Of interest to anyone who has anticipated the release of this product as I have. We won't be able to get delivery of the production bikes until spring, but I was able to get advance delivery of one unit which I plan to keep in the shop as a demo. Of course, I had to give it a shakedown, so I thought I would share my impressions.
As the asthetics are subjective, (I love the look of it,) I'll go straight to the performance.
Gearing is identical to the Nexus 8, which, for all but the steepest climbs is quite adequate. Upshifting is absolutely seamless, even under power, except for the shift from 4th to 5th. It will still make the shift under power, but the catch of 5th gear can be felt. I expect this is a result of the handoff of power flow to the hub shell from the planetary carrier to the ring gear.
The next thing you notice is the complete silence of the hub, even when coasting. Most gearhubs have an audible ratcheting sound when coasting, or in the higher gears when the hub shell is out-running the pawls on the planetary carrier. The Alfine exibits none of this. I have quite a lot of experience with gearhubs of all makes, including Rohloff, and this is the first one I have ever ridden that makes absolutly no sound in any gear.
This particular bike, the Brodie "Ocho", uses an eccentric bottom bracket eliminating the need for a chain tensioner. The Alfine crankset is an outboard bearing style. It felt stiff right out of the box, but it was already starting to free up after 10 k.
The only thing I would make different is to equip it with a revo shifter instead of the trigger. This is so you could grab multiple gears with one throw, something this shifter does not do.
If anyone in the Greater Toronto area is interested in trying it out, c'mon by some day when the weather is nice, leave your driver's license and a credit card, and take it for a ride down the lakeshore.
Dan Burkhart
www.boomerbicycle.ca
Cycling Equipment · Public discussion
Shimano Alfine. First impressions.
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- 9 November 2006
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- Dan Burkhart
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Did you run it with disk brakes?
How does the weight compare with a Nexus?
Cheers,
Nick
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Nick said:
Did you run it with disk brakes?
How does the weight compare with a Nexus?
Cheers,
Nick
Yes, it has disc brakes. They are not the Alfine brakes however, but Shimano cable type with Deore levers.They work just fine.
As for weight, Shimano's site does not give a comparison, only a total weight for a complete 24 spoke wheel. The one I have is 32 spokes, whereas all of the Nexus 8s,(and I have a bunch of them in the store) are 36.
I would have to disassemble two wheels and weigh the hubs to get a comparison. Maybe some day when I find myself with too much time on my hands.
Dan Burkhart
www.boomerbicycle.ca -
Thanks for that.
I've been using a Nexus hub on my mountain bike for a while now and I'm
very pleased with it.I have bought a disk adaptor but it is made from a lump of stainless
steel so weighs a fair bit.I will be interested to see how good the disk mount is on the Alfine
and how it will affect the hub weight.Cheers,
Nick
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Dan Burkhart wrote:
<snip>
Any idea on the price of this? I am looking to build up a bike using it
so hubs/dynamo/discs/brakes and levers. No need for crankset or wheel set. -
Tosspot said:
Dan Burkhart wrote:
<snip>
Any idea on the price of this? I am looking to build up a bike using it
so hubs/dynamo/discs/brakes and levers. No need for crankset or wheel set.
I don't know when it will be available to the aftermarket or what the price will be when it is. It is not in my 2007 supplier catalogue. The Nexus 8 premium red band hub retails at $368 Canadian (if ya can get em) so I imagine it will be somewhat more than that.
Dan Burkhart
www.boomerbicycle.ca -
Dan Burkhart said:
Tosspot said:
Dan Burkhart wrote:
<snip>
Any idea on the price of this? I am looking to build up a bike using
it
so hubs/dynamo/discs/brakes and levers. No need for crankset or wheel
set.I don't know when it will be available to the aftermarket or what the
price will be when it is. It is not in my 2007 supplier catalogue. The
Nexus 8 premium red band hub retails at $368 Canadian (if ya can get
em) so I imagine it will be somewhat more than that.About 250ish spangly new euros plus Alfine tax. Ta muchly, gives me a
ball park figure.
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