A bit late to this, sorry. But the Deacon asked me off-list about Three Speed Mountain Bike Resources, and as a (semi-competent) go-to for things three speeds, I figure I should say *something.*
Alas, there is no "go-to" list for three speed mountain biking, but to cover some of the points brought up in this thread: - *Why just three for an IGH (internally geared hub) vs 5, 11, 14, infinity? *Well, I think Deacon Patrick nailed it on the head when talking about *simplicity*. Yes, you will not get the range of something bigger (whether IGH or derailleur) but you think *less* about shifting. Not as "pure" as a single speed, but not as "corrupt" as a 3x11 setup. Also, *three speed hubs are cheap*, relatively speaking (not counting the cost of building a wheel if need be.) Heck, you can go to your local bike co-op and probably find a bin of old AW hubs and get a functional one for next-to-nothing. You aren't going to find that with a bigger IGH. And even if you do, there are other costs: I "scored" an Alfine 11 hub for nothing a couple years back, back when they were still like $600 MSRP. But it didn't come with a shifter, and that's like $150* alone.* Heck, you could get the AW hub plus shifter and other bits for that much. - *The difference between older (pre Sunrace) Sturmey Archer AW three speed hubs vs new (Sunrace). *Yes, the old AW hub had that annoying "neutral" that could happen, but that was usually either because a) the cable/indicator chain was incorrectly adjusted b) standing up when pedalling (frame flexes and pulls cable out of adjustment) or c) a combination of the two. And even the "mediocre" AW hubs of the later Sturmey Archer years are still *good. *There are plenty of bikes still running old AW hubs. The one on my Superbe is from 1954 and runs great. But I also don't pedal while standing up! ;-) - *Torque. *The problem with most IGHs are their tolerance of torque. For most old hubs, it's not recommended to go under a 2:1 ratio. Some people have gone under and not had any problems. A few destroyed their hubs. I think a lot has to do with "rider input", like weight and riding style. A lighter rider will probably have less issues with destroying a hub if they go under the 2:1 ratio - *Gearing.* An old AW is simple, and limiting. The low you're going to safely get is going to be upper-30's (gear-inches). That's not the low-low of mid-teens you can get from some modern drivetrains, but it is not bad. Portland isn't exactly flat, and I climb the hills with my Raleigh Superbe. The other day I went up Mount Tabor with grades as high as 7%, and managed. I did a tour a few years back in the Driftless Region of SW Wisconsin with Pondero and GravelDoc on a loaded three speed and managed some 8% grinds. No, it's not as optimal as the 15 gear-inch bike climb, and no, I wouldn't do a sustained 20 mile climb with a 7% grade, but it worked for what I did. - *Those Old Spokes Home 3 Speed MTBs: *They look SWEET! I want one now. Deacon, maybe just order one of theirs for experimentation? ;-) And I highly doubt they would sell bikes like that if they needed constant servicing. They've proven reliable for them, and they put them through the paces, including winter. - *About winter:* Yes, AW hubs work in extreme conditions. My friend Keith has ridden AW equipped bikes through the dead of Edmonton winter for years. He does use a lighter weight oil for those months (which is one of the advantages to the older oil-filled AW hubs of the pre-Sunrace takeover.) So, should one experiment? Yes! Now, I don't think a three speed is going to fulfill all the needs for a "modern" mountain bike, especially if one is going to do lots of steep climbing. But people have been bashing about on three speeds for rough stuff for eons, like the UK based Rough Stuff Fellowship. They've been going at it since the 50's. Back then I'm sure most of the member's bikes had three speed hubs, yet they went all sorts of crazy places in the English countryside, up rough and rude paths. Of course, there was some pushing involved, and they didn't expect to do 8% grades at a high cadence. But they still *did it.* And anyone who has read this far and is still interested: Seek out the work of Geoff Apps, considered the father of UK mountain biking, working at the same time as the Repack folks. His custom machines usually used drum brakes and hub gears, and he pedalled through all sorts of terrain and conditions. Finally, why can't that Paul Melvin only take a cog up to 20 teeth? ;-) yours, Shawn No one actually looks at email signatures anymore, but here goes nothing: http://urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com/ http://societyofthreespeeds.wordpress.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/ http://bikesspottedpdx.tumblr.com/ http://www.instagram.com/urbanadventureleaguepdx/ http://urbanadventureleague.storenvy.com/ Un-electronic mail goes here: P O Box 14185, Portland OR 97293-0185 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
