Alfine is the name of a comfort and urban oriented product series by

Shimano , originally and later , is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company for cycling components, fishing tackles and rowing equipment, who also produced golf supplies until 2005 and snowboarding gear until 2008. Named after founder Shozaburo ...

. It is mainly known for internally geared hubs, but includes also hydraulic

disc brake A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...

s and levers, chain tensioners, dynamo hubs,

crankset The crankset (in the US) or chainset (in the UK), is the component of a bicycle drivetrain that converts the reciprocating motion of the rider's legs into rotational motion used to drive the chain or belt, which in turn drives the rear wheel. ...

s, shift levers, and complete

wheels A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be ...

Alfine 500

The Alfine 500 group, first introduced at

Eurobike Eurobike is an international bicycle trade fair held annually since 1991 in the first week of September, on the grounds of Messe Friedrichshafen, one of the largest and most modern exhibition centres in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. The bike show i ...

in 2006, included the epicyclic hub gear SG-S500. The internal mechanical design of the gear hub was based on that of the Shimano Nexus Inter 8, with two stepped planetary series, 5th gear being 1:1 direct drive, thus offering 8 speeds with percent intervals of 22,16,14,18,22,16,14, and an overall gear range of 307%, yet in a more attractive design than the Nexus, with better

seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

allowing slightly greater ruggedness, more attractive auxiliary components such as e.g. a ratcheting trigger shifter similar to the high-end Shimano

derailleur Shimano 600 front derailleur (1980) A derailleur is a variable-ratio bicycle gearing system consisting of a chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another. Modern front and rear d ...

shifters, and a hub shell with splines for mounting a disc brake rotor of the center lock standard. These mechanisms are grease-lubricated. For 2013 a new 505 model is being offered with Di2 electronic shifting.

Alfine 700

Alfine 700 is an internal

epicyclic An epicyclic gear train (also known as a planetary gearset) consists of two gears mounted so that the center of one gear revolves around the center of the other. A carrier connects the centers of the two gears and rotates the planet and sun gea ...

hub gear for bicycles, manufactured by

since 2010. The 700 has 11 speeds, with intervals of approximately 29% for the first to second gear gap, and 13% - 14% for the other gears, resulting in an overall gear range of 409%. There is no direct drive 1:1 gear. It is operated by a single ratcheting trigger shifter with two-way release. When introduced it had a claimed weight of approximately 1600g without auxiliary components (bolts, actuator, cog, wire, shifter). Production models appeared to have a somewhat beefed up design. The internal mechanisms comprise three stepped planetary series in a sealed oil bath, for greater power transfer efficiency. For 2013 a new 705 model is being offered with Di2 electronic shifting. This version differs slightly from the 700 model and requires a motor unit with a battery, and an electronic shifter. Shimano offers different styles of electronic shifters that fit a wider range of handlebars than the trigger shifter for the 700 model. It is not possible to use the motor unit or electronic shifters with the 700 model.
''Uncle John's Bike Shed'', ''Shimano Alfine Inter 11 Internal Gear hub'', published 16 January 2016 Alfine-animation-150dpi

References

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External links

Shimano Alfine product page
Hub gears Products introduced in 2005 Products introduced in 2010 Epicyclical gearing

Alfine 500

Alfine 700

See also

References

External links