I'd say that efficiency varies from one hub model to another, based on my experience spinning them in my truing stand. I understand that SRAM 7sp and 9sp hubs have good reputations for high-efficiency, and I've always thought the Shimano 8sp hubs (lots of experience with those) seemed reasonably efficient. The only Sturmey 8sp hub I ever sold was to Eric, and I never had that one in the truing stand, so my data set is limited. Old and new 3sp hubs seem to be more efficient than any of the 7/8/9/14sp hubs, but that's just my perception, so take it with a grain of salt.
As an aside: I had an unnerving experience 2 weeks ago with a customer service department at one of the well known IGH manufacturers. I was trying to get warranty parts for a hub from the manufacturer (always a crap shoot). The customer service tech suggested that the hub was being "over-torqued" and told me that IGHs were for cruisers and other low-torque applications. Good for grandma to ride to church on Sundays, but not adequate for a vigorous cycler, apparently. As this was the priciest hub in its class, I found it surprising that the manufacturer regarded it as a component for cheap beach cruisers. Ultimately, he sent me an entire hub when I just needed a small part (seems to be the protocol to send the whole thing rather than a $2 part). Anyway, it has been my experience generally that IGH hubs are not always well-supported with regard to replacement parts. Sturmey is the exception to this, in my experience. They have always been exceedingly helpful with replacement parts, and even loaned me a tool to fix Eric's hub! I'm with Grant in not being a huge fan of IGHs, at least for my own use. I have not had the bad experiences with derailleur systems that seem to be universal among IGH adherents. And, particularly with the larger gearhubs, wheel removal for flat fixes can be a major headache. That, to me, is the biggest issue. That said, others have different priorities, and I understand that having a sheltered gear-changing mechanism that can shift while stopped may outweigh my tire-changing and part acquisition concerns. On Nov 18, 9:28 am, Tim McNamara <tim...@bitstream.net> wrote: > On Nov 18, 2009, at 9:13 AM, Eric Norris wrote: > > > I'll be taking the 8SQB out for a longer ride this weekend. I'll > > let everyone know what I think about the performance of the hub. > > > Part of the "less efficient" feeling may be the sounds made by the > > hubs--you can hear the gears meshing together. I'd be interested > > in ready Berto's report--is it online? > > It's in "The Dancing Chain." -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=.
