Where did all the IGH bikes go?
 

I have really wanted to buy a bike with an internally geared hub for commuting and thought about saving up to buy one next year, but I noticed that none of the major manufacturers carry them now. Specialized and Trek don't list any IGH commuter bikes on their sites anymore, and I only see a few on REI. What happened? Did Shimano quit making internally geared hubs?

They don't seem too popular here in the US. Try Linus, though.

M.

When I was shopping last year, the store had one in stock and strongly recommended I do not get it. They said they've had a bunch of them in for repairs, and that the hub is very expensive to replace.

your view is too narrow use the wide angle lens ..



Are You are just waiting for them to do it for you ?

get an IGH wheel built for a bike you like otherwise..

Specialized actually lists a number of Globe IGH bikes.

Shimano has introduced new 3, 5 and 11 gear hub models in just the last year. Their seven speed hub sold out production the last two years and OEMs have had trouble getting enough. Oh, and Shimano isn't the only game in town. Folding bike specialist Dahon uses IGHs from five different manufacturers.

Plus Rohloff.. 3_3speeds used twice . 14 ..

I have 2 ..

There's the Trek Soho. I wound up getting a Giant Seek 1 2014 - it's what the Seek 0 was in prior years. Shimano Alfine 8 and Avid hydraulic discs.

It should be in any day now.

The Trek looked OK but it was over $200 more and had mechanical Shimano disc brakes, and a belt drive. I'd actually have liked to try the belt drive - if I didn't like it I could always switch to chain. But I wasn't going to pay over $1400 and get worse brakes than I got from Giant for $1100.

I thought about building one, but I have way more money than time and decided to just punt on this one. I'll have plenty enough fun accessorizing it.

The Soho was the bike I liked, but I don't see it on Trek's USA site anymore. Did they discontinue it in the American market?

I've come to realize that some shops will discourage prospective buyers from considering IGH simply because they don't like to work on the hubs.

I did not see the Soho listed either. However, if you got the funds in hand, contact your local Trek shop and inquire about any that may be somewhere in the pipeline.

The New !! Improved !! trade show action is not about the commuter bike ,
just has all the Bling focus elsewhere.

My experience is that some bicycle shops are ONLY interested in bikes the shop personnel like to ride, typically enthusiast sport (mtn or road) bikes and will steer all customers in that direction; or out the door. Bicycles designed or most practical for transportation purposes or relaxed casual riding is not on their radar.

I'm not sure I understand your post.

Workcycles in the Netherlands produce a lot of city/utility bikes with internally geared hubs. Not sure how much it would cost to ship one over the Atlantic though.

the best IGH were well designed in the first place . just nothing much to improve ..

so things like Rohloff had for the latest improvements , were not like electronic paddle shifting
and more speeds packed into a cassette.

More like the red was anodized rather than powder coat . they made a new hubshell

on the right side the case has 9 bolts to split the hub shell so 36 holes, rather than 8 and 32 spokes
..they have 2 spoke holes between the bolt pattern ring.


the new grip shifter is not tri lobed, and would be compatible with Carbon MTB bars. and cable feed is easier.



sram shimano and campag corporations are in a competition for wizardry and this spring

they will put the 2015 stuff on the road to Roubaix to show it off and do final field tests

on the next thing fashionistas have to do the 'upgrade pursuit' to keep up to date.. :rolleyes:

Workcycles has a dealer in Portland Oregon , Clever Cycles.

Shipped by Sea and Truck .

Interbike is going on right now in Las Vegas. It is the largest cycling related trade show in the States. Pick any number of your usual online cycling blogs/news sources and check out what they are posting. Vast majority of the buzz comes from products that cater to the recreational and racing types.

Cycling is viewed by the majority of the population here in the States as either a hobby or as a sport. As a result, the bulk of offerings from manufacturer's (and then the LBS) caters to those people.

Yes, and I know some shops that are 100% the opposite. It's best to shop around to find the best place for you, if you can. I'm lucky that I have several shops to choose from.

Okay, I understand now. Yes, I agree. Americans in general see bicycles as toys. They are not viewed as practical vehicles for transportation.

+1 to having a wheel built and a mating crankset isn't particularly costly either.

Depending on function wanted there are a bunch of choices

NuVinci N360 - planetary gears, neat
Rohloff - The Rolls Royce, about $1300
Alfine - multiple choices for number of speeds/range
iDrive (I think, the SRAM one)
Sturmey Archer

There are shifter options beyond the stock grip shifts for a few of those too, based on bar configuration etc. A few for the Rohloff and Jtek for a bar-end for the Alfine as examples.

Likely others...and tons of info on those above searching this site for sure.

I was thinking about a soho as a winter bike a few years ago. Sales people and mechanics discouraged me because of reliability issues.

Didn't someone write a song called "Where did all the IGH bikes go?"

Well, the two main reasons why any product (not just a bicycle) would no longer be produced are sluggish sales or excessive warranty claims...

I would HIGHLY recommend against getting a NuVinci hub. I bought one and spent around $500 total for the hub and getting it installed on a bicycle. The bike originally had a shimano 3 speed hub and I went from being able to go up every hill I encountered to having to rest part way up almost every hill I encountered. The efficiency of the hub is just atrocious. I can't even lift the front wheel off the ground with the NuVinci hub, even though the gear ratio should make it even easier than with the old hub.

FWIW, the shop I bought from (Great Lakes Cycling in Ann Arbor MI) said that they sell the most Giant Seek 0's (now the Seek 1) than any other shop in Michigan, and they love the thing. They say the hub is extremely reliable.

I think some shops just don't like anything unusual.