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We know, there’s no such thing as a stupid question. But there are some questions you might not want to ask your local shop or riding buddies. AASQ is our weekly series where we get to the bottom of your questions – serious or otherwise. This time we discuss internal gear hubs! Hit the link at the bottom of the post to submit your own question.
On last week’s Ask A Stupid Question, we went deep on what makes a mountain bike tire good at flat cornering, leaning on the experts at Michelin, WTB, Maxxis, Schwalbe, Continental and Vittoria to discuss rounded versus squared-off tire profiles. This week, we’re keeping it short and sweet, and changing tack completely, answering your questions on internal gear hub tech.
Neil Flock, owner of Cycle Monkey, and a rider with 7 years of regular Rohloff use, 4.5 years on Pinion, 3 years on Effigear, and a few months on Kindernay, joins us to answer your questions on e-bike compatibility, warranty and longevity!
I’m building an apocalypse bike. Which internal gear hub will last a lifetime? If none, which lasts the longest?
The Rohloff Speedhub 500/14 is well proven as nearly indestructible with over 20 years of production, over 300,000 units out in the wild, and some riders with over 1/4 million miles on their hubs – these hubs effectively have no lifespan.
The Kindernay XIV hub is a recent addition to the market and is also built to be a high quality/long lasting hub that will potentially compare to Rohloff’s service life but it hasn’t been on the market long enough to have a proven track record yet.
Can you use an internal gear hub with a mid-drive electric motor?
Cycle Monkey: Generally, yes. There are usually input torque limits that you should check with the manufacturer if building your own mid drive ebike, but high quality hubs from Rohloff, Enviolo, Shimano, and Kindernay will work with mid drive systems and are available on complete ebikes from various manufacturers.
The Bulls Sturmvogel EVO e-bike runs a Shimano Alfine 8 speed internal gear hub with a Brose 250w motor
Would warranty cover internal gear hubs for use on a hardtail racing the Mega Avalanche? If not, why not?
The Kindernay XIV 14 speed internal gear hub for mountain bikes runs a thru-axle, and gets a 543% range
Hubs like the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14 or the Kindernay XIV, which are designed for MTB use won’t have any issues with DH racing and would therefore retain their warranties. Hubs intended for commuter use may or may not hold up. Check with the hub manufacturer to verify.
The Budnitz Ø:G limited edition titanium gravel bike runs the 14 speed Rohloff Speedhub 500/14
But, most of the hubs besides Rohloff and Kindernay are not designed for MTB use and probably would not be warranted for this type of use.
Can you remove the coaster brake on an internal gear hub?
Cycle Monkey: High quality internal gear hubs do not use coaster brakes. You would have to check with manufacturers of low end hubs on this.
I would like to build my own wheel around an internal gear hub. The wheel is for a commuter bike that will only really be used on paved roads. What are the best rims and spokes to use for this?
Check out the Rose Backroad X Classified Carbon gravel Bike that runs a 1 x 22 speed internal gear hub here
Cycle Monkey: Generally, whatever rim and spokes you would use for your application if it were any other hub. With few exceptions, an internal gear hub will not dictate rim selection. We have built gear hubs into most of the rims available on the market with good results.
Next week, we’re joined by Full Speed Ahead, who are answering your questions on super compact gearing and ultra-short cranks for gravel. There is still time to submit questions! Send them in from here.
Got a question of your own? Click here to use the AASQ form to submit questions on any cycling-related topic of your choice, and we’ll get the experts to answer them for you!
Jessie-May Morgan is the UK & Ireland Tech Editor of Bikerumor. She has been writing about Mountain Bike Riding and Racing, and all its weird and wonderful technology for 4 years. Prior to that, she was an Intern at the Mountain Bike Center of Scotland, and a Mountain Bike Coach and Leader in the Tweed Valley.
Based in Innerleithen, Scotland, Jessie-May can often be seen riding the Glentress Trail Center, and its neighboring Enduro and Downhill Tracks. She regularly competes in Enduro at a national level, and has recently competed on the World Stage at a handful of Enduro World Series events.
For Bikerumor, Jessie-May is testing the latest mountain bikes, equipment and kit, letting readers know what’s hot and what’s not.
For context, she weighs 60kg and stands at 5ft 4″ tall (163cm).
That has existed. The Di2 IGH doesn’t handle torque as well so is limited in motor choice but Rohloff E-14 is an excellent option and is found on a wide range of bikes with belts. Koga, Riese and Muller, Tern, Nicolai and others have bikes with E-14 and belts along with Bosch mid-drives.
