Alfine hub on XC mtb..?

[GaryA]

Ive long dispaired at off-road deraillers and gear mechs which as the cogs went up from 8-9 speed and now 10 speed (haha) their durability and service requirements became a total pain and expense.
Hub gears seemed the logical answer...2 problems I could never afford something like a rohloff and I didnt trust the shimano offerings nexus etc...
Alfine seem to be ok as far as i can gather.... now I realise they are probably a bit gear-range restricted and rear-wheel heavy for serious off road but I only do XC these days having been battered too much on the serious stuff.
Is alfine 11 speed likley to strong and durable enough for my needs 80kg 6' 2" rider?

This post inspired by a sighting of what I consider to be a spectacular online bargain
genesis iO ID alfine 11 speed for £750
http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B5284.html

Not sure I should be posting that since you rich gits might snaffle them all up

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Nowt wrong with Alfine on an mtb. I've ridden the 8 speed lots and the 11 a couple of times. You get used to the c-o-g shift in about 0.25 seconds.

The bike you've linked to, if it is real and available, is an incredible bargain given an Alfine 11 hub goes for something like £400

 

[GaryA]

Highfield cycles have been going for a while so I think its genuine Greg...
I noticed in the edinburgh bicycle catalogue I got through the door that Genesis have replaced the ID alfine with a 29incher with almost identical spec for £1700
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/genesis-high-latitude-alfine-13

 

[GrumpyGregry]

by real and avaiable I meant "have bikes in stock in your size at that price" which is BARGAINTASTIC

 

[JohnClimber]

I wish I'd never bought my 11 speed on my mtb.

It's been back once for a full over haul and it still slips gears under pressure every so often.

Avoid

 

[MacB]

There does seem to be a risk with the 11 speed and reliability, enough that it stopped me getting one even though I had been waiting for them to come out. There's the usual debate about how much of the 11 speed issues are design/out of the box and how much are poor setup. Then you have to add in the factor of it's mainly the negatives that appear on the web. Even allowing for all of that I'm still waiting to see on the 11.

Now the 8 speed seems more robust and less finicky about gear alignment but Janes doesn't have enough miles to give a longer term view. Ease of setup was up there though and I'm thinking of another.

Gear wise they aren't as different as it may seem at first. If you geared the two hubs the same then gears 1-5 are near enough a match. Gears 6/7/8 on the 8 speed give the same coverage as gears 6/7/8/9 on the 11 speed. Then the 11 speed has gears 10 and 11 at the top end. So if you used an input ratio of 1.6 to 1 or 32x20 then the 8 speed would give you about 24to75 gear inches and the 11 speed the same for 9 gears and then you'd have an 87 and 99 gear inches extra at the top.

Like the others said that's a bloody good price for a complete 11 speed...as long as it works.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

It's a damn nice bike too in my limited MTB experience, I test rode the last one in the shop on an Alfine8 hub a few years ago but was pipped to buying it by someone with ready cash whilst I was waiting for a c2w voucher to arrive. I was gutted and haven't been in position to get one since. I'd love to have the money now, that looks like a superb bargain.
My subsequent few years experience of daily riding an Alfine 8 on a general purpose heavy commuter/load lugger on all sorts of surfaces and in all weathers is very positive, it is robust, solid, near as dammit maintenance free and with the exception of a slightly more noticeable jump from 4 to 5 is well specced and provides a good smooth range of gears to go at that suits a wide range of riding. A 9 or 10 at a push would be the perfect set up I think, I've not ridden an 11 but suspect it would either give you a too crowded mid section or a gear at either end nearly unusable other than for cycling up or down a wall.
The No1 gear on the 8, if not quite a granny ring is certainly an easy pedal, I changed my rear sprocket from a 20 to an 18T to give me a bit more cruising speed and haven't suffered going uphill at all for it.

 

[GaryA]

Thanks for the info folks...I'm risk aversive by nature-cant afford to be anything but- so I'd stick to the alfine 8 speed if its still around when Ive got the cash together.
Like i said I avoid the serous off road stuff and like many Ive been sticking to the gravelled/tarmaced paths to avoid the mud this year... although touch wood it is slowly drying up on the elevated sections.
Kiss of death that -we will now get 2 months of rain

 

[Pale Rider]

There's an Alfine 11 on my Rose e-bike and so far, so good.

Changing requires a bit of a knack which is soon learned, although I have had an occasional false ratchety change.

The Bosch assist system is slightly de-tuned for the hub gear which I think tells us Shimano know their hubs are not quite as tough as a derailleur.

Shouldn't be a problem for an ordinary rider on an unassisted bike, although I expect someone like Bradley might break the hub if he gave it full beans.

Make sure the frame dropouts have proper horizontal adjustment for chain tension - some don't.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I got a bit excited why I saw that Genesis deal, then I found out the bike is out of stick, then I remembered that I don't have £750