What broke? 2-Year MTB Review: Alfine 8 IGH & Rabbit Hole 26"!

[@pekkaastrom7346]

Hi! Thank's for the video. I have the Shimano Alfine 8, latest model, mounted on my touring bike (not the Nexus variant, which is a much older model). I have used it for 5 years, travelling all over SE Asia, and I love it. It has never malfunctioned, but there is a learning curve involved. 1) On two occasions have I heard a "thrashing" sound from the hub, while accelerating hard from standstill, in first gear, with a fully-laden bike. The Alfine probably has a protective mechanism built in, which releases if the load becomes to great (?). Do it many times, and the internals will wear out (chafing). The ratio between the rear sprocket and the front chainwheel can't be to extreme, or the hub will be overtaxed. For my heavy bike and body, the max ratio I'm comfortable using is a 20 teeth rear, and a 42 front. 2) I have had regular problems with the gear-shifter getting stuck, so that it won't shift down properly, perhaps twice a year (I dont ride a lot in dirty off-road situations, though). The remedy in my case has been to locate the small holes under the shifter body, and spray some lubricant in there. Don't make the mistake that I made, of turning the bike upside down, and spraying too much. It will fall down onto the plastic window, and make it opaque... Easy does it! 3) The gear-shifter will wear out after a year or so, and since the Alfine products can't be bought in SE Asia, I've had to import them (together with rear sprockets) from other countries. 4) The removal of the rear sprocket is a complete nightmare (the lock-ring), but CAN be done with a small knife and screwdriver + a lot of wrestling. A much better solution would be to buy an expanding plier for the job... In my opinion IGH-hubs like the Alfine 8 aren't suitable for the rough shifting which goes on in off-road conditions. They can't be force-shifted like an ordinary derailler setup, but rather want to be handled slowly and deliberately, if they are to last. Personally, I much prefer the IGH solution for my touring bike. Best Regards!

[@timothymatthews4399]

Excellent info. I found this very informative. I have an Alfine8 on my recumbent E-trike. Not much trail miles yet but soon. My motor is a bafang BBSHD WITH 48V battery & 30Amps so pretty high power. My chainring is 42T lekkie and I’m running a 23T sprocket on back. I have high hopes, but they’ve been lowered by your video. I guess I’ll find out how well it works on my setup soon.

[@adeharris4457]

How did you get on I want to install one on my bafang bbs02?

[@inforobertklein]

Hello. I have Nexus 8 Premium, with a red belt on an MTB bike. The hub works with two dials on the crank, 32 and 42. In 90% I drive on the dial 32. I have no problems with the hub. You only need to use a good grease grade NLGI 1 or 0, the hub must be immersed in automatic gearbox oil before lubrication. Then the hub works very well even at minus temperatures. The disadvantage of the hub is the inability to change gears under heavy load, because then the hub may be damaged. The ratio of the rear rack to the front rack should be 1: 2 Witam. Mam Nexus 8 Premium, z czerwonym paskiem w rowerze MTB. Piasta współpracuje z dwiema tarczami na korbie, 32 i 42. W 90% jeżdżę na tarczy 32. Nie mam problemów z piastą. Trzeba tylko zastosować dobry smar o klasie lepkości NLGI 1 lub 0, piastę koniecznie trzeba zanurzyć w oleju do skrzyń automatycznych, przed smarowaniem. Wtedy piasta działa bardzo dobrze nawet w ujemnych temperaturach. Mankamentem piasty jest brak możliwości zmiany biegów pod dużym obciążeniem, bo wtedy piasta może ulec uszkodzeniu. Stosunek tylnej zębatki to przedniej powinien wynosić 1:2

[@ohmdur9224]

Make your own rear sprocket for super low gearing. You can contact a 3D printer website and they will make you one or contact one of those water jet or laser cutting machine shops online and make any thickness and any amount of teeth you want.

[@georgeramirez5225]

Pull the cover off on the shifter squirt some wd40 then lube you should be fine.

[@gabrielo8922]

Informative video. Why do you wish Rohloff would make a 7 speed? What's wrong with their 14 speed?

[@TylerLinner]

Thank you John! The 14 speed is great- I have one. But it's very expensive and heavy!

[@K1989L]

@@TylerLinner Because of the doupling gears the 7 speed would not be much lighter and possibly not even cheaper.. some gears would probably be more silent.

[@TylerLinner]

@@K1989L Probably right. But part of the struggle here is finding a mountain bike-appropriate IGH that is both durable and affordable. Unfortunately there are not good options.

[@lancehatch4475]

I'm glad I watched this. I broke a derailleur hanger on my Santa Cruz Heckler and was going to try this. I think I will wait on that.

[@zopEnglandzip]

I'm currently using a Nexus 8, seems tough enough, maybe I got lucky. Sturmey archer are cheaper and I know they do a 7&8, not seen anyone using them though, I wonder why.