# From Rohloff, to alfine- will I hate it-love it?



## dosboy (Oct 29, 2006)

Hey- So 2 years ago I had a blacksheep 29er built, and placed a rohloff in the rear wheel. I loved it of course, but just couldnt justify the 1200 dollar price tag for a drivetrain. So I sold it, and eventually got rid of the bike..
Now- I have been reading the reviews on the alfine, and it looks promising, I have a Jeff Jones Spaceframe, with an EBB and just love the look of a ss chainline, I also love having gears thoug..So here's the question- Am I gonna hate the Alfine after riding the cream of the crop rohloff on my mountain bike, or am I not going to be able to tell much of a difference, and love having an internally geared hub for only 1/5th of the cost of the rohloff?
Also a few q's for alfine owners...
1- how does this thing work without a speedbone type mechanism?
2- am I gonna blow it up since I mostly ride epic long rides, and thrasher southern Utah trails and moab?
3- whats the gear range like? Im no good at ratios,they mean jibberish to me, what Im wondering is- do the 8 gears cover the spectrum of the 14 gears on the rohloff, just with bigger gear jumps, or is it more like a 2X8 drivetrain (in other words can I commute on the road with it, and still grany climb up super steep techy stuff?
4- Is this thing heavier than a rohloff?
5- does it shift as smoothly like a rohloff, can you change multiple gears at once etc..and does it ever ghost shift or grind?
6- is it noisy liek a rohloff?

Thanks guys, I know ther's a lot of details here, but its hard to justify a purchase without a lot of knowledge about it in my book,,look forward to some enlightenment--:thumbsup:


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## Monkeybike (Feb 25, 2008)

I have never tried a rohloff, but I do love my alfine. and I think you will too.
the spacing is a little odd, the gears are not evenly spaced. but to be honest it has never been a problem for me. 
The alfine will be up to the challenge , there are a few threads here about alfines going of road, I actually use my for dh and it is still in one piece and has already out lasted my previous derailleur. 
The shifting is amazing, it doesn't ghost shift and it is very precise, if you get a revo shifter you can shift more than one gear at the time (grip shift) or you can get the trigger shifter that works best for me.
the best thing about it (for me) it is that you can shift under heavy pedaling, It will always shift and I do not recall it ever making any pinging sounds, plus when coasting is totally quiet. 
the range covers like 2 thirds of the range of the rohloff (maybe a little less), but it is lighter (1.5 kilograms) or about the same as the rohloff.

the rohloff seems like a wonderfull piece of equipment, but I am sure you will not have any troubles with the alfine.


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## itsdoable (Jan 6, 2004)

I have/ride both.



dosboy said:


> 1- how does this thing work without a speedbone type mechanism?


Non-turn washers index to the dropout slot. This works fine for most dropouts with the smaller range of gears (less torque to transfer than a Rohloff)


dosboy said:


> 2- am I gonna blow it up since I mostly ride epic long rides, and thrasher southern Utah trails and moab?


Maybe, the Alfine has not been around long enough. Nexus 8-speeds did break, the red-band versions held up better, the Alfine is an upgrade of the old red-band version.


dosboy said:


> 3- whats the gear range like? Im no good at ratios,they mean jibberish to me, what Im wondering is- do the 8 gears cover the spectrum of the 14 gears on the rohloff, just with bigger gear jumps, or is it more like a 2X8 drivetrain (in other words can I commute on the road with it, and still grany climb up super steep techy stuff?


3/5 of the rohloff range, basically similar to a 1x8 setup with dérailleurs. Typically the lowest gear is not as low as a Rohloff, using a chain-ring ratio to get a really low 1st gear make the hub more prone to failure.


dosboy said:


> 4- Is this thing heavier than a rohloff?


Lighter, ~2/3 the weight.


dosboy said:


> 5- does it shift as smoothly like a rohloff, can you change multiple gears at once etc..and does it ever ghost shift or grind?


Yes & No. Shifter is springloaded, so the shifter always clicks (and has a lighter feel than the Rohloff). On down shifts, the hub may not shift until you let up on the pedal. (Rohloff is always in the gear once the shifter has clicked).


dosboy said:


> 6- is it noisy liek a rohloff?


Quiter than Rohloff since the Alfine uses a roller clutch on the noisy gears.

Bottom line is, it's different from the Rohloff, but not in a bad way. It's cheap enough that I won't be upset if/when it explodes.


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## anthony.delorenzo (Aug 17, 2006)

dosboy said:


> 3- whats the gear range like? Im no good at ratios,they mean jibberish to me, what Im wondering is- do the 8 gears cover the spectrum of the 14 gears on the rohloff, just with bigger gear jumps, or is it more like a 2X8 drivetrain (in other words can I commute on the road with it, and still grany climb up super steep techy stuff?:


The guy at Shimano explained it to me that it is like running a 13-38 freewheel. My setup with a 33T chainring gives me 8 speeds in the range of 23 - 70 gear inches.


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## dosboy (Oct 29, 2006)

Thanks for all the info guys, I think I will go ahead with it, and run the alfine on my Jones spaceframe..It wont be for a couple of months, but i'll post up pics and reports when the time comes... Now- Hunting for a deal on one!!!


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## dosboy (Oct 29, 2006)

One more question guys, im about to get one of these things, but I was remembering on my rohloff that one of the reasons I got rid of it was because of the amt of drag, especially in the lower gears. How is it compared to the alfine?


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## EGF168 (Aug 13, 2007)

dosboy said:


> One more question guys, im about to get one of these things, but I was remembering on my rohloff that one of the reasons I got rid of it was because of the amt of drag, especially in the lower gears. How is it compared to the alfine?


There's practically no break-in period and much less drag than the Rohloff, it also spins very well, considering its weight I think how long it can spin is bloody amazing. :thumbsup:


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