Cargo Bikes

https://www.electricbike.com/mid-drive-kit-igh/

Grind that 5 speed to death then

Still looking at that 5 speed as an option.

It's been a hard first two Months on the UA family, but I'm hoping to use it much less once I've moved house and settled in new job, so spending 500 ish on Shimano hub etc makes sense. Hoping to only be doing about 20 miles a week. Have been doing more like 50, and with some very heavy loads.

yeah fair enough. Have you looked at getting the Nuvinci replaced / warrantied?

Inspired by bmw??

Beats "Formed by the UK"

the broken Nuvinci is second hand, out of warranty, by all accounts online inferior to shimano, and has the most annoying shifting of any bike I've ridden :)

I never felt it was really up to the steep hills, heavy loads and smashy commute riding I was subjecting it to.

Yeah we’ve got some in stock I think, if not then we can get some on the next Omnium drop (November some time)

Amazing I'll message you!

Thanks @IrPOWERranger

Get the auto turned off on E tube so that its not even an option to riders, all it seeks to do is destroy the hub.

Yeah gears 1-3 and 4-5 are above the limit, would be better if the chainring/cog combo was geared a bit lower for UK use IMO.

If treated with even vague mechanical sympathy the Nexus 5 do really well. Only had two explode on me, both where auto had been used by the customer, and both in the first month of use. I tend to run Alfine 8 in ATF, and Nexus 5 in this Silkolene stuff, its like a cloudy green oil, quite thick at room temp but never sets.

This happens a lot with bullitts unfortunately, it can be fixed with the gates dropouts that have a bulit in chain tensioner.

This happens a lot with bullitts unfortunately, it can be fixed with the gates dropouts that have a bulit in chain tensioner.

Those dropouts are neat.

Can you use conventional chain tugs?

Anyone got any experience or knowledge of durability and longevity difference between alfine 8 versus alfine 11?

There was a lot of discussion about this on the CTC forums; there's a lot out there if you search, but there's this monster thread in particular: https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=64432

IIRC the TL;DR is that the A8 is mostly found to be more durable/reliable than the A11, and that in grotty UK weather conditions, both may well benefit from better lubrication than the factory setup provides.

Fucking hell. That thread has me seriously considering buying a different bike that will take a derailleur.

Sigh

Most reliable shifting I ever had was early 90s 7 speed MTB.

This is my dropout, any chance derailleur is possible?

1 Attachment

That thread has me seriously considering buying a different bike that will take a derailleur.

I would seriously consider selling this one and buying the refurbished ex- Pedal Me bike instead!

LOLZ

You are right in many ways, but those bikes are much bigger than I need, and even this one is a struggle to get into my workshop, up my front steps etc. (yes, I lift it up 4 steps into my garden every evening)
Also, this one DID do a ton of heavy lifting the past two months, got my tools to 3 different sites, moved an entire exhibition of paintings, and I've half moved out of my flat into the workshop, so in a way it broke at the right time.

FWIW I had a Nexus 8 (I know, not an Alfine, but pretty similar) in my cargo bike; it never skipped a beat in 5 years with minimal maintenance, so I think some of the concerns are a bit overblown. I'd choose an A8 over an A11, but wouldn't worry overly otherwise.

I think some of the concerns are a bit overblown

Seems to depend on on where you live and the conditions you ride in. Here in Seattle, Nexus hubs typically do not have enough gear range for most cargo bikes and they reliably blow out within a couple years.

never skipped a beat in 5 years with minimal maintenance,

Were you mashing the lowest gears up steep hills with heavy loads much?
My enviolo was subjected repeatedly to 10/15% climbs with 50+ kilos on the front. Just not designed for it I don't think.

Kids (and their junk, and shopping; 50+ kilos a lot of the time) over reasonably hilly terrain, so a fair amount of time in the bottom gears with heavyish loads. Wouldn't be doing the mileage of a cargo courier, obviously, though still did a couple of thousand km a year.