MarcusT

So, I have seen more and more touring bikes with internal gear hubs. Rohloff and Shimano Alfine. Usually 8 or 11 speed with one chain ring on the crank.
My question is; is there enough range with these hubs for a touring bike. Meaning, from murderous uphills, to eye watering downhills? I presently us a 3X9 set up and even though most riding takes place on the middle ring, there are times I use the others and am thankful to have them.
So how does a 1X8 or 1X11 on these hubs compare to the multi-chain ring system?

big chainring 

Plot your gear ratios/inches and find out. I would imagine on a 3x9 set up you may have some duplicate gears. The other thing to consider is the IGH has one chain line. The chain on your 3x9 is getting stretched and contorted in many combinations. I would guess the IGH offers a regular gear increment from 1 thru 8. The 27 speeds you have now are more of a random assortment of gears.

JonathanGennick 

I have an eight-speed Nexus hub, and I am fairly certain the range it provides doesn't match with what a 3x9 can offer. I believe Rohloff offers a wider range. You'd need to check the specs to be sure. Pinion's latest gearbox models actually offer greater range (600%) than SRAM's latest 12-speed offering (500%).

hankaye

MarcusT, Howdy;

Here's a fairly good testimonial for one,
Mentions his hub @ 1:35

Good luck.

hank

fietsbob

3rd week of November, a couple years ago, 2 guys from Sweden rode through town , headed down US 101,

they were riding commuter step through bikes With Shimano 8 speed IGH,

they started from Anchorage Alaska, and were flying back to Stockholm from Miami Florida.


Already crossed AK , Yukon , BC, WA state ...


[Rohloff hubs are 14 speeds * and are targeting the gear range of the typical triple crank MTB.

*3 , 3 speeds run through twice again in low range, #11 is the 1:1 gear.]






...

rollagain

IGHs are good enough for carrying quarter-ton loads, so that's not a problem. The problem (if it is a problem for a particular rider) is overall range. You can set the system up to climb hills well enough, but with, say, an 8-speed, that means your top end will be slow. Add fairing? More speed, more spend.

I found that the difference between the 8- and 11-speed Shimanos is all in the top three extra gears of the 11-speed. The lower ratios are nearly identical; 1:1 is fifth gear for both of them.

fietsbob

I get off and push, when encountering 'murderous up hills', with my touring load aboard.

but they became memorable..

Rohloff Manual states smallest permissible gear ratio, ie your chain ring to hub cog ... 2.35:1 but if you build it in a 20" wheel
not x 26 or 29, so that offers a lower gear ..

1st is an 0.279:1 (second stage, through an internal reduction gear) . 8th, lowest in high range 0.682:1





....

GamblerGORD53

I wouldn't go round the block with deClunkeurs again. They don't really have better range than a Rohloff that is laughably easy and effective to use anyway.
My Rohloff has 11,600 miles now. GIs 22 to 116 is good for me on my 120 lb heavyweight. There is a point when it's easier and less sweaty to walk. Especially on a cold day. The chain/ cog wear is no better for my setup. Only problem with the shifting is the slippery knob.
I'll use my fun SA hubs for the lighter duty stuff. They are quiet as a mouse at any speed.

fietsbob

I still use the tri lobe original grip shifter.. but their market seemed to want carbon handlebars,
so they changed the grip shifter to comply..

I got better wear life from my 2nd chain, a Full Bushing Whipperman ,
than the original OEM stock Rohloff bushingless chain that the Koga WTR, had from the factory..


Around town I bring my Mountain Drive crank, Brompton.. it is dual range to use the 3 gears twice..

R'off that's internal ..





