Internal Gear Hub Review

Which is the best internally geared hub?

The following hubs participate in the comparison.

Shimano Nexus INTER-3 Nexus INTER-7 Nexus INTER-8 ALFINE (8 Speed)



SRAM T3 P5 P5 Cargo S7 i-Motion 3 i-MOTION 9



Sturmey Archer 3 Speed 5 Speed 8 Speed



Rohloff Speedhub 500/14 (14 Speed)



Fichtel & Sachs Torpedo DUOMATIC (2 Speed) Torpedo AUTOMATIC (2 Speed)



Before we start to discuss the gears itself let´s have a lock on some exeptions which reduces the amount internal gear hubs for your individual pourpose:

Hubs which are approved from manufacturer for tandem, load carrying, heavy duty pourpose are the SRAM P5 Cargo, Fichtel & Sachs Torpedo DUOMATIC and the Rohloff Speedhub.

Hubs which a disc brake option are Shimano Nexus INTER-3, Shimano ALFINE, Sturmey Archer 8 Speed (model: XRK8), Rohloff Speedhub and SRAM i-MOTION 9 .

Hubs without any bowden cable and external shifters are Fichtel & Sachs Torpedo DUOMATIC and Fichtel & Sachs Torpedo AUTOMATIC.

Now let´s start choosing!

When it comes to the point to choose the right hub the most imortant thing is the overall gear ratio.

The overall gear ratio is a percentage value. The value desribes the diference between the lowest and highest gear according to expansion of the wheel or cycling distance. A overall gear ratio of 306% e.g. tells you, that you will cycle in the highest gear a 3,06 times longer distance than in the lowest.

Why is overall gear ratio so important?

Because it decides if you cycle or push your bicycle! When cycling a hill you´ll need to reduce your gear ratio untill your not Marco Pantani. This is done by shifting into a lower gear. By doing that you´ll choose a smaller gear ratio and your cadenze will increase! When you can´t shift to a smaller gear ratio cycling uphill gets hard, your cadenze decreases and finally you´ll decide to walk and push your bike.

Is the number of gears important?

The number of gears will give you no concrete answer on the question: Can I cycle up a hill or against the wind! Sure, there is a correlation between the numbers of gears and the overall gear ratio but here I want to discuss with you how many gears make sense for your individual pourpose. When you come to this sentence you have already climbed out of the bicycle marketing swamp of 27 or 30 gears!

Let´s step beside the marketing shouting! More gears are better? Sit back and concentrate…. devine the right gear ratio for your pourpose and choose the right hub. This procedure will lead you to a bicycle and drivetrain which fits perfect and describes your IDEAL. The other way is to go to a bicycle shop and by a standard bicycle with 27 or 30 gears. This describes the MAXIMUM and stands for equality and to do this you don´t have to read further!

Here is the overall gear ratio for all on the market available intern geared hubs:



In the diagram you see the “name of the manufacturer” / “name of the hub”.

To come to a better comparison and detailed review result it makes sense to separate the hubs into groups.

Hub Group A : Hubs with a overall gear ratio up to 200%

Hub Group B: Hubs with a overall gear ratio between 200% and 300%

Hub Group C: Hubs with a overall gear ratio above 300%

The capabilities of the hub groups can be described as following:

Hub Group A : Hubs with a overall gear ratio up to 200%

Simple build up (one planetary gear)

They are good buy (up to 100,- Euro)

Easy to maintain also for hobbyist

They are rugged

They are technically mature

Best choice for plaine city cycling

Best choice for plaine commuting

Good choice for easy touring

Hub Group B: Hubs with a overall gear ratio between 200% and 300%

Difficult build up (min. 2 planetary gears)

Mid range price (up to 150,- Euro)

Difficult to maintain

They are rugged

They are technically mature

Best choice for plaine city cycling with smaller gear steps

Best choice for plaine city cycling with luggage

Best choice for plaine city cycling with trailers

Best choice for hilly commuting

Hub Group C: Hubs with a overall gear ratio above 300%

Very difficult build up (More than 3 planetary gears)

High price range (up to 900,- Euro)

Must be maintined by a professional

They are rugged when used under recommended installation (e.g. incoming turning moment)

They are technically under development

Best choice for hilly city cycling with smaller gear steps

Best choice for hilly city cycling with luggage

Best choice for hilly city cycling with trailers

Best choice for mountainous commuting

Best choice for sportive cycling (off raod and on road)

Now you should be able to choose the gear hub group which fits your personal cycling pourose best! Please scroll down for the hub group you choose.

Group A:



Hub Group A : Hubs with a overall gear ratio up to 200%

Simple build up (one planetary gear)

They are good buy (up to 100,- Euro)

Easy to maintain also for hobbyist

They are rugged

They are technically mature

Best choice for plaine city cycling

Best choice for plaine commuting

Good choice for easy touring



In the diagram you see the “name of the manufacturer” / “name of the hub”.

