Mike Mills

So, what are the attributes/contraints of the Shimano Alfine versus Sturmey-Archer X IGH's?

Other than Rolhoff (too expensive and cabling is too clunky), are there others I should consider?

I saw an SA XRD and XFD pair for sale and was comparing these to the Shimano Alfines. They are both 8 speed IGH. How do they compare? I've never seen either up close and personal. If you were buying one, which would it be?

KonAaron Snake 

I have 9sp Sram and like it just fine...I think it shifted favorably compared with Shimano.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Technically SRAM (as Fichtel&Sachs) has been making Internally geared hubs for nearly as long as Sturmey Archer. AFAIK they are very reliable.

jtgotsjets

I have little to compare it to, but the Alfine hub on my girlfriend's bike is a-mazing. Dead silent and shifts smooth as butter. Wouldn't hesitate to put one on each bike I own.

canyoneagle

I've put many miles on a Shimano Nexus 8 speed with no issues.
My primary bike now has an Alfine 8 and it is really nice (significantly better than the standard Nexus 8, IMO), especially in combination with the superb J-Tek bar end shifter.
The Alfine is smooth, super fast shifting, silent, and offers a terrific gear range. My only gripe is that the step from 5-6 is larger than I'd like, as it is in the "cruising" zone where it would be beneficial to have closer spacing.

Shimano is on the cusp of releasing its much anticipated 11 speed Alfine, which has even better internals and is an oil bath hub like the Rolhoff (easier to service). It also has closer ratios with a bigger step to first gear. Me likey what I see.

I have no direct experience with the other offerings, but understand that they perform quite well.

nlerner

You might search around in the archives of the Geared_hub_bikes Yahoo group as you'll find plenty of opinion on the topic:

https://groups.yahoo.com/group/Geared_hub_bikes/

Neal

Grand Bois

I stopped considering the Shimano hubs when Neal posted that he tried one and didn't like it. Since we have similar taste in rides, I assumed that I wouldn't like it either.

My Sturmey Archer S5-2 is my favorite so far. I'd buy another if I could find one at a decent price.

nlerner

I actually tried two: Shimano Nexus-7 and Shimano Nexus-8. I didn't like either, but, then again, I ride single speeds a great deal and don't shift much when I'm on multi-geared bikes. Ymmv.

Neal

Mr IGH

Sturmey Archer 8 speed isn't well liked on normal sized wheels, 1st gear is 1:1, difficult to have reasonable gear range because of this.

Shimano Nexus 8R36 and Alfine 501 are very reliable, the 5-6 step sucks for road applications, very rugged, can be used on MTBs.

SRAM i-Motion 9 has nice even steps, well suited for road applications, can't handle MTB applications.

Mike Mills

Do you come into my threads and crap in them just for fun, or what? If you have some personal beef with me, take it elsewhere. In the mean time, stay completely out of my threads.

Is this board moderated at all? I'd like to get his post edited or removed, altogether.

Mr IGH

MM, take it easy, I forgot the sorry! Beside, if you ignore my advise and actully buy a SA 8, you'll regret it

canyoneagle

Umm, huh?
I must have missed the part where Mr IGH sent out the death threat and/or useless information. Oh, wait, there was (what I read as) a light-hearted jab after an otherwise very contributory post.

Back on topic, I know the Alfine has a pretty avid following amongst the mountain bike crowd (in the UK, mainly), and seems to perform well under a wide array of conditions. The new 11 looks to be more robust and has been touted as a MTB-worthy application.

I've read mixed reviews on the SA S3X - mainly that there is a small amount of play between forward rotation and "resisting" to slow the bike. Otherwise, downshifting while slowing down has been compared to doing the same in a manual gearbox-equipped car.

mickey85

I can't really see this as a huge disadvantage...if your rear wheel happens to slip a bit and your chain loses it's super-tight tension, you feel a bit of play...and that's just with one gear! I think I could live with a bit of play in a 3 speed fixed gearbox...

Back on topic, if you went with a 14 tooth sprocket on the Sturmey and a 52 tooth front ring, wouldn't that essentially be like putting an 8 speed freewheel on the back? I think that might be kinda nice...

Grand Bois

Which SA hub are you talking about? I can't imagine using a 52/14 with any SA hub I'm familiar with. The 8 speed would be useless, since first gear is 1:1 and 2-8 are overdrive.

Mike Mills

The hub I was looking at was a S-A X-RD and a similar X-FD.

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Here's the front hub -

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

mickey85

Nevermind. I was thinking backward about the 8 speed...

Andrew F

Does anyone have this built into a C&V bike? Some photo's would be cool.

Grand Bois

I found pictures by doing a Bing search. I also found that it weighs 1920 grams. That's more than 4.3 pounds!

Mr IGH

I have one built into a 26" powder blue Schwinn Sports Tourer frame. It's not really C&V, everything except the frame and seat clamp is new...It even has a disc brake in the front. For the road, I think the im9 is the best value, the Alfine 11 may displace it.

Mr IGH

you need to run a 33x25 or something lower to make that hub work on a 26"/700c/27" bike. Lowest gear on a SA 8 with 52x14 is 100", highest is ~300".

Mike Mills

Yes, but it does include a rear brake, too, and does not need a rear derailleur or a freewheel, so a lot of that weight is offset by savings elsewhere.

KonAaron Snake 

Mine is on a non-C and V frame...I have it on a Surly Karate Monkey, which is a tig welded, sloping top tube 29'r mtb.

Grand Bois

That argument would make more sense if you were talking about a 2 pound 3 speed.

Mr IGH

IGHs are not for weight weenies, if bike weght was important to me, I wouldn't ride steel frames either.
I assume you're at 5% body fat?

Mr IGH

'cause that's the only way that argument has any weight (I'm a punster )