Hub Gears and Brakes

sexpot

Hey,

Just wondering if anyone knows whereabouts in Dublin or possibly online I could get a Shimano Nexus or Sturmey Archer hub gear system? Preferably would like a 5 speed but most will do. Been looking online and they're very hard to get here.

Thanks,

Paul

penexpers

Nexus is 3 speed or 8 speed. S-A is 3 speed only (open to correction)

Any shop that can order Shimano (i.e most of them) can get Nexus. Not sure about S-A

Ant

I went bike shopping to help a friend find a bike and we had a look around the (fairly) new bicycle shop on Blackhall Place. They had a fairly decent selection of two-wheelers with hub gears and brakes - mostly commuter bikes and coasters. I can't remember the name of the shop but it's just opposite the Law Society.

Doctor Bob

I've had a Nexus Inter 8 for 3+ years at this stage - came with the bike, rather than fitted later - and it's been reasonably good to me over the years.

I don't know your skills/knowledge, so apologies if this seems like teaching a grandmother to suck eggs, but a couple of things to bear in mind include the need to rebuild the back wheel to accommodate it, making sure your dropouts are fit to take it (I have vertical dropouts, so the BB is eccentric to facilitate chain tensioning), and making sure your mechanic knows what it is- though I'm seeng more of them around lately, so hopefully this will have a trickle down effect across the workshops.

It sounds like your mind is made up, but if not, and if you were to ask, I'd say go for it- although, fyi, 'virtually maintenance-free' is stretching the truth a bit, as is 'fully sealed'. (Pro Tip: citrus degreaser is no friend of the lubricated hub gears, unless you want to discover what it's like to have cheap cutlery instead of planetary gears inside the hub. )

As usual, Sheldon Brown has much to say about hub gears, all of it worth reading. He even has the Nexus installation/maintenance PDFs, which I couldn't find on the Shimano site.

I have a Nexus hub dynamo on the front wheel, but my brakes are on the rim front and back so I can't comment on the Nexus braking.

Regarding your actual question:), I'd agreewith penexpers- ask any Shimano dealer.

blorg

Hub brakes are a disaster- you know that, right?

Hub gears ok.

sexpot

Thanks Doctor Bob, I didn't even think of the dropouts. I have a Pashley at the moment with Sturmey Archer so I know what they're like alrite, not too up on maintaining them.

I have 4 high nellies that I was hoping to upgrade with them, but it seems like it'll be very expensive. I was in city cycles and although he didn't have the exact parts I wanted, he emailed away and I'll hopefully have a price.

Looks like I may have to build new wheels around them although I could fashion something out of the old rusted ones (anyone have any good methods for removing rust and re chroming?).

Blorg, yeah I know they're not great but I think it's all I can work with, no place to put new brakes on the high nellies and it's only for town riding so mightn't be that bad.

Hopefully I'll get a Nexus and see what happens

BostonB

I enquired from some shop in the UK that specialised in them. They did a wheel, gears, and grip changer set, cables etc for something like €250 for a 7 or 8 speed Sturmey Archer. (can't remember exactly). They weren't crazy about the Shimano kits they reckon there were some supply issues with parts and had more than expect in for repair. But that might have been the shop pushing stock I dunno. In the end I didn't go for it.

Lumen

Five minutes with a DublinBike should have you fully equipped. Those locks look rubbish