1 for Hub Gear users.

[Chess]

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/13-intuitive-gamma-hybrid-bike-2015

Hi all, hope the above link works, if not I'll try again.
Anyway, as in the title I'm after advice/thoughts from Hybrid/hub gear riders on this bike.
Mainly to be used for commuting to work and pootling about on weekends. Will want to fit lights, panniers and mudguards.
Surface will be roads, tarmac cycle path and a bit of Canal towpath.
Need reliability, and practicality above all else, so your thoughts and any alternatives would be much appreciated.
Very helpful Forum by the way, I spend hours reading the stuff on here, I'm addicted.!
Cheers,
Chess.

 

[mjr]

It seems OK. 13 seem among the best of the half-odds brands at the moment, but I'd double-check anything I could check rather than trust them (but still get them to do their checks, so you have a better chance of a warranty claim if needed).

I'm a steel frame, dynamo and hub brake fan so I'd do it differently, but I expect that bike can do all that you want, once you fit the extras. Have a good look around the rear stays and front forks to check mudguards can be fitted easily (fixing points and space under the bridges and crown). The steerer looks a bit low for a hybrid IMO, resulting in a very leant-forwards position, but it depends what you like. I don't know the 13 own-brand parts (saddle especially) and the Vittoria Voyager aren't as well-loved as the Vittoria Voyager Hyper, so you might want to swap those sooner than later. You may want to add a chainguard too.

 

[EnPassant]

What a ludicrous nickname......

 

[Deleted member 23692]

That's a similar spec to my Cube Hyde Race and it's perfect for what you describe. Mines 2 years old and had been ultra reliable, with only a hand full of drivetrain cleans that time. The 8 gears give a good bottom and top ratios, but you might find the steps between them a bit bog, however personally they seem about right for me (on a 39/18 drivetrain)

Contra to the above I'd leave the tyres as they are I use the Hyper Voyager and am very impressed with them as they are one of the better rolling hybrid tyres available, and so far I've only had one puncture in those 2 years, and none since I put Stan's No-Tube sealant in the tubes. Personally I'd take the risk with punctures and have a faster lighter bike than run slow heavy ones.

As above - with Quidco and BC discount you'll bring the price down a bit - and if you do click and collect you may even get double Quidco

 

[mjr]

[QUOTE 4398301, member: 259"]It looks fine to me - I found the Alfine 8 reliable but a bit clunky after a few thousand kms, and the bloke in my LBS recommends the Shimano Acera hydraulic brakes. I've never heard of 13 as a bike manufacturer, but it looks quite Specialized to me![/quote]
13 are a store own brand, but seem to be one of the better ones.

An Alfine 8 growing clunky could be due to lubrication. There's quite a bit of criticism of Shimano's lubrication advice (something like dip it in cleaner and then magic oil/grease every year or so) online as insufficient for British (and west-coast Canada and northern USA) weather, leading to premature wear. I've replaced the magic grease with semi-fluid grease in mine (following advice of Brucey on another forum) and so far so good but my hub's long out of warranty and I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to do it on a new one.

Personally I would get rid of the tyres and put some dreaded Marathon Plus on instead, and I wouldn't want tyres that wide either.

They're only 37mm (the popular 1⅜"), not balloons. Even though I can patch a puncture without removing the wheel, I like Marathon Plus on the back because my bike's a bit of a pig to get the back wheel off.

Otherwise I agree with @mrjay's comments.

Thank you M-rot.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

My Cannondale Street Ultra is an older variant on the theme and is the bike I will still be riding in the rubble of a post nuclear apocalypse it is that reliable and bombproof.

The Alfine 8 is a decent hub, the 4-5 gap is a tad of a clunk but overall well spaced, good range, smooth and quiet and serviced every so often and forgotten about then.

Likewise the shimano disc brakes, minimal intervention ever to keep them running sweet and they are very reliable in everything to blazing sun to blizard conditions.

For complete ride and forget you could consider a hub dynamo on the front, negligible weight penalty on a bike like this and is the final piece in the utility bike jigsaw IMHO.

I 2nd the suggestion to consider switching to Marathon Plus tyres too.

There is a little knack to unhitching an alfine cable, keep a 2mm allen key handy but its dead easy and once you've done it once or twice you'll be fettling the back end faster than with a derailleur bike.

 

[DRM]

Looks like a nice bike, I think you really need to have a test ride to see how the gears feel as your signature says you are in Huddersfield, which isn't exactly a flat place, however having hydraulic disc brakes is good, and as others have mentioned join British Cycling for 10% discount.
Oh and to c c.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Looks like a nice bike, I think you really need to have a test ride to see how the gears feel as your signature says you are in Huddersfield, which isn't exactly a flat place, however having hydraulic disc brakes is good, and as others have mentioned join British Cycling for 10% discount.
Oh and to c c.

Good call but just for a tad of reassurance, I'm in Oldham and roll the pennine hills on mine, 20kg unloaded & barely ever drop to 1st.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

There is a little knack to unhitching an alfine cable, keep a 2mm allen key handy but its dead easy and once you've done it once or twice you'll be fettling the back end faster than with a derailleur bike.

It's easy enough to do without the 2mm, but you'll probably have a multi-tool with you.

However a stubby 15mm spanner makes things dead easy.. and super portable too

 

[MichaelW2]

How is the chain tensioned?
My Alfine 8 is going strong after 7 years of hard commuting. I started doing the oil-dip annual maintenance after 2 years and that helped. It runs smoother, quieter and works at lower temps. Removing the innards is easier than it sounds and you can use cheap AutoTransmissionFluid instead of special Shimano juice.
Grease-filled Alfines can stick in gear below -10C and take 20mins of riding top warm up, so if you leave it in a shed on a cold night, leave it in the right gear.
I use a dynamo disk hub for lighting and it matches the grab-and-go convenience of hub gears.

The gear range is equiv to a 1x8 system, you lose some range and some low gears compared to a hybrid 3x8. Shifting whilst stopped is convenient and it just seems to shift quicker and more easily than my Tiagra STi.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Chain Tension: I have an Eccentric Bottom Bracket on mine, a wee tweak every now and again and all good.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

It's easy enough to do without the 2mm, but you'll probably have a multi-tool with you.

However a stubby 15mm spanner makes things dead easy.. and super portable too

Funny you should say that I have a C+ freebie stubby 15mm bolted to the 2nd bottle bosses on my downtube,

 

[Deleted member 23692]

Funny you should say that I have a C+ freebie stubby 15mm bolted to the 2nd bottle bosses on my downtube,

Don't leave home without it

Eccentric bottom bracket on my Cube too.

 

[Goggs]

Ditto regarding the eccentric bottom bracket but I have no clue as to how it works.

 

[Pale Rider]

Ditto regarding the eccentric bottom bracket but I have no clue as to how it works.

The bracket assembly can be moved in an 'eccentric circle' - oval - which has the effect of moving the chain ring fore and aft, tensioning the chain.

You will probably see a locking bolt or two on the outside of the shell.

It's deemed to be a more elegant engineering solution to tensioning the chain on a hub gear bike than simply yanking the back wheel back a bit in the drop outs.

The bike in the OP's link has an eccentric bottom bracket, which is an indication it's a nicely made bicycle.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/egf/3238293945