Does anybody use internal geared hubs

[dbg]

Kind of curious... I have several laying around (nexus 7) and my kids love their convenience as do I on my current commutter bike. As I'm considering recumbents, I'm wondering if anybody uses these. Reasons: even though i use internals a lot, it's still second nature to downshift the derailers when stopping at lights and such. I suspect it won't be second nature for me on a recumbent and I might find the shifting-while-stopped ability to be very handy.

[Nightshade]

Yes, My Worksman PAV semi-recumbent trike uses a nexus 3 speed
which I find to be plenty of gears for utility use. One point about ANY
trike to remember is "tip over" that happens to all trikes at speed on
corners. IMO a nexus 7 would be to many gears for a safe trike that
isn't a true "pavement scraper". It would go way to fast to handle at
speed.

On a 2 wheeled recumbent hubs are used but are not common just as regular
bikes. Based on my trike use I think a hub would be dandy on a 2 wheeler.

[FarHorizon]

I sure would like to, but the dropouts on my Bacchetta are vertical. Is there any "chain tensioner" that would allow me to use an internally geared hub?

[jeff-o]

I'd love to put a Nexus on my trike, or better yet, a Rolhoff hub! I usually remember to shift down at stops, so that's not a problem, but I do like the clean look and weather-resistance of a gear-hub.

[JanMM]

you could use a Surly Singleator with vertical dropouts to use an internal geared hub but there would still be other issues besides chain tension to deal with.

[BikeZen.org]

It gives me a gear inch range from 20 to 161 (with a 39-53 triple, 11-34 cassette, 3 gear DD hub, 26" wheels). I can peddle up or down any grade in Colorado. I love it!

Some rough estimates:
-- at 80rpm in my lowest gear, I'm moving about 4.5mph
-- at 70rpm in my highest gear, I'm moving about 50mph (but not looking at the speedometer much!)

I like it so much that I use it instead of my triple, which I leave on my middle ring 95% of the time. I never use the smallest chainring, and the largest is reserved for monster downhills. The rest of the time, I'm using the internal hub and the cassette. It's smoother and quieter than shifting the chainring, and doesn't put so much tension on the chain (as the large ring does).

[Dr.Deltron]

Yes, 4 out of 6 of my 'bents have internal gears. Wonderful for downshifting AFTER you've come to a stop.
A good friend of mine has a Greenspeed that has a Rohloff/Schlumph drive train. VERY cool set-up. No deraileurs and still has 28 speeds. AND you can shift from hi to low while standing still. Very handy.
As for downshifting to the smaller chainrings when stopping, if it's second nature for you already, then it wouldn't take long for that to be the case when riding a recumbent.
And for the Nay-Sayers of internal gears...they're probably still riding bikes where you put a doorstop where the light don't shine!:rolleyes:
As I like to say;"Ride what makes YOU happy!"

[vik]

I have a 3 speed hub on my BikeE CT - works well - no complaints here.

[BlazingPedals]

Using only an internally-geared hub would seem a little bit limiting to me. But many bent owners use a SRAM 3x8/9 solution, which combines a 3-speed hub with a standard cassette body. Alone, that gives you the equivalent of standard 3x8/9 gearing, and if you add a triple chainring to it, you can get up to 81 gears. Of course, a lot of them are duplicates, but the useful thing is the total range it gives you. (Witness BikeZen's wide range.)

I used a 3x7 hub for many years. It never gave me a bit of trouble. I used it as a standard triple chainring setup, with an underdrive and an overdrive. But using it in non-standard ways sometimes made things fun. Like the time I was climbing a long 8% grade. I went cruising past a couple who was slogging in their granny rings. I was in my big ring, and as I passed them I complained that if the hill got any steeper I'd have to use my middle ring. Of course I was in 1st gear in underdrive, too; but I didn't tell them that!

[blknwhtfoto]

I found a geared hub at a garage sale yesterday. The guy thinks that it's from a workman trike. He wants 25 bucks for it. Is there anyway to make sure it works before I buy it? If it is only a three speed, is that worth it? Would I have to install a third shifter for it? Can a geared hub be installed with any cassette/ derailleur combo?