Originally Posted by
alias5000
I suspect that this might be more due to the role cycling has here, compared to many European metropolitan areas. With cars and car-centric infrastructure, cycling is so much more a recreational activity. Recreational bikes (think: road bikes) are all derailleur bikes due to the efficiency and weight advantage. Most North American brands are more leaders in performance oriented bicycles, less in urban utility-centered bikes. That's a place for European brands.
I do not suspect that the reason is related to cold weather - though I actually do not know. I am currently building up an Alfine 8 wheel specifically for Ontario winter use - so in a year or so, I will know better (too). Let me know how you get on with your future IGH after another winter in Montreal.
I agree, but I see a shift, at least here in Montreal. When I started winter cycling in my first winter here 6 years ago, there were only a few other crazy people with bikes on the road. Now, there are tons, bike lanes get cleared from snow within a day, the winter-biking Facebook group of Montreal has 9000 members, every media photo of a snow storm features a bike braving the storm...
In summer outside of school holidays, the bike lanes are that full I sometimes can't pass a red traffic light within one cycle! The city just announced a new major bike lane network, the inner city tries out cargo bikes for deliveries etc. In general, I see multiple cargo bikes per day now, which is great!
I am sure similar things happen in other big cities in North America, probably with different speed (was surprised to see in the middle of the city neon-vest-cyclists in San Francisco, totally uncommon here, just everyday clothes and a few mid-50s cyclists in lycra and carbon when the weather is nice). It's not the Netherlands or Denmark (yet), but even in the few years I'm here I see huge developments.
So I guess the market will adapt as well, one day. Of course, there is a huge space in between the cities in North America where people use bikes differently.
Regarding IGH: After my girlfriend was riding our new cargo bike, a Nihola with a Nexus 8, for a few months, she told me this week: I finally get why you like your IGH. Shifting while standing at a red traffic light is so much better! (She usually rides a really beautiful 70s mixte bike with moustache bar, downtube shifter, a 2x5 setup and weired sized 27" wheels. I got this for her when we were living in Austria, an old classic Austrian brand Puch).
The only problem I had in winter with the Alfine 8 (have the old version which has the shifter still inverse compared to how it shifts now) was the exposed cable part directly at the hub. This part and the attached part of the hub got often stuck due to dirt and freezing, regular cable changes did not help. Often it was not jumping back when I tried to shift down, so I could shift up, but for shifting down had to pull the cable at the hub directly by hand. That's why I am looking at the Di2 version, no exposed cable should mean less (or only different...) problems.