Internally geared hubs

>>1091136
Never used one but the minimum chainring size scares me.

Just use a derailleur, dude. They're simpler and easier to maintain. They also don't kill 30% of your power.

>>1091136
Can't really say anything until you tell us about your commute.

You should know that many people on /n/ are heavily biased against IGH because of muh grams and efficiency and general ignorance.
You will inevitably see ginourmous amounts of shitposting. See >>1091141

> major design flaws
What do you consider a major design flaw?

My two cents:
I would never again consider a derailleur for my commuter because they are too much maintenance (rain, snow, salt, dirt, etc. on my commute)
Best solution for me: IGH + closed chainguard.

Alfine is a fine hub and shifts nicely. Do some test-riding to find a hub that suits you.

Final advice:
IGH are not as efficient as derailleurs but the losses are negligible. You won't really notice it on your commute and your choice of tire will make a bigger difference.

If you're in a relatively flat area and you ride on various weather conditions and so on, they're a no-brainer

If you have to contend with hills, then they're not really ideal but it depends on how steep and frequent the hills are

>>1091169
>What do you consider a major design flaw?
Does not working at all when temperatures go below -15°C count as a major design flaw? And by not working at all it's not that you can't change gears. You could at least ride it if it didn't change gears. However at least the IGHs I've had experience with just completely stop working and start acting as a freewheel during pedaling when it gets cold enough.

>>1091136
My dad traded his 3x8 trek for a nexus 8(extremely similair to alfine 8) trek city bike.

The linear shifting is nice,and the range is adequate although that says nothing here in flatlandia.
The steps between gears are also pretty small,albeit a bit uneven.

The losses in energy are next to nothing,especially when the hub is worn in,cleaned and oil lubricated.
I would even say it rides more lighter than his previous derraileur bike since it has wayyy better tires.

The only you should watch out of is never to shift under heavy loads as this might damage the axle pawls that engage the sun gears.as this might break the sun gears,pawls or axle and the whole hub mechanism rendered fubar.

A good working shifter/cable/and adjustment are critical to a alfine/nexus 8 hub

>>1091197

I read you shouldn't even stand on the pedals while going up hills. I hear that the rohloff and NuVincis don't have this problem. Haven't found any bad reviews concerning the newer nuvinci hubs YET. However, reports about surmey archers or Alfines failing or breaking and having to be sent back to shimono are in no short supply.

>>1091199
I can't really vouch for the rohloff as I have no experience with them.

A nuvinci on a non-eBike rides quite heavy though,Thats why they are only used on e-bikes now.

>>1091203

Only a pound heavier than an alfine 8. Rather have something that wouldn't have it's warranty voided if you took it off road.

>>1091169
>but the losses are negligible. You won't really notice it on your commute
That's where you're fucking wrong mister.

>>1091226
Usually one would follow such declaration with an explanation and source of your claim
If you wanted to be taken seriously, that is.

I own a couple Alfine 11s and have used them extensively off and on road.

>>1091140
It's adequate for road use but not really low enough for off road. The issue isn't damaging the hub but pulling the axle out of the dropouts as it relies on the dropouts to transfer torque (just like an electric hub motor). The Rohloff doesn't have this problem as it has a torque arm (like some more powerful hub motors), you could probably DIY one for an Alfine but it wouldn't be a simple project.

>>1091141
>They're simpler and easier to maintain
Technically yes, but you don't have to build the IGH nor disassemble it for maintenance. It's much easier to setup and maintain and will require less maintenance.

>They also don't kill 30% of your power.
Derailers have like 80-95% efficiency and an Alfine 11 is only like 8% less efficient. If you're putting out 300w that not even an extra 3w lost.

>>1091192
That's a fair point if it affects you, and if you're OP I would suggest you do some extensive research to find a hub that would be suitable for your needs. Perhaps start with the Rohloff.

However very few people ride when it's -15 out (a lot of countries don't even get that cold) so I wouldn't consider it a design flaw, it's just not designed for that niche use.

>>1091199
>I read you shouldn't even stand on the pedals while going up hills.
Yeah, that's a load of bollocks.

Nuvinci's are shit, they're really have and have crappy range and a CVT just isn't a major advantage on a pedal bike. What they are good for is e-bikes as they shift well under load and can handle a lot of power, plus the extra weight doesn't matter.

>>1091136
Rohloff is definitely the gold standard, but Alfine and even Nexus are fine also. The only issue I've run into with the latter in hillier areas is the limited gear range.

File: 3202752974_2dcbaca6f4.jpg (154KB, 500x375px) Image search: [Google]

154KB, 500x375px

>>1091192
>Does not working at all when temperatures go below -15°C count as a major design flaw?
Have you ever seen a photo of an older Fat Bike with a fixed gear cog on the front hub? The reason for this is/was so that when the freehubbody of your geared wheel freezes up, you can swap your front for your rear and make it home.

I wouldn't call it a design flaw, no, we just don't have any dedicated super low-temp hub options yet.

>>1091199
Rohloffs are fucking amazing. Chances are, the hub will survive more than one frame and possibly you as well (100.000 plus km is not infrequent).

I passed my Rohloff on to my wife. Never had a problem, my wife as well.

>>1091208
I mean more like the roling resistance is rather heavy on the nuvinci

>>1091262

Yeah but it'd be weird spending more on a hub than I spent on the actual bike.

>>1091197
>The only you should watch out of is never to shift under heavy loads as this might damage the axle pawls that engage the sun gears.

This makes it no good for me. I use bar-end friction shifters and frequently shift-down 4 or 5 gears at a time like an idiot

It's a chill way to ride not worry about planning your gears perfectly or going "click click click click" with an STI

Gimme the old KKKKERAACH_TIFFFFP

>>1091226

>That's where you're fucking wrong mister.

Gram fag spotted

>>1091387
He's actually wrong. Just like the Alfine 11 there are no pawls in the Alfine 8, is has a roller clutch. You can shift under load, too much load and it simply won't shift until you ease up. In practice it's not an issue at all once you get used to it as you don't need to pedal at all to shift unlike with derailers, you can simply ease up or stop pedalling for a fraction of a second whilst you shift (which happens much quicker than a derailer, as soon as the shifter clicks).

>It's a chill way to ride not worry about planning your gears perfectly
One of the cool things about an IGH is you don't need to downshift when coming to a stop as you can do it whilst stationary, and if you get caught out by a sudden climb and you're not low enough you can just hit the lever a couple times without having to mash on the pedals to get it to shift down.

>>1091238
Would it be possible to swap the oil to a more winter friendly option? I know the motor oil we use up here at 65°N is somewhat different from what they use in Dubai. Should be the same with gear hubs, for sure?

>>1091547
I don't see any reason why that wouldn't work.

>>1091547
Worth a shot if you're ok with voiding the warranty of the hub.

>>1091547
I´d try some motor oil with a viscosity of 0W20 or some synthetic automotive gearbox oil with a low cold temperature viscosity.