Originally Posted by uprightbent
A few opinions on this board vs. 65,000 riders who need to get to work reliably. Enough said. I'll go with what works in daily life, which is why I have a Nexus 8 and am trying to destroy it since I was a skeptic.
The point is, that a nice percentage of these people uses a derailleur, and they get to work just as reliable. Somehow people with internal gear hubs seems to think that such a hub is more reliable than a derailleur, but a derailleur is a very, very simple mechanical device, basically consisting of a movable "arm" with a joint, two pulley wheels and a spring. A 8 gear internal gear hub is a complex mechanical device with lots of moving parts, all having to be placed inside a confined space, together with the normal hub parts (bearings and axle).
How many million times do you think one can pull the cable before the spring breaks on a quality derailleur? And remember, that the beefy spring in a derailleur has a smaller (weaker?) counterpart inside the internal gear performing the exact same function. I see many people commute with old Shimano Exage derailleurs (10-15 years old?) without any problems.
Pulley wheels. They wear out of course, just like any other moving part, and just like the the moving parts inside a internal hub gear.
Look, I am not saying that internal gear hubs are bad, because they are not. But it is a myth that they don't need maintenance, and it is a myth that derailleurs are more unreliable or demand more maintenance.
In fact, I think it is very plain that internal gear hubs are inferior to derailleurs in a lot of ways; lower price, lower weight, lower friction, can use QR's, wider selection of gear ratios, more gears available, a wider selection of gearshifters; down-tube, trigger-shifters (thumbs only, or thumbs-and-finger), bar-end shifters, grip-shifts, and brifters.
I really do think that a Shimano Ultegra+105 hub and derailleur has better durability and lower maintenance, than SRAM S7 or an Nexus 8. Even if people disagree, they will have a really hard time convincing anybody that their durability should be any worse than an internal gear hub in same price league.
I do think, that internal gear hub proponents have a hard time time to mention many significant advantages over the derailleur. Note, I am not saying people buying internal gear hubs have made a bad decision, or that they are bad (hubs or people), just that people would be better off if they had a more realistic and balanced view of then real advantages and disadvantages of each gear system.
Originally Posted by uprightbent
Don't forget the premium red band version has improved needle bearings in addition to losing 10 oz's. [snip]
I am sure that the Nexus 8 is a fine piece of engineering, is nice to ride, and very important; is something that you like. If you like it, then it is probably a good decision for you. Personally I commend you for actually spending some money on a important bikepart, since I think that people too often skimp on price and quality. And if you maintain it when needed, then it will probably give you good service for years, and years. But if people ask me; is this the right hub for high milage all weather commuting, then I would have to say no, and that better alternatives exists.
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Regards