Originally Posted by
fellsbiker
I can't speak for any of the other hubs, but for the Shimano 11 speed, I've only seen one document that mentioned 1.9, and all it said was "recommended" ratio. It didn't say anything about "limit". Shimano also told my bike shop on more than one occasion, that you can use any input gear ratio you want. I'm not going to blame my bike shop and shimano's barely saying a word about things.
I would not blame your bike shop either.
My ratio is 1.7777777, 32 front, 18 rear. I do not get out of the saddle as a general practice and I would NEVER do so pedaling an Alfine 11 for safety reasons. I weight 170 lbs. Somebody who weighed 225 lbs and rose out of the saddle to climb a hill would easily apply far more torque to the hub than I do even they had a ratio of 2.0 or greater. The incline of a steep hill with the hub all the way down in 1 is going to require a given torque applied to the hub regardless of whether it comes from the rider or the ratio. Clearly, the hub is not up to steep hills. I did not put the hub in a MTB, but in a street bike used in a city with hills. I have yet to see anything from Shimano forbidding ratios beyond a certain limit. Perhaps those that make that claim can provide links?
Don in Austin