Originally Posted by
slickginger
As someone with all 3, what do you think about them? I have a Shimano Nexus 7 and as someone used to derailleurs (and someone coming from the road bike world) I was surprised by how draggy my Tern D7i feels compared to my roadie, or even a touring full-size frame. I've been wondering if it was just a bad hub?
It could be a combination of multiple factors rather than due solely to the hub. For example, I swapped out a derailleur system for an Alfine 8 on my mountain bike, then went back to a derailleur, so I had the chance to do an apples to apples comparison. There was some difference in feel, but not nearly as much as many like to assume. However, I also have a bike with an Alfine 11, dynamo hub, big heavy tires, an upright geometry, etc, and that feels like a boat anchor compared to my road bike.