Winfried

Hello

I'm looking for a sleek-looking bike with an Alfine 11 gear hub that I could use for commuting and multi-day outings with light bagage.

I really like Schindelhauer's Ludwig XI but I find its €2,000 a bit steep.

What I like about that bike:

• Alfine 11 IGH
• Belt drive
• Stylish frame
• Fenders

Besides the price, what's keeping me from gettting the Ludwig XI is the lack of disk brakes.

OTOH, ChargeBikes's Grater3 does have disk brakes and is available at a more reasonable €800 but uses the Alfine 8 and a chain instead of a belt.

Provided the extra three speeds could really be useful in hilly areas... is there a brand that offers the best of those two bikes?

Thank you.

Dave Horne

You can always build your own using the Koga Signature site. Koga (which used to be Koga Miyata) is a Dutch brand. I initially wanted to order a Koga Signature which you build from scratch using the limitations imposed by their choices. They couldn't, at that time, offer me the frame I wanted so I ordered another bike using the same piece by piece solution. (I bought a Van Nicholas. Koga and Van Nicholas are connected to each other in some way here. I believe they share the same building.)

Take a look at the Koga Signature and start with Configurator. You can order whatever you want though you'll pay for it.

What's nice, you can go through every component and see the weight of the bike change. My first choice, after deciding the frame, was the 11 speed hub or a 14 speed hub. You can go through the process of building a bike and saving your choices online. Once you're serious, the dealer gets involved to help you go through the choices you've made.

I see your address is in France. Koga also has their site in French and there are two dealers in Paris. I copied and pasted the information from Koga's site below ....

HOLLAND BIKES PARIS 17

AVENUE DE VILLIERS 9

75017, PARIS

0147540202
paris17@hollandbikes.com






Holland Bikes Paris 15

BVD LEFEBVRE 77
75015, PARIS

0033-142504240
paris15@hollandbikes.com
www.hollandbikes.com

Jas556

If I'm reading Shimano's website correctly, it looks like the extra gears all go to the top end, which would mostly be useful for flat areas and pedaling downhill.

Winfried

Thanks for the tips. I'll stop by Holland Bikes about building my own Alfine 11-based bike.

The extra speeds for flat terrain are good to have when commuting.

fietsbob

I Have a Rohloff-Magura-Koga Bike , all quite well made .. Frames done in TW..

what the gear range is depends on the cog chainring size..

IDK about the Shimano 11 speed cogs , but the chainrings and cogs are a gear range variable..
Belt drive has its own sizes..
You dont have to leave it as it comes out of the box..


want higher gear? bigger chainring, smaller hub cog.
though any changes would mean a new, longer, belt.. Dealer can sort that out

IGH will accept higher gears easily.. as there is less torque on the Reduction gear internals

You push against Wind Resistance vs overcoming Gravity, climbing..


5th in hub is 1:0.995..
https://www.shimano.com/publish/conte...S.-type-..html

https://www.shimano.com/media/techdoc...9830728103.pdf

now in a Di2 .. as I read it the cable pull is very small between gear changes
to stay in adjustment..
electronic may work ideally.. given the nature of IGH ..

do a starting off down shift after you stop for traffic lights in High..

Dave Horne

If you decide to go the Koga Signature route, please post what you ordered ... and post a jpg as well. Earlier today I tried to create a Koga Signature but the frame I choose was not available ... and I didn't learn that information until I had completely configured the bike and then went on to the next step in the process. That was frustrating.

fietsbob

Yea, their frames are as Is ... seems Van Nicholas is also Imported .. they may come on the same Boat.

Its a build list of options , not a custom frame, that was outsourced..

Dave Horne

I was under the impression (by my local bike dealer) that Van Nicholas frames are made here. I'll check that out.

[edit ...]

I now have the impression (after looking online) that they design the frame and the frame is, as you wrote, outsourced.

Winfried

I'm only half-way through the Koga configurator, and the bike is already 1.500€... Looks like I'll have to look at ready-made bikes.

The Serious Gates looks good:
? Serious Gates Fiets Heren zwart gunstig bij Bikester

Apparently, Serious is an internal brand from Bikester.

fietsbob

Like most bikes come stateside, you get the stripped down Bike for 'X' € ..

then Buy the rest of the Accesory list at Point of sale, or in the after market..

dynaryder

Raleigh has two Alfine 11 bikes;one belt,one chain:
Raleigh Bicycles - Misceo 4.0
Raleigh Bicycles - Cadent i11

ryan0402

Here's my custom Viks Alfine Di2 11-speed with gates belt drive. Has just a front hydraulic Shimano XT with Ice-Tech rotor (wanted to keep clean look as much as possible). Battery and electronics are hidden inside the frame.

Winfried

Beautiful

Dan Burkhart 

I don't know if it's available in France, but the Brodie Once is a nice option. Chain drive only though.
Brodie Bikes