Internal gears

[grantoury]

Yup nexus 3 is a sweet thing I love mine such a lovely sound !
And gear gaps on a sturmey are never quite right however I treat em as a single speed in 2nd that's the gear to get right then 1st and 3rd are underdrive and overdrive!

That's how I would use it

 

[M_Chavez]

Sheldon's advice is to run the 3rd as your main gear, and then you can switch down into climbing gear & granny gear and then pushing and carrying.

 

[Mickeyspinn]

Sheldon's advice is to run the 3rd as your main gear, and then you can switch down into climbing gear & granny gear and then pushing and carrying.

Climbing gear and a granny!? So nothing left for downhill whoopeee? 2nd is direct drive on a sturmey 3 so it's the strongest gear in the box....I say use that for pretty much everything esp pulling away. I think 1st on a nexus is direct drive so play that gear choice a little different ...think the gear spread is slightly wider than a sturmey 3..

 

[Imlach]

Yep
Just about to throw out the box………

What's the hub spacing on those?

 

[Imlach]

The Nexus 3 speed is also very sturdy. But Sturmey Archer hub brakes are superior to coaster and roller brakes (nexus). This is for the Schwinn? Pretty cool. 3 speed do have big gaps between gears, but on and off hills it might be useful.

It is for the Schwinn I just have to make sure it'll work

I am not concerned about gear range, I have not ridden a geared bike in over 5 years and I don't intend on going back to multiple gears on any of my ss bikes. A few extra gears might just be a bit of fun for me, as a treat.

 

[The History Man]

They’re currently sitting on a 53 Armstrong road bike so should be fine with a little cuddle.

 

[Imlach]

They’re currently sitting on a 53 Armstrong road bike so should be fine with a little cuddle.

I reckon I could put it to use if you still want to be rid of it

 

[The History Man]

Wouldn’t the postage be criminal?

 

[Imlach]

Wouldn’t the postage be criminal?

Possibly, but looking on eBay the majority of SA wheelsets are in the UK anyhow, doubt I have much choice in the matter

 

[hookooekoo]

I have used an Alfine 8 hub. I think they're reasonably well built and nice to use. And unlike the 11 speed version of the Alfine, the Alfine 8 has a gear that is direct drive (1:1). I always suggest setting up the gearing so that the direct drive gear is comfortable for cruising on the flat and gentle hills. That way you get single speed efficiency most of the time, and you only lose energy through the internal gears when you can't ride comfortably using the direct drive gear.

This gear calculator includes an Alfine 8 setting:

Ritzelrechner - Graphical Gear Calculator for Bicycles

The bicycle gear calculator displays graphically the gearing of derailleur gears and gear hubs. It can be used to compare different setups to find the optimal gearing for all kinds of bicycles.

www.gear-calculator.com