Hi, everybody.


What would be the best option for shifting multiple gears with Shimano Alfine SG-S7001-8 IGH?


I first thought I just need to order https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/produ...L-S7000-8.html as its name suggests it should be capable of this, but apparently it isn't, it literally incapable of any advanced shifting, just one-at-a-time gear shift as any regular lever (and the need to constantly click the lever frustrates me a lot..)


Then I thought about grip shifts. They seemed like exactly what I need, and there are a lot of offers for such shifters on ebay (they seem to be intended for 8 speed Nexus hubs, but I believe they will work as well with Alfine, but quick research showed they have bad reputation. Seems like as they wear, they start to miss gears, get out of sync, and even can somehow damage the hub (no sure how it's possible, though)


I know Shimano have great options for derailleur transimition shifting, like Shimano Rapidfire Plus, which can shift up to 4 gears up, and up to 2 down, but do they have something like that for their IGHs?

Microshift makes a thumb shifter if this will be going on a standard 22.2mm flat bar. If for drop bars, they also make a bar end shifter. They work great and would meet your multi-shift expectation.

Trigger shifters like the one you linked to are typically one-click, one-gear only type of deal.

As for the gripshifts, I don't have any experience with those but cables will stretch and need re-tensioning regardless of the shifter used. That is why it is recommended to have cable tensioners on your shifters (and as far as I know all Nexus8/Alfine shifters have this).

Stretched cables can allow the gears to be slightly misaligned, which would chew them up and eventually destroy them.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-shi...internal-hubs/

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-shi...internal-hubs/

Holy crap. They may be good, but 100 euro for a tiny thing like that..

Nobody else makes anything remotely close to as good as that. There's a lot of crap out there that 'works' with IGHs, and lots that don't.

The maxim, "buy once, cry once" applies here.

I think the question is not the shifter capabilities, but can the IGH hub do multiple shifts. The shimano User manual for the hub says shift one gear at a time.

I suspect what the OP wants is not possible.

An IGH is very different from a derailler.

the gear shifts in an IGH are based on complex internal movements, clutches etc..... not conceptually different from a car transmission

a derailer is based on how much cable is pulled if you can pull a lot of cable at once you can shift a lot of gears fast

And a selection of twist shifters. Hard to go wrong with Microshift, IME.

The Alfine/Nexus hubs handle multiple shifts just fine... Not as fast as a derailleur, and only if the hub is moving with no load, but nonetheless. Nothing will destroy an IGH faster than trying to apply power during a shift.

The comparison to an automotive transmission is apt...and like a car transmission, has no problem being shifted from 1-3-5, or even 1-5. But, the kicker is that it has to be done properly (in the case of a car, at the proper speed, and using a clutch, and in the case of a bicycle...moving under no load--or, just like using the clutch on a car).