vuduthmb

I have a 2009 Electra Townie 3i with a 3 speed internal gear hub on the rear wheel. I need to change the rear tire, and I read somewhere that this is harder to do on bikes with internal gear hubs.
Should I make sure that I have an especially good bike mechanic do this, or is this something any decent mechanic could do? Perhaps (gasp!) I could even attempt it myself with a you tube video or something.
How difficult is it?
Thank you.

Milton Keynes

Well, I'm no bike mechanic but I had a lady bring her bike into my automotive shop to have me put a new tube in her rear tire. It had an IGH, something I've never dealt with before. On the non-drive side of the rear axle, there was a little black "box," for lack of a better word, on the end of the gear shift cable connected over the nut holding the wheel onto the frame. It had a hex screw which needed to be loosened, then just slid off a cable or rod (don't remember exactly) which was sticking out of the IGH. It was then a simple matter to unscrew the nuts holding the wheel to the bike then remove it in the normal manner. To reassemble, I put everything back together in the reverse way, sliding the cable connector onto the cable sticking out of the IGH and tightening the hex screw. I then took it on a short test ride to make sure I put it back together correctly, and it worked just fine.

NomarsGirl

I've never done it, but I would suggest you learn how. If you get a flat while out riding, you'll have to change it.

I-Like-To-Bike

It is simple; it is only a problem for people for whom carrying or using a 6" adjustable wrench (to loosen/tighten axle nuts creates insurmountable problems.

vuduthmb

actually, that would probably be me.

Darth Lefty 

It’s only a pain if there’s a belt instead of a chain. Otherwise it’s just undoing a few nuts and screws

MikeyMK

I've never seen a quick release gear cable join. As it's possible to slacken the gear cable, and IGH wheels have been around for well over a century, i do wonder why.

Sturmey Archer hubs often had wing nuts back in the day, yet still the cable had to be unscrewed. One of my SA-geared bikes has a side-slot cable join, but the pinch nut has to be removed for it to be parted!

Reynolds 

Harder than on a "normal" bike but not difficult for someone who likes tinkering with bikes.

FiftySix

Shimano Nexus 3 with coaster brake?

video link below

https://vimeo.com/11990585

livedarklions

Definitely learn to do it yourself at home. It's good practice in case you need to change a flat roadside.

If you're not good with an adjustable wrench, get the appropriate size crescent wrench to carry with you. If you strip the nuts with an adjustable wrench, you've made a big problem for yourself.

FiftySix

But a "crescent" wrench is an adjustable wrench. I'm sure that's an early morning typo.

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By the way good quality adjustable wrenches work well if used correctly. They have tighter tolerances and are stronger than no-name adjustable wrenches. Just make sure to reset the adjustment with each new placement on a nut/bolt while still applying torque.

The biggest problem I do have with adjustable wrenches is that the head is too big for some applications where you can't get the wrench on the nut well due to a frame or fitting near the nut/bolt.

Other than that, I find adjustable wrenches worth having.

VegasTriker

There is an almost endless variety of videos on youtube showing how to remove and reinstall the click box on youtube. It is actually easier to remove and replace the rear wheel on your bike because you don't have to deal with a rear derailleur. Once the clickbox is off, you simply loosen the bolts and slide the wheel forward and upward (bike upside down). Then changing the tire is exactly the same as on any other bike. If you don't already own a simple set of open end metric wrenches and a multipurpose bike tool, it's worth buying them. Even a cheap set will do. The other thing to buy is either a tire removal kit or just a set of tire irons. Don't use a flat screwdriver as you can easily puncture a hole in the tube that way. Crescent is a brand name for an adjustable wrench.
This one seems to be pretty good at instructing you: https://vimeo.com/11990585

Retro Grouch 

I've never done anything in my life that I didn't think I could do faster, easier and better the second time. Repairing a puncture in an IGH equipped bike certainly fits. I think the first time that I did one of those it took me 45 minutes in the shop. Also, there's lots of different ones, so there are going to be variations on a theme. Some have torque arms and the like that require different tools to loosen.

If I owned a bike with an IGH I would definitely take the time to remove and replace my rear wheel in my garage at home at least once but only using tools that I carry on the bike. That way, if I ever have to do an on the road repair, at least it won't be the first time. That's why schools have fire drills.

Rajflyboy

Can’t you just use a can of fix a flat and put more air in it and be good?

Wilfred Laurier

It's not really much more difficult, but there are couple of extra steps compared to wheels on derailleur equipped bikes.

If the first time you try to do it is on the side of the highway in the rain in the dark, it's going to seem more difficult.

What makes the job more difficult than the IGH hub is if there is a chain case, like are common on 'Dutch bikes'.

livedarklions

Alas, variations in nomenclature make victims of us all. Some of us use "crescent" to describe the shape and apply it to fixed and adjustable wrenches. Just so you know I'm not an isolated case:


https://www.ruralking.com/dewalt-mm-...2-dwmt75245osp

Stadjer

If it's a good old steel one it's a lot easier because you can use a 'chainstay spreader' so don't have to take the wheel out to get the tyre in. I don't believe it works with aluminum frames because they don't bend as well. You only have to remove the bolt on the opposite site of the complicating parts. To patch a flat you don't have to undo a bolt at all, but if you fear leaks that can't be patched you can take a 'sausage tube' with you, which doesn't go full circle so you can cut the old tube and replace it.

Wilfred Laurier

I patched a tube 'in situ' for the first time during a charity ride last year... I was one of the 'Ride Guides' (volunteer there to support and encourage the participants) and a participant (all of whom raise a vast amount of money for the local hospital foundation) riding a single speed bike got a flat. Instead of waiting for the roving service truck I patched it myself. Even though I have heard of this repair many times and it sounds easy on paper, I was surprised how easy it was. I am an experienced and confident tube-patcher, though.

Homebrew01

It can be a bit "Fiddly" to get the chain tension right, while also centering the wheel in the frame, and tightening the wheel
Practice first, before you really need to do it.

Gresp15C

My commuter has a Sturmey Archer AW 3-speed hub from the early 1960s. Changing a tire is easy. I've had numerous flats, and have always just fixed them and kept riding.

My practice is to unscrew the cable, change the tire like any mainstream wheel, then re-attach the cable and re-adjust it. So, the wheel is centered and the chain is at the right tension, before I bother with the shift cable. The adjustment procedure is easy, especially if you follow the "improved" method that St. Sheldon recommended. Since my bike has upright bars, I just flip it upside down, so everything is accessible.

On the other hand, puncture resistant tires lessen the likelihood that you will need to fix a flat. It's still possible, and I still carry the tools and supplies, but I've had no flats on that bike since I got puncture resistant tires.

Stadjer

It's just a matter of making sure the tube doesn't get stuck behind sharp parts while handling it. Beeing raised with single speeds and 3-speeds, that's what patching a rear tyre is to me. And patching is how you deal with a flat rear tyre, because it's always less of a hassle than taking the chaincase off. Cutting patches precisely to fit them between older patches, pull a patch over the valve to repair a hole near the valve, I've done it all to avoid dismantling the chaincase. If you have only one bike which you need to get around a flat shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. These days it's less of an issue, flats are more rare, I've more than one bike, I have a frame spreader, so there's much less patching before I replace the tube.

MrFingers

3 words: open bike tube. It's a tire that isn't round, but like a sausage, with 2 ends. You can install it without having to remove the wheel, since it doesn't need to be slided over the axle. Works like a charm (I use it on my commuter bike which has an internal hub AND rollerbrakes, which make for quite a roadside operation-site when needing to remove those.