Adding gears to daughter's cruising bike
08-26-10, 02:15 PM
#26
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I grew up in the old Schwinn Stingray era (5 speed RD). Didn't have problems shifting back then. Most of us migrated to more traditional bikes, at 12 I got a Schwinn Continental.
As far as the cost, I would look for a good used bike. There are plenty of small to extra small MTBs out there on the used market, cheap. Some will be twist grip, some will have trigger shifters. Should fit well within your budget, at least around here.
Agree, kids tend to drop bikes, so expect some derailleur hangers getting bent. I have seen some decent and cheap RD guards on MTBs, I would look into that option.
As far as the cost, I would look for a good used bike. There are plenty of small to extra small MTBs out there on the used market, cheap. Some will be twist grip, some will have trigger shifters. Should fit well within your budget, at least around here.
Agree, kids tend to drop bikes, so expect some derailleur hangers getting bent. I have seen some decent and cheap RD guards on MTBs, I would look into that option.
08-26-10, 03:19 PM
#27
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I have seen various opinions as to when calipers are appropriate for a child. I would say 7 years old may be too young to rely on calipers, but it would depend on the child's development. Hand strength is not that great and the child is not much past the age where braking could unduly stress developing muscle and bone. I would suggest a coaster brake plus a hand brake on the front wheel. That way you have the safety of the coaster but your child can get used to using a hand brake as well.
I would also agree about the difficulty of using a twist grip for front shifting - I've seen the same problems.
I would also agree about the difficulty of using a twist grip for front shifting - I've seen the same problems.
08-26-10, 04:00 PM
#28
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
When my youngest daughter really started riding she was 7 (and she has never looked back) I fitted a front side pull brake with an adult canti lever to give her maximum leverage and reduced pull.
She would race down the sidewalk and hammer the front brake and do front wheel skids without losing control and to this day (she's 10) rarely uses her rear brake on her bikes.
My oldest daughter also has great braking skills and knows how to use her front brake and that the rear is secondary.
She would race down the sidewalk and hammer the front brake and do front wheel skids without losing control and to this day (she's 10) rarely uses her rear brake on her bikes.
My oldest daughter also has great braking skills and knows how to use her front brake and that the rear is secondary.
08-26-10, 05:23 PM
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I have seen various opinions as to when calipers are appropriate for a child. I would say 7 years old may be too young to rely on calipers, but it would depend on the child's development. Hand strength is not that great and the child is not much past the age where braking could unduly stress developing muscle and bone. I would suggest a coaster brake plus a hand brake on the front wheel. That way you have the safety of the coaster but your child can get used to using a hand brake as well.
I would also agree about the difficulty of using a twist grip for front shifting - I've seen the same problems.
I would also agree about the difficulty of using a twist grip for front shifting - I've seen the same problems.
09-03-10, 12:14 AM
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I managed to find a place in Florida that had pre-built 20" wheels with hub shifters. Lighten Up Bikes
09-03-10, 05:46 AM
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My question is, on a 3s upgrade or any speed upgrade for that matter, will the hub even fit into the frame without substantial bending or cold setting. Old single speed hubs used to 110mm (is the OP frame in question 110mm or 120mm?) and any geared hub was considerably wider by 10mm or more, that is a lot to spread a frame, especially a 20" that has short stays.
I've done a fair amount of retro-fitting bikes with parts they weren't designed for. Every time I've encountered problems that I didn't anticipate. I think that to say "Just lace up a 3 speed hub, stick it in, and run a shift cable to it." is a little naive.
09-03-10, 10:32 AM
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My daughter has a 20" wheel pink cruising bike by Electra and has finally decided to love biking! I am trying to find a way to add gears to get her to continue loving to ride.
She is riding well, but her single speed limits what we can do to a few bike paths, and she wants to go biking more with me. I was hoping to buy a reasonable internal gear hub on a 20" wheel that would give her some range and let her climb hills. We live in a hilly place!
Can anyone recommend the right approach? 3 gears to keep it simple or more to make riding more fun? Who builds 20" internal gear wheels? Any help is INCREDIBLY appreciated.
She is riding well, but her single speed limits what we can do to a few bike paths, and she wants to go biking more with me. I was hoping to buy a reasonable internal gear hub on a 20" wheel that would give her some range and let her climb hills. We live in a hilly place!
Can anyone recommend the right approach? 3 gears to keep it simple or more to make riding more fun? Who builds 20" internal gear wheels? Any help is INCREDIBLY appreciated.
If your kid's bike is like most Electra 20" bikes, it has the cheap Shimano 36H coaster hub in it, which is spaced at 120mm, which is the same as the Nexus 3sp hubs, so you should be good to go with a direct replacement. You'll want to go ahead and run full housing from the shifter to the hub, since there aren't going to be any proper cable stops.
Grip shift is probably what you are stuck with - I don't think that Shimano makes a trigger shifter for the 3sp line, though you could ask the supplier. Lighten up's premade wheels look like a good buy, or you could call Harris Cyclery, who also specializes in oddball stuff like that. Your local bike shop may or may not have any idea what is going on, many of them have never worked with IGH, or only rarely, or charge a premium for building odd wheels just because they don't like doing it.
Use this calculator to decide if you want to get a different rear sprocket. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/internal.html
Calculate the gear inches of the current configuration, then experiment with different values using the Shimano Nexus Inter-3 settings. Don't forget to set the wheel size correctly. The easy thing to do would be to leave the sprocket the same teeth as now, which would give her a middle gear the same as the current, then one below and one up. You could also use a larger sprocket, and get one a little higher than current, one a little lower than current, and one a lot lower than current.
-Sam
Last edited by phidauex; 09-03-10 at 10:33 AM. Reason: Added link
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