Bike Hugger 

Unless you’re paying the Rivendell tax for a frame like the Atlantis (no, they will not let inflation eat at their margins), I can’t see any place for the Alfine group on a $3k vehicle replacement.  If you’re all about the Rohloff, what’s a few dollars more to lace up a Schmidt dynohub?

This doesn’t surprise me all that much. I’ve notice a lot of my ride partners have started commuting full-time by bike, and their $8k all-carbon rigs just aren’t the right fit for Boston traffic for many of them. Even a $3k commuter is a better bet around the Financial District than having the schmancy racing bike trashed by a taxi, and it can haul groceries to boot.

Plus, you know, most of my friends don’t have enough bikes. Some of them only have three or four, so this would be a welcome addition to a nearly-bike-free home. :)

Well, the Rohloff 14 IS about a $1200 component, so it represents almost half the cost of the $3k build.

@Scott,

Good point and a Big Dummy will hit that price point easily; especially when spec’d like Bettie. I think the Rohloff choice is based on durability.

I ran into the owner riding his new Civia rig home at the bike crosswalk on MLK Way.  I was on my Nexus8 commuter, he was on a Rohloff, and a third guy waiting for the light was on an old Raleigh with a Sturmey 3-speed.

I have read rumors that Rohloff is about to introduce a second hub. It is supposed to be a bit lighter and less expensive but it also will not last as long as the current model.

Rohloff would do well by offering more shifter options for drop bars. Shops have been doing all sorts of weirds stuff for years.

As a general rule, having the bulk of a bike’s value wrapped up into a single component (excluding frames I guess) is silly.

It’s my advice that you should be able to afford to break a single part on a commuter bike without a material impact to the household budget.

I was just chatting with the folks down at counterbalance, who have these instock. They said they’ve sold a couple, and that the market is lexus bikes for lexus owners…

@Sean

Good point, but there are different household budgets for purchases. You can buy 2 Nexus hubs and burn through them for a Rohloff. On the Bettie, we opted for the Nuvinci because of the torque we put on the drivetain (not my legs, under real heavy load and climbing). Nuvinci has its issues, but no gears is very efficient for a cargo bike and much less than a Rohloff.

Good afternoon,
I just laid out $3000 for a transportation bike (I telecommute from home nowadays, but used to bike 30 mi ea way).  It is an HP Velotechnik Grasshopper FX with full suspension, disc brakes, fenders, cargo rack (57# rating) and it folds so I can put it in my wife’s car if needed.  I’ve added bike computer and head/taillight.  This is money well spent as I became car-free in 2001 and figuring (conservatively) that it eliminates $5K/yr I’ve paid for this bike 10 times over with the savings.  It will also be the ride for my next bike camping trip.

@Nick,

Photos?

Anybody know the rated life for a Shimano internal hub vs. a Rohloff? (and what’s the difference between Alfine and Nexus anyway?)

I’ve been looking at bikes in this style (rear internal hub, front dynamo) and there are other “budget” options here:

Breezer Uptown

Specialized Globe City

Novara Fusion

The Breezer is perhaps the most expensive ($1100 or so). The new Novara Fusion (as previewed here) could be the Holy Grail for me (adding disc brakes to the Nexus front/rear hubs), but we’ll have to see what the final 2009 model looks like!

My best friend just bought a Novara Fusion, and he loves it. It seems to be a quality build and surprisingly well equipped for an off the rack bike. (Fenders, Rack, Dyno Light, shock absorbent seat post, etc…) He was stoked to get everything he needed in a commuter at a reasonable price. I plan to get some shots of his set up and post on his experience with the bike in a couple months.

I’m also building up a Big Dummy with Rohloff that will be in contrast to Bettie 2.0. Eventually we’ll be able to offer some insight into Rohloff performance compared to other internal hubs on the market. Mark just ordered the frame and hub this week. Thinking of calling this build Barney.

Did somebody say drop bar with Rohloff? :-)

And yes, Rohloff has a new hub in the works that’s supposed to be lighter and with wider range. I thought it was supposed to be out by now…

@Fritz

Excellent! I’ve seen a couple Dropbar Rohloff’s with the shifter attached to a “nub” on the steerer. Is that what this setup was?

@Matt,

I don’t know rated life; Val probably does. The difference between Nexus and Afline is like 105 v. Ultegra. It’s a totally reworked internally geared hub that shifts like “butta.” It’s also a complete group with dynohubs for lights and uses trigger shifters. You are correct on budget bikes (I know, I know, Hugga should do a gear guide).

Byron,

If you can help me with access to tester bikes, I’d be happy to write a head-to-head-to-head review for Bikehugger of those three budget bikes I mentioned. I’m assuming you have access to my email address “behind the curtain”; if you’re interested, drop me a line.

Matt

I have a 3k commuter bike:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/reneeanddolan/2253210259/

and personally I see it as a vehicle replacement.  It was built go be ready to go in any weather and need minimal maintenance.  After a year I can say that premise has largely held true.  I think Civia will have a tough road ahead, but they’re on the right track.

I have a question about Rohloff.  Who sells Rohloff-built wheels in the USA?  The Rohloff website doesn’t list any dealers in the US, just big distributors.

I lived in Germany a few years ago and got to tool around on a bike with one.  I dug it, but it was a bit expensive for me at the time.  Now that I’m pondering building up an uber-commuter bike, I’m a bit interested…it’s either a rohloff or an alfine (shimano seems a bit easier to find…).  Why have 8 speeds when you can have 14 for twice the price? :)

Reid

Rohloff’s are available from your local bike shop. Check our posts for [Barney Big Dummy](http://bikehugger.com/2008/10/introducing_barney_big_dummy.htm). We just built that up with a Rohloff.