Alfine 11-speed – what is needed to install it? What are common problems when installing?

Asked by: Jennifer Williams

How good is Shimano Alfine?

Shimano Alfine hubs are excellent, and for many people out there, I think they’re actually a better option than a Rohloff hub. This is because they’re cheaper, quieter and employ trigger or neat drop bar shifters. I especially like the drop bar electronic shifters.

How does Alfine hub work?

Instead, the sealed Alfine employs an oil bath—like a car’s transmission—which can be drained through a port. Fresh oil can be injected with a special syringe. The whole system spins around a stationary axle that has three pawls—spring-loaded, wedge-shaped pieces of metal.

What is the difference between Nexus and Alfine?

The two main differences compared to Alfine 8 seem to be the exterior finish, which is better on the Alfine, and the braking options. Both can use rim brakes, Nexus 8 Premium can use roller brakes, while Alfine can use disc brakes. AFAIK the coaster brake Nexus hubs are/were the “ordinary” version with plain bearings.

How do you remove Alfine wheels?

Quote from video: You need to pull the wheel upwards. Towards you to remove it it should slide out easily. If you have horizontal dropouts you'll need to pull the wheel backwards.

Are Alfine gears any good?

Our review



The Alfine hub gear is the upgraded counterpart to Shimano’s successful Nexus hub. It’s smoother, has a higher-quality feel and looks to be robust enough to go for years. There’s a certain beauty about internally geared hubs; they might be heavier but the bonus is their easy-to-live-with nature.

What is internal gear hub bikes?

What is an Internal Gear Hub? The internal gear hub, also called hub gear or abbreviated IGH is a system used to change a bicycle’s gear ratio. It achieves this using planetary or epicyclic gears that are housed and sealed within the rear hub. The internal gear hub is an alternative to a derailleur.

Are hub gears any good?

Generally, hub gears have a long-life span and are usually maintenance free. The advantage of a hub gear is that you can shift gears when stationary. Hub gears allow you to change the gears from top to bottom whilst motionless, which is useful for urban riders who want to change gears at traffic lights.

Are internally geared hubs better?

Internal-gear hubs are more reliable than derailer systems, and require much less maintenance. The step-up ratios of their top gears make oversize chainrings unnecessary on small-wheel bicycles. Unlike derailers, internal-gear hubs can shift at a stop, very nice in stop-and-go urban traffic.

Can you put a Rohloff hub on any bike?

The main reason I have refrained from compiling this list is that Rohloff hubs can be retrofitted to almost any bike – so any bike can technically be a Rohloff bike! There are many ways to tension the chain, manage the cables or secure the hub in any frame. That said, a dedicated Rohloff bike is very nice to have.

What is a Shimano Nexus hub?

Shimano Nexus is a brand of bicycle components which includes products such as epicyclical gear hubs, cranksets, shifters, brake levers, hub brakes, hub dynamos, and a CPU for automatically changing gears.

What is a roller brake on a bike?

Rollerbrakes are cable-operated with metal braking surfaces that are then lubricated with bike grease. Set inside a cylindrical casing, the cam and rollers are fully covered. The cooling disc for the brakes — to reduce the chance of overheating — and the brake arm for the cable is kept outside of the casing.

How does a 3 speed hub work?

Quote from video: Похожие запросы

How does a 3 speed hub work?

Three speed hubs use a planetary gear system to achieve a gear ratio between the sprocket and the wheel. In this gear system the sun gear is fixed in place while the planet carier is rotated. This causes the planet gears to rotate which in turn causes the ring gear to rotate. The rider selects a speed using a shifter.

How much does a Rohloff hub cost?

Rohloff hubs are perfectly quiet from gear 8 through to gear 14. There’s no beating around the bush here – Rohloff hubs are expensive. Expect to pay US $1600 or 1100€ just for the hub and shifter (complete bikes start at 2500€). You’ll need to factor in the cost of a new wheel build too.

How much does a Rohloff hub weight?

The weight of a fitted Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 CC OEM including twist shifter, shifter cables and cable guide is approx. 1820g. The comparison between the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 and the derailleur system shows only a slight increase in weight.

Where are Rohloff hubs made?

Rohloff AG is a German company from Fuldatal near Kassel that manufactures hub gears, bicycle chains and tools that are known for their durability and high performance.

How does a Rohloff hub work?

Very simply, a Rohloff Speedhub is a system of 14 gears completely sealed within the rear hub – doing away with the need for front and rear derailleurs, multiple chainrings and rear cassette. The gear ratios are equally spaced to provide an optimal range of gears comparable to a derailleur setup (no gear overlap).