Here is the ranking inside the group A according overall gear ratio:

1. SRAM / i-Motion 3

1. SRAM / T3

1. Shimano / Nexus INTER-3

4. Sturmey Archer / 3 Speed

5. Fichtel & Sachs / Torpedo DUOMATIC & AUTOMATIC

Let´s go forward and choose your IDEAL internally geared hub of group A.

Therefore we´ll have a lock on the second important characteristic for internal geared hubs. The size of steps between the gears.

In details there are two step charactersitics:

1. The size of the step between two gears.

2. The size of the steps compared to each other.

The size of the steps between the gears defines the chance to find a perfect gear inside your choosen overall gear ratio. Smaller steps are better then larger steps. With smaller steps you can finer react on your cycling environment e.g. wind, a inclination, a trailer…

This will increase your cycling fun!

To increase your fun even more the size of the steps should be the same. Think about a old stair in a castle or old house. The steps are worn out. This means the step size changes from step tp step. This makes it very hard and confusing to step up. It´s a very inefficient walk. The same will happen with a bicycle. When the steps beween the gears change cycling gets frustrating. You´ll never find the IDEAL gear.

Conclusion: The hub should have small steps beteen the gear and the step size should be the same.

So lets have a look what the the internal hub manufactures have to offer.



In the diagram you see the “name of the manufacturer” / “name of the hub”.

The Sturmey Archer 3 Speed hub has the smallest step size with 33% and 33,3,%. Also the size is nearly the same. The SRAM i-MOTION 3 and the SRAM T3 have the same characteristics. Both steps are bigger with 36,2% but the size is the same. The Shimano Nexus INTER-3 steps with a 36,4% and 36%. These are the biggest steps with the biggest difference.

The Fichtel & Sachs Torpedo DUOMATIC & AUTOMATIC hub offers one 36% step with the two gears.

Conclusion:

The overall differences according:

1. The size of the step between two gears.

2. The size of the steps compared to each other.

is not huge in Group A. When you are free to choose beside other criteria a hub in this group I recommend the following ranking:

1. Sturmey Archer / 3 Speed

2. Fichtel & Sachs / Torpedo DUOMATIC & AUTOMATIC

3. SRAM / i-Motion 3

3. SRAM / T3

5. Shimano / Nexus INTER-3

The overall standing in group A:

1. SRAM / i-Motion 3

1. SRAM / T3

3. Sturmey Archer / 3 Speed

4. Fichtel & Sachs / Torpedo DUOMATIC & AUTOMATIC

4. Shimano / Nexus INTER-3

Group B:

Hub Group B: Hubs with a overall gear ratio between 200% and 300%

Difficult build up (min. 2 planetary gears)

Mid range price (up to 150,- Euro)

Difficult to maintain

They are rugged

They are technically mature

Best choice for plaine city cycling with smaller gear steps

Best choice for plaine city cycling with luggage

Best choice for plaine city cycling with trailers

Best choice for hilly commuting



In the diagram you see the “name of the manufacturer” / “name of the hub”.

Here is the ranking inside the group B according overall gear ratio:

1. SRAM / P5

2. Shimano / Nexus INTER-7

3. SRAM / P5 Cargo

4. Sturmey Archer / 5 Speed

Let´s go forward and choose your IDEAL internally geared hub of group A.

Therefore we´ll have a lock on the second important characteristic for internal geared hubs. The size of steps between the gears.

In details there are two step charactersitics:

1. The size of the step between two gears.

2. The size of the steps compared to each other.

The size of the steps between the gears defines the chance to find a perfect gear inside your choosen overall gear ratio. Smaller steps are better then larger steps. With smaller steps you can finer react on your cycling environment e.g. wind, a inclination, a trailer…

This will increase your cycling fun!

To increase your fun even more the size of the steps should be the same. Think about a old stair in a castle or old house. The steps are worn out. This means the step size changes from step tp step. This makes it very hard and confusing to step up. It´s a very inefficient walk. The same will happen with a bicycle. When the steps beween the gears change cycling gets frustrating. You´ll never find the IDEAL gear.

Conclusion: The hub should have small steps beteen the gear and the step size should be the same.

In the diagram you see the “name of the manufacturer” / “name of the hub”.

The Shimano Nexus INTER-7 hub has the smallest step size between 13,8% and 17,3,%. Also the size is nearly the same. A absolutly fantastic gear step chart. This is the way a internal gear hub has to be designed.

The SRAM P5 Cargo owns steps between 16,6% and 28,6%. There is a huge spread between these steps. This is the result because of the focus on heavy duty pourpose. This hub is designed for rough cycling and not for convenient pedaling.

The total opposit is the SRAM P5. Here was convient pedaling the aim and the result are 23,4% and 28,1%. The gear steps are closer together than the Cargo hub but on a higher level.

Finally the Sturmey Archer 5 Speed with the smallest step of 17,9% and the biggest of 27%. This is very balanced designed.

