Alfine 11 speed with Versa 11 levers: a review

[EdinburghFixed]

You know what's even more crazy? The brake cable is just secured to the brake arm with a bolt. If that bolt was to be loose for any imaginable reason, the cable would slip and the brake would stop working - just when you are hauling on it hard (naturally!)

Can't understand it, etc., etc., 

[Panoramix]

yes, in certain scenarios (heavy rider+badly designed and slippery dropouts+poor quality skewer) the wheel can pop out under heavy braking. but if everything is designed/set up properly i can't see how is this possible.

So that's probably why why we have lawyer lips now... But that's still an idiotic design in my view as I can't see why you would want them on the wrong side. it makes mounting mudguard difficult and it is potentially dangerous.

[Tewdric]

yes, in certain scenarios (heavy rider+badly designed and slippery dropouts+poor quality skewer) the wheel can pop out under heavy braking. but if everything is designed/set up properly i can't see how is this possible.

It's possible because some bike designers very clearly don't understand the physics of disc front brakes.  Why else would they specify a maximum rotor size?  (Specifying a minimum would make much more sense.)

There's a marketing-led rush for road utility and touring bikes to be fitted with discs at the moment.  Road bikes will follow when Sram unveil their racy lightweight discs sometime soon.  I think it's possible we'll hear more horror stories of ejected wheels and folding fork blades before the issue is well understood and resolved.

Having said that I'm very happily running Hope Mono M2 twin pot discs on my mountain bike.  It has very meaty Fox Talas forks though, and I have 180mm discs rather than the standard 160mm. 

[Sergeant Pluck]

It's possible because some bike designers very clearly don't understand the physics of disc front brakes. 

Your post makes me realise that I don't either! Well, I am fairly sure I understand the reasoning behind the location of the brake my Cotic Roadrat fork, but as for the rest of it... Can you give a brief run-down? Is it because, in order to provide a given deceleration to the bike, a smaller rotor requires greater forces through it?

[Sergeant Pluck]

 



Actually, no, I shouldn't laugh.

[Ham]

 

GIT on a GITD ?

 

(mine is, too)

(unless that isn't GITD? ? ? ?)

[PaulF]

Actually, no, I shouldn't laugh.

Why not? I did!

[The Mechanic]

Is it me or is that front mudguard on the wrong way round.  The stays usually go behind the fork which puts most of the mudguard at the back of the wheel.  The set up should on this On-One won't keep much road crud off the rider.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Is it me or is that front mudguard on the wrong way round

Er, that would be the reason for my post.

[Feline]

Is it me or is that front mudguard on the wrong way round

Er, that would be the reason for my post.

 
I laughed too!
It's one way to clear the disc mech I spose!

[mrcharly]

It's possible because some bike designers very clearly don't understand the physics of disc front brakes. 

Your post makes me realise that I don't either! Well, I am fairly sure I understand the reasoning behind the location of the brake my Cotic Roadrat fork, but as for the rest of it... Can you give a brief run-down? Is it because, in order to provide a given deceleration to the bike, a smaller rotor requires greater forces through it?

Torque (lever arm length*force). Reduce the rotor size and you increase the force on the fork at the disc caliper mounting.

[MarkG]

Still waiting for my versa shifter to be replaced despite some very hard work by my local bike shop and Madison who went to great lengths to get one sorted for me. They both really have made an effort and gone the extra mile. It arrived at my local shop a couple of days ago and I took the bike in yesterday to have it fitted wherupon they opened a versa 11 speed box and took out a versa 8 speed lever!
Now waiting for another to arrive.

[AdeMurray]

I can confirm that with the new shifter very few mis-shifts occur and I am pleased with the new combination. The old shifter must have been a friday afternoon job,
However, two days after fitting the new shifter, its dust cover dropped off and was lost (in the dark).
There is a single self tapping fixing screw which seemed to have stripped its trhread in the plastic cover. I notified the manufacturers of the defect by email and they replaced the hood without a quibble (2 days postage from Taiwan! Very impressive)

Hello Pieter,

How are you getting on with the Alfine 11 over the longer term any chance of one of your fab updates of how your bike has stood the test of time over the many 1000's of mile I'm guessing you have now racked up? I am considering putting a very similar bike together to do the 140 miles per week commute I currently do and have found you review very useful indeed.  Many thanks, Adrian.