[Yak] Help me spec a NWT?

[John S. Allen]

At 22:16 9/27/2005, alex wetmore wrote:

>On the other hand spare small parts for derailleur setups are
>available anywhere in the world, and almost any single broken part can
>be worked around on the side of a road.  This is not true for internal
>hub gear systems.  The hub gears also have higher resistance.


But hub gears are very reliable. An important issue here is weather. 
If a bicycle is to be used for utility riding through winter snow, 
sluch, salt and sand, a hub gear has major advantages over a 
derailleur . My Raleigh Twenty, with its Sturmey 5-speed, gets me 
through Boston winters without trouble. The one time last year I went 
out and rode a derailleur-equipped bicycle during a December thaw, 
road salt immobilized it the next time I tried to take it out! (I 
should have rinsed it off with the garden hose -- lesson learned -- 
but still.)

The resistance of derailleur gears increases greatly as cog sizes get 
below 15, to the degree that internal gears can do better.

If you really want to depend on bicycling for transportation, you 
need at least two bicycles. Then if one has a flat tire when you go 
to take it out for your morning commute, the other stands ready The 
second bicycle doesn't have to be anything fancy.  In fact, best if 
it isn't, like my Twenty, so it isn't theft bait when locked in an 
urban area. See http://www.bikexprt.com/bicycle/mytwenty.htm

>I love hub gears and have used them on a variety of bikes (including
>Bike Fridays and a Swift Folder).

>I don't really love the 3x7 or
>other hybrid systems because it seems like they have the disadvantages
>of both.

Some might say that hybrid systems have the advantages of both. On a 
small-wheel bicycle, there is an additional advantage  of an internal 
or hybrid system: high gears without the need for a large chainwheel 
or tiny sprocket.  If the internal hub breaks down, generally you 
still have at least one gear left, and the derailleur gears, so you 
can still ride.

>I wouldn't want a 7sp or 8sp internal gear hub on my folder
>because I'd be using it for touring in some places where I needed a
>lower gear than I could get on a 7sp internal hub.

Well, that's a question of where and how the bicycle is to be used. 
In most US urban areas, the 8-speed hub gear will be more than 
adequate -- and replacement parts are available at any bicycle shop. 
For the few steep hills, there's always the two-foot gear (step off 
the bicycle and put one foot in front of the other, alternating 
feet). For long-distance touring, the wider range and narrower steps 
of derailleur gearing definitely are an advantage.

>For the Bike Friday I'd recommend a large saddlebag with a 
>quick-release mounting system such as the Carradice Camper with 
>SQR.  Thiscan hold about as much as a single rear pannier, but doesn't
>complicate the folding or packing of the bike.  Rivendell makes an
>even larger saddlebag called the Hoss.  Bike Friday's are ideal for
>saddlebags because there is oodles of room between the saddle and
>small rear wheel.

I second the recommendation for a large saddlebag. I have undertaken 
weekend tours with no more baggage than that. A small, soft backpack 
and rear rack also are useful for big grocery hauls and the like, 
short of using the trailer.

John S. Allen

jsallen *at* bikexprt.com (replace " *at* " with "@")

http://www.bikexprt.com/