Originally Posted by
wdk535
Going to upgrade from beach cruiser. What are the best brands of 7-speed bikes, as far as reliability and durability? Don't want something that's going to give me a lot of trouble.
1 speed beach cruiser?
I had a 7 speed derailleur beach cruiser up to last summer. Before I got rid of it I upgraded to a used bike with an 8 speed Internal Gear Hub (IGH) that is similar to what @
Joe Bikerider linked to in his two posts.
If you can afford the price bump of going to a Nexus 7 or 8 speed IGH, it's a good gear system for a commuter/exercise/recreational/utility bike. IGH bikes with the single front chain ring and rear sprocket won't drop the chain over hard bumps like a 7 or 8 speed derailleur bike with a single chain ring will. That was the most annoying thing on my 7-speed derailleur cruiser, dropping the chain. Also, the fact you can change gears on an IGH while the bike is stopped, which might not be necessary but is cool nonetheless.
Back to those two bikes Joe Bikerider showed, the Nexus 7 speed has slightly closer gear ratios than the Nexus 8 speed, which may be preferable, plus the Nexus 7 is a bit less expensive as well.
https://sheldonbrown.com/nexus8.shtml
Now, the only two bikes I have is the aforementioned 8 speed IGH (shown below), and a 1 speed bike. I personally don't mind not having a derailler bike, but I'm not a performance type of rider. So there is that to consider.
