Dynamic to offer bike with STI shifter to work with Shimano 8 Speed internal gear hubs
The Dynamic Synergy will offer STI style integrated shifter/brake levers paired with a Shimano Alfine hub.
For those of us who like both the general design of road bikes and internally geared hubs, our options have been few and far between in recent years. While Shimano’s 8 speed internal hubs are the same width as most road hubs allowing easy installation on road frames, the shifter systems developed for these hubs have been decidedly anti-road bike with trigger or twist shift systems designed to go on mountain bars. There have been work arounds for internal hubs on road bikes, but they have been inelegant to say the least.
Well, things have changed. Two weeks ago, we let you know about road bar end shifters from Jtek that are compatible with Shimano Nexus and Alfine internal hubs. Whoop! Now, it looks like we have an integrated brake shifter system, á la STI, that works with these hubs as well. Double whoop!
Last Friday, Bike Commuters gave us a first look at a pre-production road bike from Dynamic that they are getting to test before the product is available to consumers. Named the Synergy, the bike itself has a yawn inspiring TIG welded, Asian made, compact geometry frame that inhabits much of the entry level, mass produced road bike world. The paint job on the test bike as well as promotional materials from Dynamic are equally boring subtle.
Close-up of the road bar shifter/brake lever for Shimano internal hub. Image courtesy of Bike Commuters. Click picture to see review at BikeCommuters.com
What makes the Synergy really interesting is its drive train and shifting system. All of Dynamic’s other bikes use a drive shaft system paired with internal hubs to provide nearly maintenance free, grease free transfer of power. I never ridden this system, but for commuter/ transportation bikes it’s a good concept. However when it comes to road bike riding with its potential for quick, powerful shifts, I’m sure this system has its limitations. So instead, Dynamic has worked to produce an integrated brake shifter system like the ones all us roadies are used to. This is huge as now we can have the performance advantages of the road bike with the low maintenance simplicity of the internal hub.
The bike supplied to Bike Commuters was equipped with Shimano’s higher performance Afline hub. Since they use the same pull ratios, you should be able to use this with Nexus hubs as well, although most road riders will probably prefer the better performance and lighter weight of the Alfine. (More on this in my upcoming “Second Look” review of Marcus’ Azor Secret Service.)
There is no word on who is actually producing this shifter, be it Dynamic or someone else. There is also no information on if this shifter will be available as an aftermarket product separate from this bike. We’ll let you know when we hear something.
I sure hope we can get it as a stand alone. I love road bikes and would really like to run this system on a randonneuring frame I ‘m planning on building.
on Feb 4th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Damn, that looks dope. Now I think I know what I’m going to do to my rob roy. Do they make that hub with a coaster brake?
on Feb 4th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Only the Nexus comes with a coaster break option. As I mentioned, Nexus and Alfine use the same pull ratios, so you should be able to run these shifters with a Nexus-8 coaster. I can be a bit of a hammer head on a road bike, so I’m going to run Afline if I can get these. I’ve found the Nexus is OK for general cruising but does not perform well when you mash the pedals.
on Feb 8th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
[...] Wednesday, we let you know about a new STI style road bar shifter/brake lever that was seen in a Bike Commuters review of the soon to be released Dynamic Synergy road bike. [...]
on Feb 8th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Check your spelling — it is properly spelled “ALFINE”, not “AFLINE”.
on Feb 8th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Fixed. Thanks.
on Feb 20th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Jason,
You can get a coaster brake set up at http://www.osobike.com, if you are still looking.
Shane
on Apr 25th, 2009 at 9:15 am
I might have a very dumb question, but here goes. Is it possible to use a triple crankset and a front derailleur with a rear internal gear hub? I have a hilly commute and think I need more than 8 gears. How tight must the chain tension be? Thanks for your help, but don’t laugh too loud if I am missing the obvious.
on Apr 26th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Yes, you can use internal gear hubs with derailleurs in many cases. Some bikes come like that, like my recumbent Bike-E — it has a 3 speed internal hub with a rear deraileur.
You’d still need a chain tensioner, however.
Sheldon brown had a number of bikes with derailleurs and internal hubs together …
http://sheldonbrown.org/bicycle.html
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Bicycle-Repair-1824/internal-hub-gearing-combined.htm
on May 19th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Hi sir
Came across your very interesting website. I wonder if you would be able to help me or anbody else!
I have a Cannondale Bad Boy 8 Ultra 2009, with Alfine 8 speed hub. Although I like the bike and the Alfine hub I do think the bike is under geared. I have a 18T cog on the back and a 42T on the front. I find the gearing ratio in 5 and 6 not quite right when going up medium hills, also i find that I’m lacking speed in top gear and i feel i need one more gear. I would like your advice as i am thinking upgrading my front chaining/ small cog for more speed and a better midrange (5 and 6)between the gears. I was thinking to upgrade the smaller cog to a 16T and a larger chainring either 48t 0r 50T . I’m keen to customized my badboy ultra to a very fast road/ touring bike for long cycles at the weekend. I am a stronge cyclist ( i cycle 110 miles a week to work) and live were there are some very good steep hills in which i can cope in in low gears 1-4 as the alfine hub gears are very close togther in gears 1-5.
My bike setup is: A 18T rear cog and front crank is a Truvative Fire Ring 42T, my – wheels are DT Champion 700 with continental sport contact 28-622 tires, whith Avid Juicy 3 brakeset front & rear
I would much appreciate any suggestions and recommendation.
Thank you
on May 19th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Bernie,
I use Nexus hubs on the city bikes I build which have the same range. I spec my bikes with 48T on the chain ring and 21T on the rear which seems to be enough for the hills in our parts as well as giving me a decent speed on the flats. Dynamic uses a 46T/19T combo. This yields a range similar to a compact crank on a road bike.
on Jul 8th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Hi Elliot – very helpful. I’ve been desperately trying to figure out whether an Alfine will fit into a 2009 Cannondale Capo – a singlespeed as stock. But you mentioned that they will fit in most roadbikes – and though it may seem like only a tiny bit of info – it’s the most I’ve gotten so far on the matter!
I’m thinking about getting the Capo and putting an Alfine in the rear, and maybe trying to squeeze on the Nexus grip-shifter for simplicity’s sake.
Any thoughts?
Cheers dude
on Jul 9th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Chris,
Your biggest issue is going to be the dropout space in the back. The Nexus and Alfine hubs are 130 mm axels which is the width for road dropouts. Mountain bikes are 135 mm so you’ll need spacers if you want that. Track bikes and BMX are normally 120 mm so that’s out unless you want to cold set (i.e. bend) your dropouts out to fit (only do this with steel frames). Cannondale’s site does not specifically tell you the drop out width, but based on the hub selection and the fact that it’s called a track frame, I’d say it’s probably 120 mm. It looks to be an aluminum frame which I would not get into bending as that will potentially structurally ruin the frame.
The other issue is what kind of dropouts you have. Most bikes these days have vertical dropouts meaning the wheel’s position relative to the rear triangle remains the same. With a single speed, you need horizontal dropouts or a chain tensioner to get your chain properly tensioned. This would not be an issue for the Capo as it has horizontal dropouts.
on Oct 12th, 2011 at 2:46 pm
[...] Here to find out where to Buy Dynamic Performance Internal Hub Road Bicycle More Road Bike ReviewDynamic Performance Internal Hub Road Bicycle review The Synergy internal hub road bike is everythin… derailleurs and chain tensioners to virtually eliminate maintenance and repairs. Yet it still [...]