...

curbowman

I don't like the Rohloff shifter, so I was happy to know there are aftermarket alternatives. cyclingabout.com compiled some of them:

https://www.cyclingabout.com/rohloff...op-handlebars/

DeadGrandpa

You might also consider the SRAM Dual Drive 3 speed IGH, which is typically mated (on one of my bikes) with a standard cassette (mine is 9 speed). You have one chain ring in front, and the shifters are mounted left /right like regular shifters, and they are regular shifters. The IGH can be shifted when you're not pedaling. I like mine.

alcjphil

If you have low enough gears to get up any hill, you don't need to worry about going down, gravity will take care of that, Touring isn't about having high gears for going fast downhill

Arthur Peabody

I read a story about a fellow who decided to go bicycle touring after he retired. He hadn't been on a bike since he was a kid. He bought a cheap 1-speed, lashed a suitcase to it, rode it across the country. If you really want to do it, you can do it, not to disparage the value of sturdy-enough bicycles and appropriate gears.

GamblerGORD53

The problem is the down/ up dips that the USA has by the millions. Far better to max momentum and power up in high as long as you can. 92 GI is useless for that.

ironwood

Dervla Murphy rode from Ireland to Afghanistan on a three speed. I once met a Dutchman on a three speed who had ridden to Nord Cap in Norway and back, on a three speed. Other riders have gone around the world on three speeds.

Lazyass

Markus Stitz rode around the world on a single speed. I would prefer a standard triple setup, myself.

rydabent

The problem I see is when you are 150 miles from nowhere, if the hub has a problem you are walking. OTOH with a derailer you can overcome breakage by throwing it away and just put the chain on a middle gear with a chain tool. That will get you to the nearest bike shop, that will have a new derailer in stock.

JonathanGennick 

I like the look of those hubs over the Shimano ones, but didn't SRAM recently exit the IGH market?

I met a guy once who pedaled from Toronto to somewhere west, Edmonton I think. He stayed at my house one night. He was riding an old-style bike from maybe the 1970s. North road bars, upright position, and I think it was a five speed. He made it too.

jgwilliams

No, she did that first trip on a single speed. The bike originally had a three speed hub but when she decided to go touring she put on a single speed for reliability.

There are pros and cons to both IGH and derailleurs but I'd say a good IGH wins out for touring because of long-term reliability and lack of maintenance requirements. If you're worried about lack of gears you could look at fitting a Schlumpf mountain drive.

VegasTriker

SRAM has indeed stopped producing internal hubs in March 2017. I own a touring recumbent trike with two internal hubs, a 3X8 rear SRAM Dual-Drive in the rear and a Schlumpf Mountain Drive with two speeds and a single 65 tooth chainring. It was a great system with a very wide gear range and good durability. The trike has 27,000+ miles on it and I replaced the original SACHS 3X8 (a better quality hub compared to SRAM Dual-Drive) after I put about 15K miles on the second-hand trike. I had to replace only because SRAM that bought out SACHS wouldn't supply simple parts like bearing races. You can still buy NOS Dual-Drives but I would advise against it. Parts are unavailable and you would never be able to replace it if that became necessary in the future.

DeadGrandpa

I don't know about that. My SRAM Dual Drive was suggested by the guy at Bike Friday, 15 months ago, when I ordered my folding bike. If they're not available anymore, I would suggest a 2x10 or 2x11, 26/42 (or 24/40) chainrings, with 11/46 or 11/50 on the back. Your knees will thank you for a low gear of 17 or less gear inches.

If you really like the concept of IGH, I've read the Rohloff is relatively trouble free and gives a 500% gear range. I saw a guy using a belt drive Rohloff on the GDMBR, and he was happy with his. The only downside is that they are heavy and expensive.

JonathanGennick 

Earlier this year I had been toying with the idea of buying a kids, 20-inch wheel bike and retrofitting it with a three speed hub. I liked SRAM's design because it doesn't stick out sideways like Shimano's does.

bwilli88 

here is the comparison of a 14 speed Rohloff with a common 3x9

NomarsGirl

That's really interesting. I don't know much about this but the diagram is pretty clear. Looks like you get the same range without the duplication. The Rohloff looks like a much easier setup to understand.

GamblerGORD53

Having a xx/36/48 is the WORST for useless exact duplications. That's why they went to xx/39/50. That chart says don't use 2 cross combos, I routinely didn't use 8.
Anyway, Rohloff14 has perfect spacing for me. Absolutely NO lugging the motor that you get with most other IGHs. On hills I always jump 3 or 4 gears at a time, no problem.