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Searching my ultimate all year fast commuter bike. Soma Wolverine?

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Searching my ultimate all year fast commuter bike. Soma Wolverine?

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Old 02-10-20, 10:35 AM
  #26  
davei1980
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Have you considered a Rohloff Speedhub? That seems to be the end all/be all for all weather gearing.... Pair that up with a Ti frame and you'll truly have a quick, forever bike.
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Old 02-10-20, 11:27 AM
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I was thinking a Wabi Urban then getting an Alfine wheel built. It has Cantilever brakes and plenty of room for tire and fenders.

https://wabicycles.com/collections/s...-urban-classic
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Old 02-10-20, 11:29 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by The_NinthWave
I'd like to go and see this bike for myself when it's done, if you agree.

I am now looking at a BMC Alpenchallenge AC01 Two at 1800 C$ and I am curious how much have you shelled in parts yet ?
Sure, I'll post here when it's built, we could meet whenever you're in Montreal...
Still have to make the final calculations as most of my part orders contained also parts for other bikes (my current one, my girlfriends and for the cargo bike) and/or tools. It will be cheaper then our cargo bike, but for sure more expensive then buying a complete bike. But that would have not existed this way. The Di2 components added quite a bit to the costs, but I think I got for most parts some not too bad prices (shopping around, mostly from Europe, price matching etc).

The BMC looks nice as well, and I have the Alfine 8 in my current bike, definitely a good choice for a commuter!


Originally Posted by davei1980
Have you considered a Rohloff Speedhub? That seems to be the end all/be all for all weather gearing.... Pair that up with a Ti frame and you'll truly have a quick, forever bike.
The Rohloff alone would have been about 750-1000 Euro (just quickly checking on Bike24 and not sure which version is which) more then the Alfine 11 Di2 I got, and as far as I know using it with a drop bar isn't straightforward neither (best option seems to be a Gebla Rohbox for 190 Euro plus SRAM shifters). So even though Di2 isn't cheap, Rohloff is again another catogory.
FYI: I paid for the Alfine 11 Di2 hub £83 (SJS cycles), for the shifters&brakes (ST-R785 & BR-R785) CAD 316 (Merlin). Plus the whole Di2 stuff (battery and charger, junction A & B, cables, special stem to integrate the battery in the fork, Alfine Di2 motor). All this adds up, but a Rohloff setup would have been still quite a bit more... Probably in the end also more reliable, don't doubt that neither. Cables could still freeze, but since Rohloff uses two instead of one cable, I'm sure it's less prone to get stuck due to dirt alone. But I know and love my Alfine 8 (non-Di2), so this setup was more familiar to me. Let's see how it works out...
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Old 02-10-20, 11:41 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by antdd
The Rohloff alone would have been about 750-1000 Euro (just quickly checking on Bike24 and not sure which version is which) more then the Alfine 11 Di2 I got, and as far as I know using it with a drop bar isn't straightforward neither (best option seems to be a Gebla Rohbox for 190 Euro plus SRAM shifters). So even though Di2 isn't cheap, Rohloff is again another catogory.
FYI: I paid for the Alfine 11 Di2 hub £83 (SJS cycles), for the shifters&brakes (ST-R785 & BR-R785) CAD 316 (Merlin). Plus the whole Di2 stuff (battery and charger, junction A & B, cables, special stem to integrate the battery in the fork, Alfine Di2 motor). All this adds up, but a Rohloff setup would have been still quite a bit more... Probably in the end also more reliable, don't doubt that neither. Cables could still freeze, but since Rohloff uses two instead of one cable, I'm sure it's less prone to get stuck due to dirt alone. But I know and love my Alfine 8 (non-Di2), so this setup was more familiar to me. Let's see how it works out...
I know the Speedhub is expensive, I hadn't thought about compatibility issues with drops (I think the default shifter is a 1990s style grip shifter with two cables because the gears are internally indexed).

I have no direct experience with the Alfine 8 or 11 but I do love Shimano prodcuts! Good luck and happy riding!
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Old 11-12-20, 02:10 AM
  #30  
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Hi antdd. I'm a newby wanting a flatbar Wolverine frame with Gates drive with Alfine Di2. My bike shop says it's not possible (with V4 type B frame). But have I got it right that you've been successful albeit with Wolverine v3? If so, were any workarounds needed? What were they? It would be great to solve this!!!
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Old 11-12-20, 06:45 AM
  #31  
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Ah, yes, I should have updated this thread a while ago, but the build took me (pandemic (less time, work from home and no communting, and life related (less time)) more time then expected. It is rideable, just the fenders and the rack still need to get on...

To your question: I built it with Alfine Di2 and a chain, not a belt drive. As far as I got from Soma and other sources, making it together working needs cold setting of the frame. With the chain it works though. I assume the Gates sprocket needs a bit more space, or the chain/belt line is slightly off, not sure. The standard chain sprocket for the Alfine (and Nexus) is dished and can be used in both directions, but with the Di2 motor attached only one direction, inwards, fits. Between the chain and the motor and hub are on both sides only minimal space. On my old, non-Di2 bike I use the outer direction. So, not exactly sure where the problem with the Gates belt is, but it must have to do with the spacing or the smaller tolerances for its chain line.

Since we have harsh winters here and I heard from other people in Montreal about bad experiences with Gates belts in winter, this wasn't a big issue for me and I went with the chain setup.
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Old 11-12-20, 03:19 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by antdd
Ah, yes, I should have updated this thread a while ago, but the build took me (pandemic (less time, work from home and no communting, and life related (less time)) more time then expected. It is rideable, just the fenders and the rack still need to get on...

To your question: I built it with Alfine Di2 and a chain, not a belt drive. As far as I got from Soma and other sources, making it together working needs cold setting of the frame. With the chain it works though. I assume the Gates sprocket needs a bit more space, or the chain/belt line is slightly off, not sure. The standard chain sprocket for the Alfine (and Nexus) is dished and can be used in both directions, but with the Di2 motor attached only one direction, inwards, fits. Between the chain and the motor and hub are on both sides only minimal space. On my old, non-Di2 bike I use the outer direction. So, not exactly sure where the problem with the Gates belt is, but it must have to do with the spacing or the smaller tolerances for its chain line.

Since we have harsh winters here and I heard from other people in Montreal about bad experiences with Gates belts in winter, this wasn't a big issue for me and I went with the chain setup.
Ahhh, thanks for the disappointing clarification..... Yes, my bike shop informed it is a clearance issue. Can't get the Gates belt to run exactly straight with this combination. So now need to decide Gates or Di2.....
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