Conclusion:

The overall differences according:

1. The size of the step between two gears.

2. The size of the steps compared to each other.

is very huge in Group B. When you are free to choose beside other criteria a hub in this group I recommend the following ranking:

1. Shimano / Nexus INTER-7

2. Sturmey Archer / 5 Speed

3. SRAM / P5

4. SRAM / P5 Cargo

The overall standing in group B:

1. Shimano / Nexus INTER-7

2. SRAM / P5

3. Sturmey Archer / 5 Speed

4. SRAM / P5 Cargo

Group C:

Hub Group C: Hubs with a overall gear ratio above 300%

Very difficult build up (More than 3 planetary gears)

High price range (up to 900,- Euro)

Must be maintined by a professional

They are rugged when used under recommended installation (e.g. incoming turning moment)

They are technically under development

Best choice for hilly city cycling with smaller gear steps

Best choice for hilly city cycling with luggage

Best choice for hilly city cycling with trailers

Best choice for mountainous commuting

Best choice for sportive cycling (off raod and on road)



In the diagram you see the “name of the manufacturer” / “name of the hub”.

As you can see on the first sight it´s not easy for the hubs to compete against the Rohloff Speedhub. The reason to put the Speedhub into group C is to give you a impresion on this impressive overall gear ratio. What the developers created here is from another planet!

But neverless here is the ranking inside the group B according overall gear ratio:

1. Rohloff / Speedhub

2. SRAM / i-MOTION 9

2. Shimano / ALFINE & Nexus INTER-8

2. Sturmey Archer / 8 Speed

5. SRAM / S7

Let´s go forward and choose your IDEAL internally geared hub of group C.

Therefore we´ll have a lock on the second important characteristic for internal geared hubs. The size of steps between the gears.

In details there are two step charactersitics:

1. The size of the step between two gears.

2. The size of the steps compared to each other.

The size of the steps between the gears defines the chance to find a perfect gear inside your choosen overall gear ratio. Smaller steps are better then larger steps. With smaller steps you can finer react on your cycling environment e.g. wind, a inclination, a trailer…

This will increase your cycling fun!

To increase your fun even more the size of the steps should be the same. Think about a old stair in a castle or old house. The steps are worn out. This means the step size changes from step tp step. This makes it very hard and confusing to step up. It´s a very inefficient walk. The same will happen with a bicycle. When the steps beween the gears change cycling gets frustrating. You´ll never find the IDEAL gear.

Conclusion: The hub should have small steps beteen the gear and the step size should be the same.

So lets have a look what the the internal hub manufactures have to offer.

In the diagram you see the “name of the manufacturer” / “name of the hub”.

Very confusing on first sight!

Once again the winner in group C is Rohloff. The hub has the smallest steps and they have nearly all the same size. We haven´t seen these small steps (13,8%) by any other hub yet. It´s definitely the best designed gear hub on the market.

But SRAM strikes back with the i-MOTION 9. Gear steps between 14,5% and 17,3% shows that the guys from Schweinfurt / Germany knows what counts: Small gear steps harmonical arranged together.

Shimano tells us they improved the Nexus INTER-7 hub to the Nexus INTER-8 / ALFINE. Sorry! That´s not the case according gear steps. Have look on the chart. The chart jumps down from 22,2% to 13,8% and once again up and down. This is no well balanced hub. If you want to buy a internal gear hub from Shimano take the well balanced Nexus INTER-7.

The SRAM S7 chart looks like a mountain. Starting at 17,9% at the bottom and climbs up 23,6% on the top.

Let´s go from the mountains to the valleys. Sturmey Archer must had a bad day when they designed the 8 Speed. It starts with a incredible jump from 28% down to 13,3%. That´s more than 15%! Than it stays in the flat 13% area and jumps finally to 28,2%.

Conclusion:

The overall differences according:

1. The size of the step between two gears.

2. The size of the steps compared to each other.

is very huge in group C. When you are free to choose beside other criteria a hub in this group I recommend the following ranking:

1. Rohloff / Speedhub

2. SRAM / i-MOTION 9

3. Shimano / Nexus INTER-8 / ALFINE

3. SRAM / S7

5. Sturmey Archer / 8 Speed

The overall standing in group C:

1. Rohloff / Speedhub

2. SRAM / i-MOTION 9

3. Shimano / ALFINE & Nexus INTER-8

4. Sturmey Archer / 8 Speed

4. SRAM / S7

So far right now! This took some time. But also form me the results were very interesting.

I underestimated the Shimano Nexus INTER-7 up to now.

It´s unbelivable what the Rohloff engineers have done. They worked wonders!

Between the two big players SRAM and Shimano this result shows, that the SRAM i-MOTION 9 is the better hub compared to the ALFINE 8 Speed.

Finally the Sturmey Archer 3 Speed which took the lead in group A.

Gruß Marco