uberprutser

I'm a big fan of a simple coaster brake hub. No need for messy cables, and with a full chain-case almost maintenance free.

I live in the Netherlands witch is probably the flattest county on earth. The biggest incline we in the north have to face is a local flyover.

But we do get lots of wind, and as I get older I would like to try an internal gear hub for my daily ride.

In my opinion the steps between gears are just to big. A normal 3 speed is hardly ant more usable for me. I occasionally use 1 gear when the terrain is difficult. And I only use 3th gear when I have lots of wind in the back. In other word my 3 speed is hardly any more useful the my single speed coaster brake bicycle.


Are there any i.g.h. out there for a flatlander? So far the best hub I used, is an old 5 speed Sach Torpedo (2 shift cables). The spacing on newer hub from Shimano and Sturmy Acher is rather big i.m.h.o.

And 3 speed would be more than enough if I want to use direct drive for 90% of the time. And I do want to use direct drive. And because of that a regular 7 speed nexus will not work or me. The though of wasting extra force all the time just doesn't sit right with me I have tried a Sram automatic in the past, lovely hub, but the spacing between the gears is ever wider than a 3 speed. Why doesn't anyone make a narrow spaced 3 speed anymore? And by the way does Sram still make internal gear hubs? (I did not see any on their confusing website)

Perhaps it's time to partition Sturmy archer to bring back the medium and narrow width 3 speeds.

CliffordK

Perhaps don't worry too much about "direct drive".

Hmmm... For Sturmey Archer 3 speed:
• Overall Range - 177%
• Gear 1 - 75% (Gear 2 - 25%)
• Gear 2 - 100% (Direct Drive)
• Gear 3 - 133% (Gear 2 + 33%)

For Sturmey Archer 5 speed:
• Overall Range - 243%
• Gear 1 - 64% (Gear 2 - 25%)
• Gear 2 - 80% (Gear 3 - 25%)
• Gear 3 - 100% (Direct Drive)
• Gear 4 - 125% (Gear 3 + 25%)
• Gear 5 - 156% (Gear 4 + 25%)


Shimano NEXUS_C3000_m
SG-C3001-7C-DX
Gear ratio_Total 244%
Gear ratio_1 0.632
Gear ratio_2 0.741
Gear ratio_3 0.843
Gear ratio_4 0.989
Gear ratio_5 1.145
Gear ratio_6 1.335
Gear ratio_7 1.545

Shimano Nexus SG-8C31 8-Speed Coaster Brake Internally Geared Hub
1st gear = 0.527,
2nd gear = 0.644,
3rd gear = 0.748,
4th gear = 0.851,
5th gear = 1.00 (direct drive),
6th gear = 1.223,
7th gear = 1.419,
8th gear = 1.615


So, one does get slightly tighter gearing with more gears, but not a lot tighter. It still may be enough.

One of the more interesting rear hubs is the Nuvinci N360 or Nuvici N380 CVT (continuously variable transmission). They are popular with bikeshare bikes and E-Bikes. No separate gears.

I'm seeing the Nuvinci hubs offered with hand operated roller brakes, but I'm not seeing coaster brakes.

tcs

SRAM discontinued internal gear hub manufacture in 2017.

Your requirements: three speed, 'narrow' gear spacing, coaster brake, direct drive. I don't think you will find satisfaction with any currently or recently produced IGH.

That said, you might investigate the Shimano SG-5R35. You'll have to use a roller (external drum) or caliper brake with this. Another possibility is the Sturmey-Archer X-RD4. Honestly, though, I don't think you'll be satisfied with either.

jamesdak 

Well I'm no expert on this but I have bought two new IGH bikes this year. One a Pashley Guv'nor with a S/A 3 speed IGH and the other is an Azor with a Nexus 8 speed IGH. The Azor just got to me recently so not a lot of miles on it yet. But for sure the jump between gears on the 8 speed are a lot closer than the 3 speed. The Azor was bought with the 8 speed to give me plenty of gears to use as I age too.

uberprutser

I kown I got a bit of an obsession with direct drive But I’m no obsessive weight weenie.
It looks like a 8 speed hub from shimano is probaly my best bet. It is bit bulky and really have no use for all those extra gears
You probably have no idea how flat the Nethlands are. Sure we get a lot of wind, but I live in an area with lot’s of trees, so that it’s not a huge problem.
I think I will create an online partition to bring back the Sturmy Archer AM or AC model.
Something with a 15% gab would be prefect for me. And there must be other places in this world that are flat.

To bad Sram stopped making i.g.h. No Chinese company that could take over that business

CliffordK

You can still find a lot of Sachs and SRAM IGH hubs and parts in E-Bay.

That reminds me, I damaged a SACHS pull chain a while ago, and probably should replace.

Gresp15C

Have you considered the Nuvinci hubs? They are continuously variable.

uberprutser

They are interesting tech that's for sure. But I do not have a "need" for such complexity, weight or speed range.

Gresp15C

I also live in a flat city. Our high point is the top of a bridge going over a highway. Low point is a lake. About 200 feet elevation from one to the other. Two of my bikes have 3 speed hubs, Sturmey Archer AW. On my main commuting bike, it's like having a 2 speed hub, since the 3rd speed is rarely useful. On my winter bike, I have a large cog, and use 1st gear as an "extra low" gear for when I'm trying to fight my way through deep snow, but normally it's also like a 2 speed.

There are some rare old Sturmey Archer hubs with closer spacing, but it might be hard to find parts for them.

GamblerGORD53

For starters, you can't just put any of these hubs in any bike. 3 speeds are 118 mm or so. The others could be 127 to 135.
I would get the new 25% SA RXL-RD5. Drum brakes are king off the hill, NO doubt. All Shimano IGHs do NOT have direct drive.

I have a SA RD3, SA XL-RD5w, Nexus 7i and Rohloff14.
For sheer speed, the 5w wins. It has done all my longest and fastest rides. But shifting has been very unreliable. I actually like the bigger gaps for highway rides. Long cranks help with torque. Yes, it has holes in speeds I need to avoid. I have done mile centuries with all these on bikes 50 to 80 lbs. The Nexus 7i shifts very well with paddles. The gear spacing is very nice, like the Rohloff14. However, mine has the very draggy roller brake. They die faster than my Rohloff, LOL. The GIs of the RD5w match up with gears 1,2,4,6 and 7 of the Nexus. For city type riding, 44/ 22T works best, 34 to 84/ 86GI.
I did build a front wheel SA XL-FDD dyno drum for this Simcoe roadster bike. Actually, I put the new one on my tour bike and put the old one on the Simcoe. 26,000 miles and counting.