Bizman

I have Alfine 11's on my ebike and my Catrike, both work really well. If it would have been an option for my Velomobile I would have got it for that. The maintanence is low, the shifting works good and I like being able to shift sitting still. I would most likely always buy one if the option is available for any bike I would get.

irwin7638

I have been using a Nuvinci N360 for about 5 years now. I bought it after my Nexus 8 shot craps and Shimano quit making parts to support it. The Nuvinci unit has been fine year 'round. The additional weight is noticeable but I still love it and use it several times a week on my dedicated commuter. It's a pound heavier than all the stuff it replaces but the lack of maintenance and buttery smooth adjustments make me look forward to riding with it. The only issue I have ever had was moisture getting into the cable housing and freezing at very cold temps. I thought it was the shift interface at first, but discovered it was the cables and housing. Since then, I just ride it.

Marc

rhm

My main commuting winter bike has the Nexus 8 hub, several years old now. It used to be on my touring bike, and I rode it on several 100+ mile rides, but a couple years ago I needed a pair of wheels for my commuter and I wasn't using the touring bike.

My main summer commuting bike is a folding bike with the Sturmey Archer 8 speed hub. I think it's my favorite IGH. About 8700 miles on that hub at this point, with no maintenance performed yet.

I've also used old Sturmey Archer 3, 4, and 5 speed hubs a lot. My main summertime "fun" bike has the Sturmey Archer S3X hub, which is a fixed gear three speed; I ride it all over Long Island NY.

I have the NuVinci on my xtracycle, which I basically use as a pickup truck. I really like the way it shifts, the wide range is nice, and so on; but I think the way I use the bike is poorly matched to the hub's features. I'd like to try the NuVinci on a touring bike sometime.

MichaelW

My Alfine 8 froze up in the cold (-10C) , refusing to change gear until warmed up by 20 mins of riding. An oil dip cured this issue and it spins much more freely.
Oil dip procedure may be daunting at first but it is no more difficult than stripping a cup and cone hub.
You need to remove a split ring to release the sprocket and a large plastic thing with a splined circumference using Shimano tool. The whole inner workings come out as a unit for dipping.
My Alfine is now 6 years old and trouble-free.
With any IGH you need a suitable chain tensioning system. A spring-loaded tensioner can fitted to vertical dropouts but is probably the least favoured method. A clean chainline is one of the advantages of IGH

English3Speed

I bought a bicycle with a Nexus 7 hub a few years ago, at this point I think it's a little over due for some maintenance.
Do you just dip the gear assembly in the ATF and let it drain, or do you need re lubricate it, e.g. with any grease? Any other suggestions?



To the OP, I rode commuters with old SA hubs for years, then got a new bike with the Nexus 7 that I rode for 1-2 years. I found the SA 3 speeds more convenient than derailleurs most of the time, with reliable performance in bad weather and long maintenance intervals (with admittedly more intense maintenance when they did need overhauls). The SA hubs are also very cheap.

I actually bought the new bicycle with the Nexus 7 when a new job gave me a new commute and I wanted better performing brakes and other parts (primarily bottom brackets and cranks that weren't 40-50 years old). In that respect, I haven't paid extra for the IGH, and riding commuter bikes with racks, fenders, dynohubs and lights I don't really worry about weight.

TransitBiker

Oh good.... if i get 5 years out of my N360 i will be a happy camper. I am guessing it will last a lot longer than that, though.

- Andy

Telly

My daily commuter has a Nexus-3 IGH and after clocking up more than 2,500 trouble-free miles, I can honestly say that I'm hooked on them.

Except for cold weather problems, I've also heard that the Nexus range (7 & 8 gears) are a little finicky with their adjustments causing problems when shifting from 4th on, but it's probably a small price to pay for the durability and (almost) maintenance free operation.

Another positive is the way the rear wheel is built with equal tension on both sides of the spokes. A good example is my Nexus-3/A309 combination which has held my extreme weight (280 lb rider + 20 lbs of stuff) for more than 1,500 miles without needing ANY wheel trueing (with the exception of the initial 60 mile re-tensioning).

A quick question to all you IGH gurus... how heavier is the Nexus 7 or 8 IGH compared to the 3 speed unit?

irwin7638

Beyond the cables and shift interface, the only thing I can imagine is the seal in one of the seams failing for some reason. I have heard of the freewheel mechanism needing replaced, just haven't seen it first hand.

Marc

BluePylons

I built a wheel out of an old Sturmey AW 3-speed and installed it into my Univega Nuovo Sport (main commuter). I'd say I'm a big fan of the 3-speed. Not having to keep track of front/rear derailler shifts is a pretty big convenience, and shifting while stopped is pretty useful, though shifting under load basically doesn't work. Though I'm coming from downtube friction shifting, so pretty much anything is an upgrade.

The AW trigger shifter actually works great on drops as an almost-integrated shifter if you place it next to a brake lever. Still trying to figure out how to wrap around it though.

fietsbob

Current S-A option is a Bar end 3 speed shifter..

nyc_commuter

I commuted daily on a Nexus 8 for 3 1/2 years before it had issues shifting into certain gears. I subsequently swapped it out for a red line Nexus 8 which is noticeably smoother and has been trouble free for about a year now. In my mind IGH is the best option for a 4-seasons commuting rig. My commuter also has a carbon belt (the original type, not the improved one), which can be finicky to adjust, but has lasted roughly 5 years with only moderate wear. If my current rig dies, I will get another with IGH, but will lose the belt.

