corshamjim wrote:On another topic I've been looking to buy a bike for longer rides at a faster pace than I can do on the Pashley. Is the Shimano Alfine 8 generally considered to be robust and reliable? If so I should have plenty to choose from (I've bookmarked quite a few).
You have to be a tad careful with the Alfine. They had a reputation for water ingress and rusting up really badly. Shimano did fix the problem more recently, but you have to be careful. I'm not sure how you tell which is which.
The Nexus, however, has had no such problems reported and has pretty much become the 'standard' hub fitted to Dutch utility bikes which spend most of their lives outdoors.
Good luck with greasing-up ya wossname at the weekend