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Shimano Alfine Disc Hub | $240
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Alfine should come with 'easy life' written all over it

BikeRadar verdict

4 out of 5 stars

"Alfine offers a new level in hub gear performance"

By BikeRadar

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. Shimano’s Nexus hub has always impressed, but Alfine is so much smoother and quieter.

Shifting is buttery and it feels like each gear is delivered with a rounded edge rather than a definite clunk.

That gives the impression that the shift is soft and would struggle under load, but far from it. Under heavy pedal load, the double clutch mechanism shifts, and does it well. It doesn’t wait until you back off the power, it just delivers and doesn’t scare you into thinking you’ve mangled the internals.

It’s also very robust. We know of people using it on mountain bikes, an application it was never intended for.

The eight-speed gear range is more than enough for regular town and country use. If you’re interested in the numbers, the gear ratios are: 0.53, 0.64, 0.75, 0.85, 1, 1.22, 1.42 and 1.62. With a 20-tooth sprocket on hub, this approximately imitates the gears on a 12-38-tooth cassette.

That’s a big range and means you’ll be able to get up the hills and down them with a bit of speed as well. Squeezing eight gears in that large range does leave quite big gaps between each gear, but you get used to it, only occasionally missing an in-between gear to smooth out pedal input.

It takes time to dismantle the cable assembly before removing the rear wheel – it’s not difficult but it is a mechanical rather than a quick procedure. However, this is the only fiddling you have to endure and once set up the hub just purrs along.

The hub comes with the option of mounting a Center Lock disc for more braking power and it also needs a dedicated shift lever.

The Rapidfire-inspired lever does one gear at a time, and costs an additional £24.99. This is a bit of a shame because the efficiency of the hub deserves the speed of a multiple gear changer like a twist shifter.

On price and performance the Alfine hub is excellent. It weighs 1590g and is the only system that comes close to the more expensive SRAM i-Motion 9.

User Reviews

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  • User review of Shimano Alfine Disc Hub

    I've used the Alfine for about 7 months now on a Cannondale Bad Boy. It is certainly smooth and since I do most of my commuting on dirt tracks, it is great to have the gears protected from the elements. I love how easy it is to maintain.

    The rather bulky rapidfire trigger doesn't like riser handlebars - it tends to jut out over the rise and is then prone to damage. My main gripe is that the rear wheel is a real pig to replace once you've removed it. Here I have to disagree with the reviewer. I'm quite mechanically minded, but there are various dots that have to be aligned so that the hub will slot back into the dropouts, and they don't line up easily. It is no joke holding the combined weight of hub and rim while you attempt it; and I hate to think what it would be like to do this on a dark and damp winter evening!, which as we all know, is when flats usually occur! If Shimano could sort that out, and provide a twistgrip (though I might try the Nexus as suggested), I'd give it full marks.

    In fact, I'd quite like to purchase other parts of the groupset. Anyone know where to get hold of Alfine components?

    0.3
  • User review of Shimano Alfine Disc Hub

    I have the alfine hub and actually like the rapidfire, does take getting used to but suits me

    0.3
  • User review of Shimano Alfine Disc Hub

    Apparently the Shimano Nexus Inter-8 twist shifter can be used with the Alfine hub if you want to avoid endless button-pushing.

    0.3

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Specification

Name:
Alfine Disc Hub
Built by:
Shimano
Price:
$240.00
Description:
8-speed internal gear disc hub
Weight (g):
1590.00 g
Brake Compatibility:
Disc Brake
No. Of Holes:
36

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