Focus Urban Planet 3 conversion to Alfine 11 + Centre-track

[travellingminds]

What I don't like is that it jumps under hard pedaling which can be dangerous.

I certainly haven't had any issues with it skipping under load. In fact I still can't quite get over how well it changes under significant load compared to any other bike I've owned. That sounds like something is awry to me.

IGH bikes seem to be a hard sell for most bike shops. I don't know why. You can point to a couple of downsides (harder to change rear tyre, weight, efficiency, fear of servicing), but these are insignificant for most people, and there are lots of upsides (no maintenance, hard to damage, clean looks, reliable, shifting at a standstill). Maybe buyers (and shop owners) are just afraid of what they're not familiar with.

It is odd given that every other innovation on bikes (hub size, component composition and design) seem to get adopted with little thought. I wonder if it's because it's seen to be 'commuter' orientated - everyone wants to kid themselves they are a speed machine.

[MattyK]

Hub gears predate derailleurs, hardly an innovation. Maybe people correlate the term to 3-speeds with limited range and large gaps?

[mikedufty]

The jumping from the hub is as you say, just a single jump, but it is enough to make me swerve if really pedalling hard, which is disturbing when next to an overtaking truck, I've had my foot unclip and hit the ground once. It is only when pedalling really hard, so easy to avoid, but annoying to have to. It may be a problem with my hub, but researching it online I've come across a number of others with the issue, and advice that the hubs are not built for that sort of use. Some others successfully mountain bike with them though.
I only mentioned the flats and broken spokes as they are things that can't be fixed without removing the wheel and having to re-adjust the belt tension. They don't happen often, so the belt tensioning annoyance is not a big deal overall, just a minor annoyance every year or so.

[travellingminds]

So my Alfine is trying to kill me. Having posted that I've had no problems with skipping over the last few months it has started playing up - starting to 'slip', or 'give way' is a better description. Always under load, and almost always in 4th gear. Quite hard to reproduce but spectacular when it happens. I'd been meaning to get it looked at for ages, and then the other day it just completely gave way on me and near put me under a truck. So it's now in the shop... we'll see what they find.

Otherwise I still love the 8 speed Alfine for my commute. So simple.

As for the Focus Planet, I honestly love it. It's the best commuter I've ever owned. Fast, fun to ride, but bomb proof. 5 months ago I got cut off and rode into the side of a car at about 20 kph. Broke my elbow and kneecap, left a huge dent in the car door, and the bike was completely unscathed.

I have since changed from Continental Sport Contact tyres to Schwlalbe Marathon Pros. Took a speed/responsiveness/weight hit for sure, but way more stopping power. So hopefully less chance of a repeat of the above.

[eldavo]

Mike if it has an eccentric bottom bracket for tension, these can be cheap OEM items lacking lubricant that can cause squeaks and tension issues. Definitely shouldn't be changing tension with wheel changes, suggests the tensioning device is moving, or your frame is

The hub not behaving as normal for all riding conditions and styles is not normal operation I've experienced as a multi-geared hub lover. Cable tension alignment in the shift indicators is important, and if it's not operating like new, then there's a problem.

There's a Focus Planet TR2 for sale on ebay locally, with a warranty replacement Alfine hub. I enquired and the owner said the shop couldn't solve the shift gremlins and it was replaced under warranty, resolving it.

[mikedufty]

The focus doesn't have an eccentric BB, just sliding drop outs. Seems to be a simple foolproof system, that should allow a wheel change without any effect on belt tension, but in practice usually requires an adjustment. Actually didn't last time I changed the tyre, so maybe it just needed 20,000km to break in. Hub skipping has not happened since I stopped standing and pedaling as hard as possible, or maybe I'm getting too old to break it.