New 11 speed Shimano Hub Gear

[daniel.weck]

There's now a video demo in this review:

Shimano Alfine 11 speed hub - the car park test + now with video added | road.cc | The website for pedal powered people: Road cycling, commuting, leisure cycling and racing

++Dan

 

[flash]

I was in the trade at the start of the 1950s when the first derailleurs began to arrive on the market, with a 4 or 5 gear rear cluster. The Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub gear had ruled alone until then, originally patented in 1902 and on sale by 1904, with a 4 speed hub also available at about the time of the derailleur introduction in the '50s.

The multi chainring front derailleur came much later and I don't even remember when they first appeared.
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I have only one thing to say to you Flecc "Benelux"

 

[flecc]

I have only one thing to say to you Flecc "Benelux"

Yes, I know there were earlier (much earlier indeed), but they weren't seen in the mainstream bike trade which was overwhelmingly for utility bikes.

Believe it or not, my boss wouldn't have known anything about Benelux and thought the first derailleurs seen in the mainstream trade were ridiculous and would never catch on!

From Wikipedia:

In 1949 Campagnolo introduced the Gran Sport, a refined version of less commercially successful cable-operated parallelogram rear derailleurs already existing. This is often credited as being the first modern rear derailleur.
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