Cube Model with Internal Hub Gearing - Any feedback

Haleakala

Hi folks,

Rather than ask you guys yet another tedious 'which bike should I buy?' question - I am considering purchasing a new commuter and have been looking at various models - one that has interested me is the Cube Hyde 2010 with hub gearing. Cube as you seem to get a reasonable amount more for your money and don't seem to be paying a premium for brand.

(http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=32113)

Anyway, I am unfamiliar with this sort of gearing - is it really low maintenance, or will a catastrophic melt down end up requiring a pretty penny to rectify?

Are there other issues I should be aware of?

I intend using this as a city bike for relatively short commutes and the odd 10-20 mile round trip (which I've done for about 4 years on a variety of machines without this system).

Cheers

blorg

Looks good to me. Internal gears are sealed from the weather and so I presume continue to work better when the bike is gunked up. Don't have one but certainly I find with my fixed gear bikes they require less cleaning, I imagine this is similar. Shimano Nexus has a good reputation.

droidus

I haven't tried a Nexus hub, but I have an 8 speed Shimano alfine hub and its fantastic. I havent put enough miles in to comment on reliability, but they're supposed to be pretty much bulletproof and mine's been fine so far. The range is decent enough and it changes pretty much instantaneously and also when stopped or under load. Ive heard the Nexus is a bit more clunky though. If you wanted to spend more and get an Alfine there's a few options:

Felt City range and CityX range features a mix of Alfine and nexus Hubs:



The Giant Seek 0 has Alfine



Cannondale BB 8 also has Alfine but is a bit pricier

DualFrontDiscs

I have a Nexus 7 speed on my trike. It's fine! Though I'd like to upgrade to a 8 speed Alfine.

Of the holy grail of hub gears, a rohloff.

If I could buy any bike now, I'd buy a Surly Big Dummy with a rohloff hub.

DFD.

droidus

Yeah, the Rohloff is the rolls Royce of hubs alright. Very pricey though.

There was another thread that touched on hubs which mentioned the Nuvinci 'infinite geared' hub, which also sounds great but weighs about a ton.

penexpers

droidus wrote: »

Yeah, the Rohloff is the rolls Royce of hubs alright. Very pricey though.

There was another thread that touched on hubs which mentioned the Nuvinci 'infinite geared' hub, which also sounds great but weighs about a ton.

I have the Nuvinci. It weighs a ton but is really unbreakable and never slips. It's very suited to cargo bikes (which is what I have it on) as you can crank down really hard and there's no risk of chain slippage.

Doctor Bob

I've had a Nexus 8 on my daily commuter bike for about three and a half years at this stage. I've done thousands of miles on it; the longest single journeys were around 30-40 km. In general, I'd give a thumbs up on reliability, little need for maintenance, etc.

However, I'd sound a note of caution regarding upkeep. I once mistakenly cleaned my chain with citrus degreaser and it worked its way into the hub mechanism, resulting in a nasty grinding sound. A comprehensive clean and re-lube did the trick, but it was beyond my capabilities so I brought it to a bike shop. A few weeks before christmas, I had an issue with the eccentric bottom bracket (required on my bike due to the vertical dropouts), and a different shop couldn't get the BB loose at all. Luckily the first shop could, but discovered that some of the inner workings in the hub gear required replacement. Even after this, there was slippage inside, so the back wheel is currently with the Shimano factory in the UK. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

To answer your questions-

It is low maintenance, yes- an annual re-lube of the inner workings should see you right.
A catastrophic meltdown is very unlikely with proper care, though if it did happen, replacement would be more costly than a basic derailleur set-up on a hybrid, but would cost a good bit less than replacing any half-decent road bike drivetrain. I've heard of similar hub gears giving 10+ years of reliable service.

The fact that all the moving parts are inside and sealed means you really just need to keep your chain in good nick- and you can use a sturdier chain due to the fact that it doesn't need to jump up and down a cassette etc.

Notwithstanding the few issues I've had with it over the years, which I mention simply in the interests of full disclosure , I'd say hub gears would be ideal for the uses you describe.

(And the weight argument is a red herring! Yes, it weighs more than a decent derailleur set up, but not that much more, and the additional weight is more than compensated for by both the relaibility and the aesthetics. I haven't mentioned that latter aspect yet, but it's certainly part of the appeal for me- the drivetrain just looks so wonderfully clean, and I love the symmetry of the hub sizes [the front is a hub dynamo].)

PS I have one of these:



Spec and bigger pic here.

blorg

penexpers wrote: »

I have the Nuvinci. It weighs a ton but is really unbreakable and never slips. It's very suited to cargo bikes (which is what I have it on) as you can crank down really hard and there's no risk of chain slippage.

Do other hub gears slip? Never happens on a (properly adjusted & not worn) derailleur bike.

DePurpereWolf

penexpers wrote: »

I have the Nuvinci. It weighs a ton but is really unbreakable and never slips. It's very suited to cargo bikes (which is what I have it on) as you can crank down really hard and there's no risk of chain slippage.

I was thinking of getting a Cube Hooper '09/10. That's with an alfine hub. I saw it at Cyclesuperstore and was positively impressed.



