Author: admin

With a bunch of different hubs available for the Brompton, I thought a comparison would be a good idea:

	Kindernay	Rohloff	Alfine 11	Alfine 8	Enviolo NuVinci	Sturmey 8
Number of gears	14	14	11	8	n/a	8
Gear range	543%	525%	405%	307%	380%	325%
Weight	1.4kg	1.7kg	1.6kg	1.7kg	2.4kg	1.8kg
Gear ratios	18″-98″	19″-100″	24″-99″	24″-74″	25″-95″	29″-95″
Shifter	Thumb	Twist or Thumb	Lever*	Lever*	Twist	Twist or Thumb
Efficiency	Very good	Very good	Good	Medium	Good	Medium
Axle	Solid 10mm	Quick release	Solid 10mm	Solid 10mm	Solid 10mm	Solid 13/32″
Disc brake	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Kit cost	£1795	£1595	£795	£725	£725	£395

Gear ratios are the most common possibilities – with the Rohloff and Kindernay, they are with the smallest possible rear cog and largest Brompton front ring (54t). With the Alfine and Enviolo, it’s 18t/50t. So getting higher gears is possible on the Alfine and Enviolo hubs, more difficult with the Kindernay and Rohloff.

I know it seems a bit odd that the Kindernay has a wider range than the Rohloff but has very similar gear ratios, but it’s because the difference between 18″ and 19″ at the bottom end is a much bigger difference than between 98″ and 100″ at the top end.

Other factors are harder to quantify in a table: In terms of fitting, the Rohloff is easiest – it’s a simple quick release hub (though I usually use an Allen key skewer) and cable fitting is very simple. The Alfine and Enviolo hubs are nutted, so need a spanner to fit, but cabling is pretty simple. The Kindernay is the most complex, with a nutted through axle, and hydraulic shifting that has to be cut and perhaps re-bled to fit.

*A rapid-fire shifter is available, but I strongly recommend the Jtek shifter for the Brompton handlebars.