Today was my first ride on a Dynamic shaft drive eight speed bike. It employs a Shimano Nexus Premium 8 speed internally geared hub coupled to a shaft drive system. The arrangement is clean, integrated and fairly simple to use. Like any internally geared hub you can shift while stopped. Also like any int. hub, shifting under load isn't recommended. A brief easing of the pressure to the cranks is all that's required for a smooth shift up or down.
There is a noticeable inefficiency in gears 1, 2 and 3. Once past that, it's (mostly) smooth sailing. The drivetrain is quiet and well behaved. In the 18.5 miles I rode this morning I didn't have anything out of the ordinary happen. As a disclaimer, I have another bike with hte 8 speed hub, so I have experience operating one.
What do you all think of this technology? Would you pay the slight premium for an enclosed and (virtually) maintenance free drivetrain like this? What about the look?
