In less than a week of running the Alfine-11 Di2 on my daily commute I’ve encountered nearly every failure mode known to the internet. I have only myself to blame.
Reality Check: Shimano Alfine
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Category Archives: Sprint Di2
Road Test
I’m still waiting on my order for 166mm spokes so that I can rebuild the Alfine wheel as a cross-2 to address the spoke angle problems of my original cross-3 build. Apparently spokes this short are pretty hard to come by but Cambria Bicycle Outfitter assures me I’ll have them in about a week. Meanwhile the weather has dipped into the teens again and I’ve been stuck in a single gear for my work commute. Last night I’d had enough and decided to throw what I have on the trike and see how it works.
TRIOT
I stand corrected. Courtesy of Trike Asylum, I recently learned of a (nearly) production trike that meets most of my criteria for the “ultimate human-powered touring and commuting machine.”
Bench Test
Here’s a video of the Shimano Alfine-11 Di2 system in action on the bench.
Wheelbuilding
I don’t knit, but if I did I think it would feel like building wheels. It’s methodical and repetitive. The end product looks good and is really useful. It’s a great thing to do planted in front of the TV– you have a shiny new wheel to show for your otherwise wasted evening. Building your own wheels opens up infinite possibilities in rims, hubs, spokes, spoke patterns, and colors, and the end product is stronger and stays truer than any machine-built wheel.
Di2 Secrets Revealed!
Shimano does an impressive job documenting all of the Alfine Di2 components and making it readily available through the internet. Even so, I had a hard time finding answers to a variety of questions before I took the plunge and just purchased the stuff. To be fair, many of these questions come from the fringes of trying to adapt to a recumbent trike a system that is designed for upright bikes. Now I know the answers to most of my burning questions, and so do you.
Delivery Day
I’ve now acquired all the Di2 pieces necessary to test the system on the bench. Here’s a little info on each component. Prices, dimensions and weights are in the parts list.
Wiring
I’ve begun acquiring the Di2 parts necessary to get the system running on the bench. I have a rim and Alfine-11 hub in hand and am waiting on a spoke order before I begin building the wheel. I was surprised how difficult it was to find the Alfine-11 in 36 hole silver here in the states. Jim (aka Bike Hermit) at Bike Touring News had no trouble and I had my hub within just a few days of placing the order.
Before I can complete the initial Di2 order I need to figure out the wire I’ll need. Continue reading
Recumbent Belt Drive
Now that I’ve seen belt drive in action on a couple of “city bikes” in town, I can’t seem to let this one go. On an upright bike, belt drive is smooth, reliable, light, and silent. On a recumbent it has the potential to solve what for many is their bane: a long, greasy, noisy, unwieldy chain. This post is my attempt at taking a closer look to see what might be preventing the adoption of belt drive for recumbents and, specifically, ‘bent trikes. I’ll discuss the issues I see, many unique to ‘bents. Then I’ll see if I can figure out what it would take to adapt my current trike to belt drive. Continue reading
Gearing
It’s a fact that a typical ‘bent needs wider and lower gearing than a typical upright bike. Just how much wider and lower is a subjective, sometimes technical, and oft’ debated topic that can make large chunks of time vanish. I’ll try to keep this brief. I use Gear Inches in the following discussion because it is commonly used in trike specifications and it provides a good way to make relative comparisons between drivetrains. Consult a Gear Inch Calculator to see how Gear Inches translate into speed.
A Seasonal Commute 