Plainscommuter

I love the simplicity of the singlespeed and it is really fun to ride, but I am feeling pretty stiff in the knees after applying so much pressure to them. So..., I am thinking of putting an internal geared hub on my San Jose. I have seen Sheldon's San Jose8 and understand that you basically, just install a Hub Bub adapter, put the hub/wheel on and go.

I am looking for feedback from from someone who owns one of these.

Overall, How do you like it?
What about Changing a tire if you get a Flat? I looked at the Giant Trans Send and it looks like you don't need to disconnect the cable from the hub to change a tube. Can this be done with the San Jose?
Would a Rohloff fit?
What is the difference between the Nexus 8 redband and the Alfine (I won't be using disk brakes)?

Any other input that may relate would be appreciated.

Thanks.

DoB

I have a San Jos8. I like the bike a lot as it is comfortable, reasonably fast and reasonably low maintenance. Single speed doesn't work for me mainly due to winds. I simply cannot grind into a bad headwind in a too high gear without my knees hurting terribly.

Flats are really not that bad compared to a derailer bike. I carry a tiny allen wrench in a pannier that I can use to rotate the cable release around to disconnect the cable. It takes about 15 seconds. Then I break the chain and change the flat. I guess I'd say it takes about 2 minutes longer than a derailer bike.

I don't know if a Rohloff fits. To me that is crazy money for a hub and probably not a good value. The Nexus 8 is fine. I've run my hub about 4000 miles so far with no issues and no maintenance.

mconlonx

I set up an IRO Rob Roy frame with the Nexus Redband 8sp, Alfine trigger shifter. I use Nitto Moustache bars in mtn diameter and mounted the shifter inboard of the forward road brake levers.

It's a perfect commuter bike for my 35 mt r/t commute through mostly rural area with a few hills.

When you get your wheel, make sure you let the shop or vendor know what kind of rear dropouts you have--it makes a difference for the anti-rotation washers and the position of the shifter stop when the wheel is mounted. You need the correct kind of washers for your dropout style in order for the shifter cable to mount correctly.

I used zip ties to mount the shifter cable and housing along the downtube and chainstay.

Quick release vs. bolts aside, I think changing a tire on a Nexus wheel is no more difficult than dealing with a derailleur getting in the way of replacing a tire on a regular bike.

The Alfine is supposed to be built to better tolerances with less friction loss and better efficiency t han the Nexus Redband "Premium" hub, but the Nexus is supposed to be Ultegra-level quality and with the alfine rapidfire shifter, I'd very much agree. I am not hankering to upgrade for any reason.

dynaryder

Oi?

You actually have to break your chain? Why? If you can't move the wheel far enough forward in the dropouts to slide the chain off,just add a link.


Plainscommuter: forget Shimano,get a SRAM i-Motion 9. One more gear,easier to remove cable,and much more efficient. I test rode one this weekend and liked it way more than my Nexus 7 and 8.

Sonoma76

That's funny. I have an iMOtion 9 on my swobo and I test rode a Nexus 8 speed a few weeks ago. It was much easier to shift with the Nexus and it didn't slip gears once, which is more than I can say about my SRAM.

zebede

1. If you gotta break your chain frequently get one those new fangled master links. After 20 years of carrying a chain tool I tried one of these modern marvels. They work well.

2.I am an old fart. I have a knee pressure issue. I expierince problems if I don't take it easy (10-11 mph) for the first 3 miles. If I jump on the bike and hammer like you youung dudes I wil know it tommrow. So I'm just saying if your not warming up and maybe you can handle the gear you have.

3. I bought a single speed mountain bike for going to the grocery store. Rather reduce the gear I'm gonna get some lighter tires maybe slicks.

zephyr

I recently finished putting components onto a Surly Crosscheck frame that I bought several months ago. I laced a Velocity Dyad rim with the Nexus8 redline hub. You should not have much trouble converting a San José into a San Jos8, much easier than building up a bike from scratch. My crosscheck has upright albatross bars which fit the Nexus shifters without a hubub. I'm not a twist shift fan, so I got the Alfine trigger shifter, which works great with the Nexus8. I rode the Crosscheck with Nexus about 150 miles last week for my commute rides and enjoyed it a lot. Use the gear charts at Harris Cyclery website to decide how low you want the gearing. I have lots of rolling hills around my area and am over 50, so I like my low gears. I put a 38 ring on front and 21 cog on back (which came with the Nexus8 hub). It's great on the uphills. On the downhills, my RPM in 8th gear maxes out at about 26 or 27 mph, then just tuck and coast.

I read the Nexus hub instructions a few times and looked at all the drawings to figure things out. It's not all that complicated. Only thing is I have to carry a big wrench when I ride the cross check in case I have to loosen those rear hub axle bolts for a flat tire. Nothing in my tiny folding wrench kit will help with those things. Did I mention I got a flat tire 2 miles from home on the maiden voyage? First flat tire on the road in 2008, and it had to be on my first Crosscheck Nexus ride. It was a 1 1/2" nail which would have torn into any tire out there, so I didn't feel too bad. At least there was no guessing as to why or where the flat occurred. Good thing I had that big wrench.

Sirrus Rider

Rejoice! That's what a Brooks tool roll is for! To hold and conceal a set of 12" Crecent wrenches to remove non QR wheels!

dynaryder

I just ordered a Dixon after test riding one. Shifted fine,and I was running it up and down hills to check out the gear range. Never had an issue with shifting any of my hubs(i-Motion3,Nexus7/8),but the i9 def had less drag than the Nexuses(Nexi?).

K6-III

Perhaps this is different than what you were thinking, but have you considered a 3-speed internal?

A 3-speed can be shifted with a regular bar-end shifter, and will give you the improvement over the single-speed you're looking for.

An 8 or 9 speed internal, on the other hand, will change the way your bike feels more significantly, due to higher weight at the rear wheel and lower efficiency, and will also require either a change in the bars or a hubub adapter.

Plainscommuter

I have not put much thought into a three speed. I figured while I was converting it I would put a decent gear range on it. But..., Do you know of any three speed hubs that have 130 mm spacing? I do own bar end shifters, so it would be fairly cheap if I found a three speed hub.

dynaryder

The only time you will notice the weight of a IGH is when you lift the bike off the ground. It's unnoticable when riding. Also,these guys have gotten a standard barcon to work with a Problem Solvers brake pulley:
https://www.oldspokeshome.com/blog/?p=119#comments

K6-III

The hub you want is the Sram i-Motion 3.