Originally Posted by
tjspiel
...One niggling concern is the use of grease as a lubricant in the 8 speed Shimano IGHs. It increases drag in cold weather. I get a double whammy because I'm also using a roller brake in the rear. I hope to swap my Nexus Red Band out with an Alfine and move to a disc brake instead. Pricey change but if I sell my Red Band wheel in the Spring I should recoup a good chunk of it.
Eventually I'd like to try an oil bath with the Alfine but probably won't do that the first winter.
I've ridden my Alfine in temperatures down to -28ºC and haven't noticed any significant drag. There might be some, but it's not as bad as all that. Lumpy packed snow and studded tires make a far bigger difference to my speed (or lack of it). Since wind chill increases with speed, I don't want to be riding very fast in winter anyway.