Hello, this my setup with an Allfine 11 gear hub. I used to have a bike with an 8 speed Nexus. That one was perfect also in the mountains. So I thought the Allfine 11 would be an upgrade. But now it turns out that I cannot use it in the mountains anymore. Even gear nr 1 is to heavy, like nr 3 on my Nexus. Does anyone have/had the same problem, and could you fix it? Nb. This bike has disk brakes and a Continental belt drive.
Happy touring. Love from Holland 🌷
by jornvanengelen
2 Comments
Change the sprocket on the rear. Put a bigger one.
I have a 8-speed Nexus and changed from a 19t to a 22t sprocket and it helps a lot.
23t was the largest possible for my hub but I couldn’t find one for sale nearby, otherwise I’d done that.
The ratio on the lowest gear is the same in Nexus 8 and Alfine 11: 0.527 ( https://www.sheldonbrown.com/alfine-11.html ). So you must have a different ratio on the belt. You could possibly get a smaller front sprocket and/or larger rear one. You will likely need a belt with different length, too.
Alfine is not best for touring, though, because it violently slips under large torque. I pull a kid trailer in a hilly terrain and it’s bothersome.