Remembering my old 3-speed got me thinking…

[Crickey7]

Why 3 speeds? Once you’ve introduced a shifting mechanism, you’ve incurred the weight and/or complexity of systems with more gears than 3.

For the record, I have no more affection for my old 3, 10, and 12 speeds than I do for my transistor radio, tube amplifier and 8-track.

[DismalScientist]

@Crickey7 128547 wrote:

For the record, I have no more affection for my old 3, 10, and 12 speeds than I do for my transistor radio, tube amplifier and 8-track.

Well, I’m still riding my old 10 speeds.:rolleyes:

[dkel]

@Crickey7 128547 wrote:

Why 3 speeds? Once you’ve introduced a shifting mechanism, you’ve incurred the weight and/or complexity of systems with more gears than 3.

Weight and cost: Sturmey Archer tends to be the cheapest, as far as I can tell, and the weight and cost of their 8-speed hub is almost double that of their 3-speed hub. I’ll admit I don’t know much about these hubs, but what I’m sensing from the inter-webs is that more can go wrong with the additional planetary gears in the larger hubs. Also, the larger hubs tend to be restricted to click-shifters, which is not what I’d want for a drop bar.

Anyway, the reason I brought it up here is to hear different opinions, so have at it—particularly if you are familiar with IGH systems.

[mstone]

@Crickey7 128547 wrote:

Why 3 speeds? Once you’ve introduced a shifting mechanism, you’ve incurred the weight and/or complexity of systems with more gears than 3.[/quote]

The cost argument seems fairly compelling. The three speed can be found well under $100, and the 7 speeds start about 2x that. The gear ratios are fairly narrow, though, and a 5 speed will provide a wider range for not too much more money.

Quote:

For the record, I have no more affection for my old 3, 10, and 12 speeds than I do for my transistor radio, tube amplifier and 8-track.

I do sometimes wish I could ride my old 10 speed again. Suicide levers FTW!

[Crickey7]

M’kay, so I educated myself on the computer using the site below. There is an argument to be made for 3 speeds, especially for those who do their own maintenance. I still think if my knees were a problem, I’d step up into the 5-7 speed range.

https://hubstripping.wordpress.com/internal-gear-hub-review/

[FFX_Hinterlands]

I just upgraded one of my bikes from a 3 speed to an 8 speed. The 8 speed hub is heavier and more complex, but it better on my knees. If you are looking for a minimalist setup, look at the kickback 2-speed hubs as well. They shift using your feet and have a coaster brake, so they don’t need any cables at all. A coaster brake is a good idea in general!

[Subby]

I thought 2 speed was just standing and not standing?

[dkel]

@FFX_Hinterlands 128563 wrote:

They shift using your feet and have a coaster brake, so they don’t need any cables at all. A coaster brake is a good idea in general!

I rode a beach cruiser when I was in San Diego this summer (that’s what everyone rides, apparently :confused:), and I hated the coaster brake! I suppose I could get used to it again, but I don’t want to. It seemed to me at the time that a bike with a coaster brake requires you to be able to put your feet on the ground while you’re still on the saddle (i.e. a low saddle), since you can’t stand on the pedals to get out of the saddle to put a foot down and brake at the same time; if you did, you would either put all your weight on the braking foot and come to a skid stop, or you’d have to take your braking foot off and you wouldn’t stop at all.

[dkel]

I did some math based on the specification for a 3-speed IGH, and chose three corresponding combinations on my geared bike to use during my commute today. I thought it was pretty great using only three speeds. As in riding fixed, I had to vary my cadence a bit, but it was not a problem, even on hills. Unlike riding fixed, the overall speed seemed pretty slow (though I’m not sure it was in actuality) and the whole ride felt relaxed, which is what I’m looking for at the moment. I may go for it, if I can get permission from Rockford to spend even more money on bikes. The good thing: if I get tired of 3-speeds and want to go back to the fixed wheel, I can rebuild the 3-speed rim into a dynohub.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dkel 128545 wrote:

As an aside: for or my own part, I have been ssslllooowwwlllyyy recovering from sore knees, and I have a brand new, belt drive fixie that is languishing in my basement (anything more than a mile or two on that bike just kills me, sadly).

Did this start once you started riding fixed or is it new? Is it maybe related to the cold?

[dkel]

@TwoWheelsDC 128655 wrote:

Did this start once you started riding fixed or is it new? Is it maybe related to the cold?

I’m not sure what it’s related to, but it has been going on for a few months now. It did start after I started riding fixed, but months after. This summer I essentially stopped riding, in part to see if laying off the cycling would improve my condition, but also so I could spend every waking moment finishing my dissertation. My knees did not improve at all over weeks of being off the bike, so I’m not convinced the issue is specifically cycling-related (the dissertation got done, though, so there’s that). I did some PT and have a stretching regimen that I do every day, and that has helped. I’m slowly increasing my cycling mileage, and I’m not getting worse; also, I’m not taking pain meds constantly, only when I have pain. So the issue is improving. But slowly. Exertion does seem to aggravate my knees, so I don’t really seem up to riding fixed yet or doing more than ten miles at a time, and I require more rest days than before. I’m probably going to be on a slacker team for BAFS.

Thanks for asking.

[vvill]

@dkel 128656 wrote:

I’m not sure what it’s related to, but it has been going on for a few months now. It did start after I started riding fixed, but months after. This summer I essentially stopped riding, in part to see if laying off the cycling would improve my condition, but also so I could spend every waking moment finishing my dissertation. My knees did not improve at all over weeks of being off the bike, so I’m not convinced the issue is specifically cycling-related (the dissertation got done, though, so there’s that). I did some PT and have a stretching regimen that I do every day, and that has helped. I’m slowly increasing my cycling mileage, and I’m not getting worse; also, I’m not taking pain meds constantly, only when I have pain. So the issue is improving. But slowly. Exertion does seem to aggravate my knees, so I don’t really seem up to riding fixed yet or doing more than ten miles at a time, and I require more rest days than before. I’m probably going to be on a slacker team for BAFS.

Thanks for asking.

Sorry to hear that. I have knee pain sometimes if I try to use my legs as brakes instead of brake pads. But generally my bad knees (which pre-date my ‘serious’ cycling habits) do better when I ride regularly. They definitely don’t like cold though.

I’ve sometimes thought that the ultimate solution for a “I’m not 100% right now” bike would an e-assist bike/trike. I seem to have forced downtime often enough to almost justify one, I think! And it could double as a cargo bike.

[dcv]

@vvill 128660 wrote:

I’ve sometimes thought that the ultimate solution for a “I’m not 100% right now” bike would an e-assist bike/trike. I seem to have forced downtime often enough to almost justify one, I think! And it could double as a cargo bike.

or an ELF

sorry about your knee

[Vicegrip]

Bum knees and SS/fixie = incompatible.

[dkel]

@Vicegrip 128667 wrote:

Bum knees and SS/fixie = incompatible.

Hence the 3-speed idea. Otherwise I have a brand new bike gathering dust.

[Author]

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