Robert C

Another N360 rider here. It isn't a sport-bike, it is a reliable and simple commuter bike. One of the things I notice coming off of my weekend bike is how quiet the N360 is compared to the derailur equipped bike.

Mr IGH

I dip the internals as a unit and allow them the drain for a few minutes before installing back into the hub shell. I do use some grease on the bearing races before installing the internals.

blakcloud

On my Brompton 3 speed IGH, I dislike three things. One, the inability to shift under load. Two, the pain it is to take off the rear wheel. Three the weight only because I have to carry the bike.

If I had to do it all over again, it would be a single speed or two speed. This bike is not my commuter, so my comments are directed at the IGH part of the thread.

I-Like-To-Bike

You would prefer a single speed bike to avoid the alleged hassle created by an inability to shift under load, huh? Just what kind of load / cycling situation do you encounter with your 3speed?

The pain of taking off the rear wheel of a 3speed IGH, really?

The weight difference when carrying a three speed vice a one or two speed?

Good Grief!

TransitBiker

Hmm.... Been thinking about getting the harmony system and use it in hybrid with the twist grip shifter.

- Andy

Gresp15C

Shifting a Sturmey Archer 3-speed while under load is simply what it is. In my case, I don't shift nearly as often as I would if I had a larger number of more closely spaced gears. I notice this when I'm riding with other cyclists. On the other hand, I'm used to unloading the hub just a bit when I shift, so I don't really think about it any more. Keeping the hub lubed helps with shifting.

Wheel removal... quick release is so named for a reason, but if I have to remove a wheel while on the road, it means that I'm also going to be getting out my tools, removing the tire, changing the tube, re-inflating, etc. Tightening the nuts doesn't add all that much effort.

Weight... again, in the grand scheme of things, my bike also has steel fenders, chain guard, rack, basket, etc. It's heavy.

One more nice thing: The oil drooling out of the hub keeps my chain lubed.

irwin7638

I don't think they are selling the Harmony as an aftermarket unit. They weren't late last year, they only produced it for mfgr production.

Marc

Shahmatt

I have a Nexus 3 installed on my upright folding bike and a Nexus 7 on my recumbent folding bike.

Both are used for commuting purposes. The Nexus 3 began skipping a bit after the 1000km mark but after adjusting it - slightly offset from the calibration mark, it's been working fine ever since. Now nearly 2000km I reckon.

The Nexus 7 has also been performing quite reliably since I purchased it second hand. It has around 1000km from me now, and I believe 500km before me.

For regular upright bikes (non recumbent) I sort of like the simplicity and ease of use of Nexus 3 and hence would recommend a serious consideration of all 3 speed hubs in the market. If your talking about a relatively flat city with the occasional hill then 3 speeds are plenty.

Also consider pairing with the internal hub cranks - Patterson metro or the new Efneo 3 speed.

For recumbents, every gear step is useful, so the more the better.

heywood

I'm commuting with my nexus 8 right now (Brodie Section 8)..took a bit of getting used to but really love the low end gears, especially in a strong headwind. You have to get used to cooling your jets with IGH, they're pretty much meant for utility biking, transportation..I love the low maintenance, no worries about salt & slush. Also, in the cold with mitts on it's very easy to change gears. No way i could do that with my summer bike. I'll move up to a pricier unit when my nexus craps out, i'm sold on IGH..

Reynolds 

My main goal was low maintenance, and I think my Nexus 8 is OK in that respect. At nearly 14000km/2 1/2 yrs now, only disassembled it once (1/2 hr job), put an oil port on it and switched from grease to ATF. Never had any problem, just change the ATF every 5000km or so (arbitrary number ), another 10min job. The bike feels "rear-heavy" and gear spacing isn't optimal, but I can live with that on a commuting bike.

CrankyOne

Shifting should be easy to adjust to, you really don't even need to back off much, just not be stomping on it.

The only time I have to remove the rear wheel is changing from regular to studded tires. For a flat just pull the tube out, patch it, stick it back in. I did have one tube once (or a patch kit) that wasn't happy with this but otherwise it works well.

Really? What is the weight difference?

For me, except for road racing, the benefits of IGH well outweigh any inconveniences.

dynaryder

Swapping tubes is much quicker,some people do have to be somewhere at a certain time. Also alot easier at night when it's raining. Also depends on the particular bike;some have different clearances than others.

According to Brompton's site,the diff between a 2spd(der) and 3spd(IGH) is 1.2lbs. I went with Kojak tires to save 1/2lbs weight off mine;in retrospect,I should have dropped the coin on the Superlight. Weight makes a difference on something you're picking up and carrying around. It should also be noted that SA hubs require removing the shift linkage,so you wind up having a small part to keep track of.

Gresp15C

I swap tubes when I'm not sure where the leak is, which is pretty often. Most of my punctures tend to be minor, and I discover them when I'm just about to leave in the morning, or ride home at night. Those often seem to require finding the leak by immersing the tube in water.