For an IGH you only need one unless you also have a dual or tiple chainring crankset you are using.

OH I have the redstripe. IIRC I got wheels with Salsa Delgado rims (700c) with the dynamo front hub for about 425 or something.

Most twist shifters are cheap plastic moldings which have relatively poor reliability. The Rohloff is machined Aluminum, an exception. They are difficult to install with drop bars other than by using something like the Hubbub.

I have done this several times on close-fitting telescoping tubes that overlapped by over two inches. There is a technique that works quite well.

Use JB Weld epoxy. It is thin enough to work its way into the gap without being so thin that that it runs out of the gap while curing. It is also grey in color so any exposed bondline is discretely colored about like aluminum.

Slather (completely coat) a fairly thick coating on both the surfaces to be mated - the inside of the outer tube and the outside of the inner tube.

Bring the tubes together and spin the tubes as you very slowly insert on into the other. It REALLY helps to hold the telescoping section in a vertical orientation.

It is more important to spin than to push. Pushing wipes the epoxy off. Spinning distributes the excess adhesive around the periphery as the tubes go together. Spin a lot, push very little. You will develop a bead of epoxy around the periphery where the tubes meet. Use the spinning and slight insertion to wick this material into the gap between the tubes.

If the bead disappears, put more epoxy on. Establish and maintain a bead around the periphery of the joint. Use a lot. The epoxy is inexpensive and excess is very easily removed when finished.

SPIN, SPIN, SPIN, don't push.

Clean up squeeze out with acetone, or even white vinegar (really!) before the material cures.

Ah, got it, it would be a pain with drop bars. Thanks for the info. Luckily, I am using flat bars for this build.

Reliability is important to me. If the original breaks, it's good to know there are better options out there. I guess I'll keep my receipt for a potential warranty claim.

I would have used a twistshifter but they do not go on drop bars, (without the adaptor/extension) nor would a 'trigger' style shifter because of the bar diameter

I used a JTek for the Nexus and a Campi barcon for the FD

I was thinking about this over my lunch break. I think I am just going to order an Alfine 8 speed right now and not wait for the 11 speed. I may get a Nexus 8 redband if the price is right.

Why wait? The 11 speed is bound to be more expensive and less reliable. Also, I hate buying first generation of anything. You make yourself a test bed for their Engineering and QA departments.

Agreed, by no means did I intend my remarks to be construed as an epitaph for planetary automatic transmissions. They will be with us for the forseeable future.

According to their web site, Harris expects them in on November 12th and are selling pre-orders for the hub and thumb shifter at $660.

It's not necessarily a good sign that the Alfine 11's schedule has been changed many times. Maybe they're being thorough and working out the problems. Or maybe they have too many problems. I wouldn't recommend using one soon.

Yes, first production lot of the first generation leaves me stone cold. That would be true even if the delays were due to thoroughness.

I have made my decision on that one. $660 is just too much.

I am going to buy either the Alfine 8 or a Nexus 8 "red band" (like Bianchirl has).

The Nexus is about $100 less expensive ($240 versus $347) but the Alfine is supposedly a quieter, easier shifting unit.

Potentially more important than price, the Nexus has a smaller OLD dimension (132 mm versus 135 mm for the Alfine). The frame spacing is currently 125 mm, so I may have to spread it in either case. Less is more when it comes to spreading.

The Alfine 11 is going to be more expensive but not necessarily less reliable than the 8 speed. After all at least by reputation the Rohloff 14 speed is the most reliable IGH available and some of the poorest reliability hubs were the original Shimano 3 speeds of the 1960s or so.

Noglider, the original announcement of the Alfine 11 stated it was due for release in Europe in October IIRC. Everything else as far as dates claimed has been internet speculation. If Harris gets their units in as scheduled on 12 November then the hub is a whole 2 weeks or so later than originally announced for European delivery. To me that is basically on time. A lot of companies, such as Microsoft, wish that many of their new products were anywhere near to being that close to the targeted introduction date.

The 11 speed could be more complex than the 8 speed, so who knows? I mean really, who knows?!

This thread has shown how far from perfect IGH's are. They are more reliable than derailleurs, but they're less flexible for reconfiguration, they're more expensive, and they're heavier. And look at all the difficulty of choosing one. ;)

I'd love to have one of the newfangled IGH's, but I won't be able to afford one soon.

I agree that a narrow 5 speed would be nice, but only fit riders like narrow spaced gearing. And we represent a very small market. And most fit riders want derailleurs, mostly for good reasons.

I'm a bike mechanic. Why would I want to make my bike more reliable? Repairing my bikes is like breathing. I barely think about it.

I've had difficulty because I know nothing at all about them and internet talk is cheaper than multiple serial purchases trying to get what I want.

I'm going to order an Alfine 8 tonight. I'm getting the Alfine shifter. All that's left to decide is what cog size. The bike has a 28, 36 and 46t front crank. I have to select one of those three and a rear cog to match. I have to go look at my gear ratio spread sheet for that, then I can place the order.


I have to order some spokes, too.

Great choice. The Alfine 8 is a great hub. The standard Shimano shifter will be fine too, though I love my J-Tek!
The Sheldon Brown gear calculator now accommodates the Alfine 8 as well http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/internal.html Dial in your perfect range before buying your chainring/cog.

I think it would be strange to have the J-tek poking out the end of a straight, flat bar. The Alfine shifter looks the most flexible in terms of the grips I can put on the bike. It doesn't interfere in any way with whatever grip I choose, whereas, as twist shifter will be less than satisfactory in that regard.

I have all my freewheels and chainrings entered into a spreadsheet and the calculations are all there, as well as graphical presentations of the results in gear inches and ratios. I was thinking of using the 46T front cog, as that's the largest and will look the most normal but I haven't yet done the calculations. I was working on the bike.

Like the seller said in his ad, this bike really is like brand new. I wonder if it even has 100 miles on it. Certainly it has not been ridden 1,000 miles - not even close.

Ahh, I missed the part about the flat bar.

Actually, September. So it's two months late and under the "Sturmey-Archer rule", vaporware. :)

Well, the parts are on order.

I ordered a 20T cog for the Alfine hub. I'll use it in conjunction with a 46T front chainwheel to mimic my favorite derailleur gears. This gives me a 31 to 96 gear inch range with two gears in the sweet spot at 73 and 85 inches and another good gear at 60 inches.

Nice combos there.