# Alfine owners question after a year



## fokof (Apr 24, 2006)

Now that it's out for a year I figure maybe one or two guys have done "serious" MTB on it. I mean mud baths , snow , the usuall stuff. 
My Nexus haven't last a single winter , so I wonder  

Thanx


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## jdrds17 (May 8, 2006)

*alfine after (not quite) a year*

Not quite a year, but I ran my Alfine last Aug/Sep on a fully rigid 29er then moved it over to a full suspension 29er in November and have been using it for all of my mountain biking since then. It has not seen a lot of snow, but it has seen plenty of PA mud (and rocks and roots and small drops) and a weeklong stint in southwest UT (applied enough torque to break a chain with no apparent hub effects). I'm approaching 500 miles and I'm well over 50 hours - almost exclusively singletrack. I'm running a pretty low 29/20 ratio, but I'm no heavyweight at about 150 lbs w/o gear. As far as durability goes, I've had no issues and the hub feels just like it did when new. Overall, the Alfine has its positives and negatives, but I'll say the same thing here that I tell folks on the trail: I don't see myself ever going back to derailleurs!


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## Citizen Kane (Aug 12, 2007)

My Alfine has done one winter and has developed a rhythmic metallic clang in 7th and 8th. Only happens under power and I can't replicated it on the work stand. I figure it’s got a year’s warrantee on it so it will go back for investigation soon.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

My Alfine in a Surly Pugsley frame has only seen 6 months of action, but they've included beach sand, desert dust, winter sand/salt/slush, etc... So far I've had no issues at all and haven't had to do anything to the hub.


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## presslab (Jan 5, 2007)

I have almost a year on my Alfine 501, running 32-20, and I weigh 200 lbs. I often stand and mash on the climbs and this hub takes it. This bike has been through one winter here, although mild as I'm in California.

When relatively new, sometimes it made a little crunch sound after shifting, but that's gone and it has been flawless for the past 6 months.


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## bsdc (May 1, 2006)

jdrds17 said:


> Overall, the Alfine has its positives and negatives, but I'll say the same thing here that I tell folks on the trail: I don't see myself ever going back to derailleurs!


What are the negatives?


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## fokof (Apr 24, 2006)

Another question;

On my Nexus , the "engagement point" on the 4th speed is like a quarter of a turn before engaging. In fact , it's different on each speed , not doin' trials or such , but a bit annoying.

Is it the same on the Alfine?


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## presslab (Jan 5, 2007)

fokof said:


> Another question;
> 
> On my Nexus , the "engagement point" on the 4th speed is like a quarter of a turn before engaging. In fact , it's different on each speed , not doin' trials or such , but a bit annoying.
> 
> Is it the same on the Alfine?


The Alfine with the roller clutches engages pretty quick. Yes, it's different in each gear. I have a Hadley 72 POE hub on my other bike; the Alfine has not disappointed me in it's engagement.


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## jdrds17 (May 8, 2006)

*Positives and Negatives*

Well, I've been keeping a list  These are generally in comparison to a traditional geared set-up, since that is what I usually get asked about on the trails.

*Pros*
*Maintenance Free* - haven't touched it since new, still feels like new
*Reliable* - even with running a chain tensioner, I've had no problems with bent or broken tensioner/hanger/etc
*Easy to Setup* - might have adjusted the barrel adjuster twice since initial install - no constant tuning due to damage/wear like with deraileurs
*Good Shift Performance* - generally good, upshifts are better than downshifts, but neither happen under high constant torque and can require a bit of a soft pedaling or even just a 'jerky' revolution to complete
*Silent* - clutches vs pawls - totally silent coasting is cool
*Virtually No Chain Slap* - currently running single pulley short travel tensioner
*Smooth* - sometimes notice a bit of 'grinding-like' vibration feeling in the pedals in gear 1, but other than that it is wonderfully smooth
*Shift w/o Pedaling* - moderately useful, really only notice on wrecks/bailouts that force a restart from standstill

*Cons* 
*Weight* - total FS 29er still <30lb, so not that big a deal - weight bias is noticeable every time I load and unload the bike, though
*Nutted Wheel* - slows wheel install/removal a bit, have to carry appropriate tool
*More Complicated Wheel Removal* - connecting/disconnecting shifter cable also slows wheel install/removal
Have had the *dust cap (ring)* come loose a couple times during a ride - no big deal other than to stop and put back on
*Engagement* is not particularly quick or sharp - about the same as LX/XT level Shimano as far as quickness, but the actual engagement is just a bit 'softer' than with pawls - have learned to live with it
*Trigger Shifter* seems to be bigger/heavier than it needs to be, only shifts one gear at a time in both directions, travel for upshifts (thumb) seems excessive - has been reliable so far, though	
*Uneven Gear Spacing* - even spacing would be better, but for technical mtb riding, this has not been an issue for me at all - the only time I even notice it is 5->6
Snap Ring to retain cog is a pain to install/remove, which makes gearing changes harder than it could be

That's it so far. Whether an IGH is right for you is really dependent on what you prioritize.


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## bsdc (May 1, 2006)

Thanks a lot for the rundown. I currently run a Rohloff. I'm familiar with most of the pros and cons of IGHs. Looking into the Alfine, it seems that some of the cons of the Rohloff are minimized in the Alfine. 

Price: Alfine is a huge bargain compared to a Rohloff.

Weight: What's the weight penalty of an Alfine? A Rohloff is about 1.5 more than a standard drivetrain.

Shifting: It sounds like it's about the same for a Rohloff and Alfine although the Alfine has a trigger shifter option. Rohloff is only twist shifter, which I was totally against before I got it, but I've grown to prefer over time. 

Grinding: Other than a few odd reports of different Alfine hub noises, it seems that the Alfine is relatively smooth and quite compared to the Rohloff.

Gearing: The Rohloff's evenly spaced, wide range is nice, but not totally necessary. I think the Alfine's range should be sufficient for all but the steepest terrain. Is anyone bothered by the uneven gear spacing?

Durability: The Rohloff is a tank, but the early reports on the Alfine are impressive. Has anyone heard of any failures with offroad use?

Wheel Removal: A little more difficult with the Alfine but I would think it's a relatively minimal problem. Tubeless tires have made this less of an issue. I've got a QR on my Rohloff but I only recall using it once in the last year and a half and that was to put on a new tire. Is a QR option not availible? 

The Alfine looks real promising. I'm looking forward to getting one.


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## dog.gone (Mar 14, 2009)

Out of curiousity, are most of you running a single chainring, doubles or triples?


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

dog.gone said:


> Out of curiousity, are most of you running a single chainring, doubles or triples?


Single for me. A lot of the attraction for me is the simple chainline and lack of derailleurs and/or chain tensioner. Even just going w/ 2 rings means essentially going w/ a front derailleur, front shifter, and rear chain tensioner. All that for a slight (and for my usage, unnecessary) increase in gear range.


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## fokof (Apr 24, 2006)

dog.gone said:


> Out of curiousity, are most of you running a single chainring, doubles or triples?


Single

"THE" big advantage with IGH , is no derailleur.

It's like putting a solar panel on a flash light........


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## bsdc (May 1, 2006)

Done.


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## dog.gone (Mar 14, 2009)

bsdc said:


> Done.


Oh, sure... next you're gonna try to tell me that there are laptops with hand cranks. 
Hey, wait a minute...


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## rdhfreethought (Aug 12, 2006)

8 days at Whistler MTB, and it hasn't broken yet :0 I am not doing anything huge, but I have done several hundred 8-10 foot jumps on it (A-line etc), and about a billion braking bumps at speed.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=530199


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