I would like it over the felt because the cables are internal, this looks ugly on the Felt. Although I have yet to check that one out in real live.

They didn't have a Giant Seek 0 on display, but comparing to other Giants the Cube looked nicer and seem to have a better frame geometry. But I would like to see the Seek 0 in person as well.

Final one on my list is the Trek Soho with belt drive, that's more of a papas bike though.

Doctor Bob

blorg wrote: »

Do other hub gears slip? Never happens on a (properly adjusted & not worn) derailleur bike.

As with derailleurs, not if they're properly adjusted and not worn. The recent slippage in mine was, in all likelihood, the result of wear arising from the original degreaser incident.

droidus

I haven't had a single slip during the paltry 300 or so km Ive done so far on it.

DePurpereWolf

Doctor Bob wrote: »

...
However, I'd sound a note of caution regarding upkeep. I once mistakenly cleaned my chain with citrus degreaser and it worked its way into the hub mechanism, resulting in a nasty grinding sound. A comprehensive clean and re-lube did the trick, but it was beyond my capabilities so I brought it to a bike shop. ...

nice story...

Just a thought, would you be able to take the chain of quickly and than clean it? Do they make Sram chain links with these kinds of fat chains?

blorg

DePurpereWolf wrote: »

nice story...

Just a thought, would you be able to take the chain of quickly and than clean it? Do they make Sram chain links with these kinds of fat chains?

Not SRAM but I have a track chain with a quick link, so yes. Never clean chains off the bike myself though, tried it once and it was very messy and a hassle compared to doing it on the bike.

droidus

Doctor Bob wrote: »

A few weeks before christmas, I had an issue with the eccentric bottom bracket (required on my bike due to the vertical dropouts), and a different shop couldn't get the BB loose at all. Luckily the first shop could, but discovered that some of the inner workings in the hub gear required replacement. Even after this, there was slippage inside, so the back wheel is currently with the Shimano factory in the UK. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...




Spec and bigger pic here.

Nice! Older Cannondale EBBs have a pretty bad reputation. Really made me hesitate before I bought the Bad Boy 8, but it appears that the problems were fixed on 2008 models on.

They didn't have a Giant Seek 0 on display, but comparing to other Giants the Cube looked nicer and seem to have a better frame geometry. But I would like to see the Seek 0 in person as well.

Final one on my list is the Trek Soho with belt drive, that's more of a papas bike though.

I was advised against the Seek by a LBS that said they'd sold one and had to repair the hub twice in a few months... not sure if this was just a faulty hub or something to do with the bike itself.

I forgot about the Trek Soho. The Roller brakes put me off though - theyre supposed to be crap.

DePurpereWolf

droidus wrote: »

I forgot about the Trek Soho. The Roller brakes put me off though - theyre supposed to be crap.

Roller brakes aren't crap if it's a slow bike. They're very low maintenance, the stopping power is just not that good, and they're heavy.

But if you want a more fun bike I wouldn't go fot the trek either, the geometry is more like a dutch bike.

droidus

Sure - i didnt mean all roller brakes, simply that the ones on the Felt got really bad reviews...

bloomfield

I'm very interested in the Cube Hyde 2010 too, after test-riding the 2009 model back in October. However, I've been waiting since then for the Cycle Superstore to get them in stock - and the latest estimate in the end of February.

penexpers

blorg wrote: »

Do other hub gears slip? Never happens on a (properly adjusted & not worn) derailleur bike.

Under heavy loads, the cheaper ones have been know to slip or even just explode.

Greenman

DualFrontDiscs wrote: »

I have a Nexus 7 speed on my trike.

Can you please post a link or pic please.:)

Haleakala

Thanks all, for the feedback.

Visited cyclesuperstore yesterday, delivery should be mid-February for the new Cube models that still haven't arrived. The rep was also raving about the quality of the Nexus hub (aside from a little weight) so think it looks like I'll be going for the Hyde 2010.

Dopey

Haleakala wrote: »

Thanks all, for the feedback.

Visited cyclesuperstore yesterday, delivery should be mid-February for the new Cube models that still haven't arrived. The rep was also raving about the quality of the Nexus hub (aside from a little weight) so think it looks like I'll be going for the Hyde 2010.

Did you get the bike? Any feedback?

DePurpereWolf

I've ordered the Cube Hooper "10 via the cycle to work scheme at my university. So it will still take a couple of months before I get the pleasure of riding it. Not because of CSS, when I went in there for the quote they said they didn't really have issues with stock from Cube 2010 models anymore. Giant and Trek was a whole other story.

However, when the well-oiled-machine that is UCC purchases my bike, I'll be happy to report on it and make some pics.

rogue.goofball

the cube hooper is being replaced by the editor... do you have an update on your hooper (or does anyone), or even the new editor?

DePurpereWolf

I'm happy with my choice. I've been driving it every day for 1,5 year. It hardly takes any maintenance. I had one flat tyre and once replaced my chain. That's it.
It's fast, light (relatively) and practical.
It's a great bike for commuting as it is reliable and strong.
I thought once I got it I might go for thinner tyres then the 700C35 but considering the potholes in Cork, I'll stick with these.