wahoonc

I have news for you...that is just about ANY IGH hub regardless of where you are. There are only a small number of shops in the ENTIRE country that will even consider working on any IGH. Aaron's Bike Repair in Seattle, WA is one of the few that I am aware of. It won't be cheap either. But I am of the opinion that if you do your research and follow general guidelines an IGH is less likely to need repair than a standard drive train.

Aaron

AlanK

I absolutely agree. And with a small enough front ring, the 409% range should be adequate for about 98% or riders. Granted, such a set-up wouldn't enable you to 'bomb' downhill, but that's not a major concern for most of us. If this hub proves to be reliable and functional, it will be an affordable alternative to the Rohloff.

To be honest i always thought the standard 27 spd mtb derailleur setup is overkill. It's what i currently have, and 90% of the time i only use 7 or 8 gears, and i live in one of the hilliest US cities. I only use the lowest 3 gears on the steepest incline, and the probably never use the 3 highest gears.

In a couple years i could see a major manufacturer releasing a hardtail mtb with this hub. Such a bike would be a fine for touring and general usage. Such a bike with disc brakes and a belt drive could probably be sold for about $1200 USD. The only maintenance required would be replacing the hub oil annually, and replacing the brake pads as needed; it would be about as close to maintenance free as a bike could get.

tcs

Sure, but how about the Shimano 11 @ $660 and a Rohloff 14 @ $870?

Erick L

The Rohloff is priced in Euros.

vik 

If the $870 was $870USD it would be a steal and I'd suggest you jump on it. Since it's in Euro it's not as good a deal and the equivalent to the Alfine [ie. able to take discs] is closer to 1000 euros. I'm not clear what the final cost would be once you get refunded VAT and pay shipping, duty and sales taxes at your destination.

Speed Goat is selling a Rohloff for $1500USD.

Once you start getting to 3 x the cost most people would probably be served just fine by an Alfine 11. If you are an extremely high mileage rider or going to Mongolia I'd stick with the Rohloff. Different horses for different courses.

You'll get 100,000kms+ out of a properly maintained Rohloff. We have no idea what the long term will be for an Alfine 11....there isn't a production unit out there with more than a few thousand kms at this early stage. Shimano is not known for their long term durability. They seem to make parts that work well for a reasonable amount of time and then need replacing...nothing wrong with that really given how little 90% of bikes actually get ridden.

fietsbob

Trekking multi-position handlebars make flat bar controls practical for touring ,

around the world if you wish to put the effort in.

I have some ITM trekking bars and use a Rohloff hub + hydraulic rim brakes.


Another German Shop, Mittelmeyer makes a bigger gripshifter
to slide around drop bar curves,and mount in the top-center,
so for those who must have drop bars, that is just one,
of the several work-arounds ..

tcs

Yes, and I removed the 19% VAT and converted it to US dollars @ yesterday's exchange rate. Sorry if I moved too fast for you on that one.

vik 

Did you add in international shipping, brokerage fees, duty and taxes?

tashi

Moving too fast for whom? After VAT is removed that leaves the hubs you linked to priced between $933 and $1093 USD, before shipping, brokerage and any taxes from the importing country.

vik 

Here is some info on IGH and derailleur efficiency measurements:

https://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/20...in-efficiency/

AlanK

I would dispute the statement about Shimano durability. While their brake pads suck, i've generally had good luck with most of their other components.

But generally, i agree. The A11 is priced low enough that, if eventually proven reliable, it will probably begin appearing on production bikes. In terms of cost, mass production bikes will always have a significant advantage over the type of ultra high end builders who'd equip their bikes with a Rohloff.

From what i know of it, the Rohloff is a beautiful, mechanically elegant, and reliable hub; it's simply prohibitively expensive, and unnecessary for the multitude of riders. Probably 98% or so of riders use bikes for commuting, recreation, and relatively short tours (typically a few weeks and a few thousand miles). Most of us aren't going to drop $2500+ USD for a bike to be used in those circumstances. But, if the A11 proves reliable and functional it could be one of the best options for nice, highly reliable and low-maintenance production bikes in the $1K-ish range.

I'm very (cautiously) optimistic about the A11, but yes ultimately we'll have to see how they handle at least a year or two in the real world before we can begin to pass judgment either way.

vik 

That's not a slam on Shimano in a terrible way, but their IGHs have not been designed to last 100,00kms +, their normal hubs have bearing races that are permanent so when they get damaged/worn you can't replace them, shifters are not easily serviceable and when they have an issue you buy a new one... etc... Nothing heinous about that, but something you need to keep in mind. I buy and use Shimano products on a lot of my bikes. The price is right on their mid-range gear and they last a reasonable amount of time for the $$.

fietsbob

Looking at the ratio range, the 11 speed added high gears to the 8 speed .
counting above the .998: 1 ratio, all the reduction gears remain, more overdrive gears were added
https://sheldonbrown.com/gears/internal.html

with a 27" wheel and same size cog and chainring the gain ratio is 1.1 for the low.

tcs

BTW, Vik, where can one get an Alfine 11 for $420, like you said in post #18?

vik 

That post was from early April 2010. I work with the info I have at the time.

Back then Harris Cyclery has a blog post stating the Alfine 11 would be 300 Euros which is less than $400USD. Obviously as production details were worked out and Shimano set North American pricing the retail cost increased from what people expected.

https://blog.harriscyclery.com/shiman...tly-announced/

I try and provide accurate info when I post, but I can't start going back and correcting info when things change months or years later.

bokes

I just got the Alfine 11 in the mail from Harris Cyclery and trying to decide which frame to put it on. I don't think I'd tour with one for a few years tho, not until the bike community deems it reliable.

daredevil

relax man, nobody cares, we understand.

vik 

*sigh*...thank god you understand...I was up all night with worry...

vik 

That's a nice problem to have. Do you have a frame you can use that won't need a chain tensioner?

magestyk

I was looking for this hub to install on my Koga Worldtraveler.
The email/message I received from a bike dealer on L.A. said the demand is very high for the Shimano IGH in Europe.
This originally affected the plan to release the hub at the end of December so it got delayed.
They wont hit the U.S. around february and they will cost $465.

wahoonc

They are already here and the price is in the $660usd range. They are in short supply so you may not get one until the next production run.

Aaron

HandsomeRyan

I picked up a SRAM S-7 hub for cheap from a local shop where I used to live. I shoehorned it into the back of my fixed gear frame and rode the crap out of it. I still have the hub I just don't have a bike for it because I converted the bike it was on back to fixed gear.

I never carried "touring weight" on it but I weighed between 210-240lbs when I was riding it and I never had any problems. I believe Shimano IGH's are probably of comparable quality and would hold up fine to the rigors of touring in a first-world country.

magestyk

Yeah I was aware of that.
The ones you are finding now, here in the states are the ones people/companies order from the European market.
That's why the inflated price of $660 is in order. Import/Shipping

However, when the real batch of Shimano IGH Import/hits the U.S. the price will be $450
People can pay extra now or wait until the actual U.S. release date of February hits and pay less.
A good advantage of this is, the European are the test buddies.
If any problems arise before hitting the U.S. they could fix/make changes to them by then.

wahoonc

I took them around 3 years to get the bugs out of the 8 speeds, IIRC there were at least 4 versions before the Alfine finally hit the market.

Aaron

magestyk

You never know.
A slight change in cosmetic on the shifter. Maybe a part is slightly bit large. Maybe a tooth in a gear could be added.
No component is perfect.