metal underneath.

My experience with roller brakes is the same as the others, they work and are reliable but are not as powerful as a rim brake.

The pads feel like hard plastic. I don't want them wearing through the coloured surface of the wheel.