New bike day!

COOL!
Now........... put a motor on that sucker and you'll really be onto something!

 

No pics. No bike.

 

I love internal gear hubs. This is what I ride:



The earliest internal gear hubs were introduced around 1900 -- decades before the derailer was a practical technology. In fact, the three-speed was the mainstay of non-competitive cycling until the ten-speed became a fad in the 1970's, and the poor quality of the drive train on those bikes (among other things including suburban sprawl) helped to drive a lot of people out of cycling.

I built my current "utility" bike about 15 years ago from artisanally recycled (trash picked) parts including a Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub. It has endured daily commuting to my workplace since then with no trouble. I like it so much that I recently built a wheel with an identical hub for an entry level Trek racing bike that I've had for years. Both hubs are now around 50 years old with no sign of ever needing maintenance. The second hub was my mom's until she decided to upgrade her bike.

The thing about internal gear hubs right now is that they have found their way onto high-end bikes, so they represent an expensive option. Retrofitting an existing bike for a gearhub requires some mechanical knack, and probably a willingness to build your own wheels, as I did. The Sturmey Archer brand is still around -- bought by a Taiwanese company that has by all reports retained the quality of the products.

But the ride is wonderful. They're smooth, always shift accurately, and have a straight chainline, meaning that you can use a chain guard if you want. The downside is that the overall gear range of the 3-speed models is less than a typical derailleur bike, so you have to be ready to use your legs to get yourself up hills, or pay more for hubs with 5+ gears.

 

I had one of those way back when I was a kid. The shifter was a small flip switch next to the right side hand grip with 3 speeds. I rarely used 3rd gear because (I felt) it was geared too high, and you really need to be moving to use it. I wish it was a 5 speed stingray with the banana seat, flared back fender, high handelbars, and a 5' sissy bar.

 

I've got the flip switch on both bikes. Later on, there was a twist shifter, but those are hard to find in good condition, as they were relatively flimsy.

As most 3-speeds were built, 3rd gear was indeed too high. That was just a dumb marketing mistake on the part of the bike makers, because you could (and still can) get any size front and rear cogs. Originally, you were supposed to have the bike shop set you up for a gearing of your preference, but of course that went by the wayside in the US.

Having had to piece things together, my bikes are geared lower by having smaller front cogs (harvested from old 10 speeds). The Trek racer is geared a bit higher than the work bike.

You definitely get a lot more gears with a derailer. With the 3-speed, you have to be a bit more philosophical about where you're going, and when you expect to get there. It has most of the cool factor of a fixie, with none of the stupid factor.

When I was a kid, we had a Sting Ray that went through 3 boys as we each outgrew it and handed it down to the next. It was a one-speed. My dad thought that multi-speed bikes for kids was a stupid idea, so there you go.

 

Internal gears for mountainbikes? Here ya go: http://www.rohloff.de/en/products/speedhub/

 

Killer bikes!

 

Single speed or go home!!!

 

I've got a Bendix in my parts box, identical to this one:



Yeah, I know, single speed is cooler. I tried an experiment for a while, to keep my bike in one speed to find out what ratio I'd want, but dagnabbit, I like my speeds.

 

My rear derailleur is one of the least-used things I own. Campy NR that doesn't list a date. It just says 'Patent'. (That makes it a '68 or '69 for you vintage snobs.) Sure my bike is just a 5-speed but I'm basically just a commuter in a flat valley. A single-speed would suit me just fine. I pretty much use my bike that way anyways. Last time I shifted was back in '11.

 

I've seen quite a few DIY single-speeds where they just ditch the derailer and shorten the chain to the right length. You can also get a single speed freewheel that threads on in place of the cluster, with pretty much any number of teeth you want. I think they originated with the BMX crowd.