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I might replace my SS commuter with something else, I've seen a secondhand bike available that fits the bill, it has a Nexus 8 speed hub which I'm intrigued by.
Anyone use one? What are they like for a daily commuter? My canal tow path can get mucky with gritty puddles how's the sealing?
Cheers.
I used an Alfine - essentially the 11spd version - on my commute which was about half canal tow path and half road. Stood up to conditions well, including an absolute deluge of a touring trip in Scotland, though I never submerged it. They put a bit more weight to the back of the bike but really, you don't notice it. You have to ease off a bit more when changing gear but apart from that, and being able to change to any gear whilst stationary, they are just like a derailleur geared bike.
I recently built up an Alfine 8 bike for a dirty commute following a lot of good advice on here.
Although I'm very happy with it they are quite different in feel from a derailleur bike and I can understand why some people would dislike that.
They are a very good gear system.
They are different in feel and technique than a derailleur. Once you get used to that, they're great.
You'll never need to replace it if you look after it, it's not a consumable like a derailleur.
It's important to know how to adjust it properly - don't twiddle randomly, adjust it to the marks and it will work perfectly.
Any problems you get with it are likely to be cable related, eg sloppy changes, so look at your cables before blaming the hub.
Had an Alfine 8 on my MTB and went back to gears when I had a good deal on a complete build, if I used the MTB more I'd be getting a thru axel rohloff!
They aren't well sealed and can be destroyed by water ingress and corrosion. Ok if you service frequently
Got a 10 year old Alfine 8spd which has been on the commuter (in place of fixed / ss) for last 2.5 years. Total neglect, occasionally mucky route and has been trouble free. Really should lube it sometime as it was the early ones supposed to be most affected by corrosion....
I prefer the more direct feel of a regular ss or derailleur drivetrain, but for the task at hand I like it. Especially the option to throw it down the gears when freewheeling for chicanes, gates, canal bridges etc.
You'll need a bell as the silent freewheel doesn't alert walkers. Had a couple of punctures and always managed to swap the tube without having to disconnect the gear cable. Reverse action of the shifter confuses your brain for a few minutes when swapping between bikes.
I had a Nexus 7 on a Dahon folder. It was great, maintenance-free and reliable.