With full touring load
Hi! I mentioned earlier that the Sunrace hub which R&M specs on the derailer Birdys now is too weak. I didn't learn that until after I had upgraded it from 10 to 11 speed, a costly mistake. Anyway, sunken cost. I went for the Alfine 11 instead. That isn't cheap either, but it's just a third of a Rohloff, and has slightly more range than the 9-36t cassette it replaced. I've read reviews and heard about it breaking for some people, and working fine for others. Those people are mostly on big wheels, and correspondingly high torque gearing. I'm thinking the chance of it working well with the tiny Birdy wheels is pretty good.
So, I got one and installed it. 45/19 gearing. No magic, just a few tricks. First, it has no-turn washers marked left and right. Those must be swapped to the opposite side on the Birdy, then the arm for the cable housing aligns perfectly with the hole under the chainstay, so there's no need for a cable loop behind the axle. Second, the arm comes awfully close to the chain. I used a bolt through one of the conveniently placed threaded holes in the dropout to pull the arm slightly outwards, to avoid any chain rub. Third, it is very sensitive to correct adjustment, and the sweet spot is not necessarily exactly where it should be according to the setup marks, but may be a millimeter off. Once the right point is found, it shifts perfectly.
I have over 800 km on it now, and it's soon time for the first oil change. All good so far. One change I'd like to make is to modify the chain tensioner so it has lower tension in the fully forwards position, which I'm using to get maximum chain uptake when folding, and to keep the chain higher off the ground. I've also switched to wax lube. It must be applied often, but it's nice to have a clean chain on a folder since I take it inside often. I'm happy with the change so far.