UncleGreg

So, I have a folder that has 20 inch wheels (swift folder), and I am strongly considering putting an internal hub in for 2 key reasons:

1) Due to a recently altered commute, I will l need to put the bike on a bus-carrier (the kind in front of a bus) fairly frequently - my current dérailleur setup hangs low enough that the bar on the rack comes between the dérailleur and the wheel, and the shake from the bus threatens to bend it. Also, I am sometimes on a train, and its always getting kicked.

2)Reason two is that part of my ride goes by a cement plant, so there is a lot of grit/sand that gets in my drivetrain when it is at all wet outside. I've heard that internal hubs can do better with this, but...

I have a few specific questions:

1) Will sand be more or equally significant problem with the internal hub than the exposed gears? Or will plenty of lube just make the hub clean itself?

2) And if the answer is: "Less frequent cleaning, but more of a significant job when you do get into it", does it make more sense to buy a thee speed instead of an eight, for easier service?

3) Should I expect to find a shop that can effectively service it (In San Francisco)?

4) And finally, with the dirt issue in mind, is there a brand that is sealed more effectively than the others?

Thoughts on any of this greatly appreciated.

Allen

Cleaning is less of an issue.
You don't have to worry about cleaning the insides.
It won't clean itself.
San Francisco should have plenty of LBS that can help.

I rank IGHs in this order:

Rohloff (largest gear range)
NuVinci (strongest, quietest)
Both are in a class by themselves. The NuVinci is heavy but superior for utility or work bikes, the Rohloff is expensive but near perfection in all other areas.

Shimano Red Band

Shimano regular
Sachs SRAM
Stermy-Archer
The above three are about equal in quality.


Of these I've owned SRAM, S-A, NuVinci, and Rohloff, and ridden the Shimanos.
I still have the NuVinci and a couple of Rohloffs.
I would buy a Shimano Red band (alfine or whatever they are calling their upper line now) without hesitation.

jerseybmx

you'll be happy with the nuvinci... and the weight isn't all that bad when u consider that ur take the extra weigh out from ur cassette and derailleur and chainrings and shortening ur chain

Hachi

I know the Bike shop/cafe/bar, Mojo Bike Cafe sells a lot of internal hub bikes, so I imagine they could service it. Aside from that there are so many bike shops within a 7 mile radius that I don't think you would need to worry that much about being able to find a place at all.

pluc

DO NOT get the Sturmey 8. We have had many unhappy clients at our shop. It appears to be too fragile and it's not sealed correctly.

HardyWeinberg

Hey I've got a question; my wife's new shimano 8 on her breezer only spins 15-30 sec when I lift the rear wheel off the ground. Similar effort w/ my regular derailer bike the wheel is still spinning after 90 seconds. Is that typical, is that really the amount of friction inside a gearhub?

Allen

I cracked one in half.

Allen

Yeah that is about right. You don't notice it on the road at all though.
My NuVinci spins the longest, but I think that is because greater weight = greater momentum.

donnamb 

I don't notice it on my Breezer, but that's about how long the wheel will spin on the stand. I'm neither the fastest nor the slowest person out there on my commutes.

HardyWeinberg

Thanks Allen and Donna, glad to hear that!

zephyr

I am a daily bike commuter, typically a 30 mile round trip that includes a lot of rolling hills. I have been riding a similar commute route for over 8 years on a couple of different touring style road bikes with traditional derailer gear systems. Last week I finished assembling a Surly Cross Check frame with Shimano Nexus 8 redband internal hub. The Nexus 8 hub itself requires no periodic internal maintenance or adjustments - that's the beauty of it. Just keep the chain and chainring cleaned up every so often. I built it with Velocity Dyad heavy duty rims, and added canti brakes, Nitto Albatross bars, Brooks saddle and the Alfina trigger shifter. Only thing I have not put on yet are fenders to keep the dirt out of the chain. The main objective of my nexus 8 hub with the cross check is to have a very low maintenance commute machine for any weather conditions. I was expecting this Nexus 8 bike to be noticeably slower than my derailer bikes. The last two days of commuting surprised me, my pedaling times are not any different with the Nexus 8 + Cross Check than with the touring derailer geared road bike (Rivendell Atlantis)! My uphill speeds are not slower with the Nexus 8 compared to the derailer geared bike. My 30 mile roundtrip commutes in rolling hills average just over 14 mph with the Cross Check + Nexus, the same as with a Rivendell Atlantis derailer geared bike. Same rim and tire setup, approximately same overall bike weight. I am very satisfied with the Nexus 8 redline hub, a good deal at around $180.

What kind of rear dropout does your folding bike have? Ideally you have horizontal rear dropouts to be able to move the rear hub enough to take up chain slack. If vertical dropouts, bummer, need to a chain tension gizmo.

unkchunk

I have a Shimano Nexus 8 on my main ride (Surly Cross Check) and on my travel folder (Bike Friday NWT). The folder has 20 inch wheels and by choosing different sprockets and chain rings the amount of "gearing" can be adjusted to suit you individually. As far as getting knocked around on the bus and rain goes, there isn't much that sticks out to get damaged, so it solves that problem. As far as the cement plant dust goes, It is petty well sealed so dust will get inside the unit, but you will have to periodically clean the chain. Fenders and a big old mud flap on the front I think will help out a lot here.

BikeManDan

Here is my little pro/con write up about internal hubs
https://www.bikemandan.com/blog/edito...ly-geared-hubs


My daily rider has a Shimano Alfine 8 speed. Has served well, always shifts nicely, no problems in several thousand miles. Have adjusted it twice now from cable stretch, always super easy to adjust.
The hub is heavy though. When I want to go fast, I hop on my derailleur road bike. I at least can notice the inefficiency and added weight of the system. For city riding I choose the trouble free maintenance and shifting while stopped, I rather go slower for the pros.

I've messed around with the gear ratio. Im running a 38x19 right now and its still not low enough for me to tackle hills fully loaded. I'm going to throw a 21 tooth cog on sometime, the top end I hardly ever use, I need more low.

squeakywheel

That's good to know. I've been kind of eying the SA 8 because it fits in narrower rear dropouts than most 8 speed hubs. The SA 8 would have been a good choice for the OP too because of its relatively high gear range. I think it was designed for folding bikes with small wheels and narrow rear dropouts. Oh well. If they are crap, then I'll have to keep looking for the right hub.

K6-III

...or at least if you were considering the Sturmey 8, wait for the updated model (wide range) to go mainstream. They claim to have improved it in a number of areas.