Help with Townies

[christinec]

Hello,
I am new to the bike world and would like some help making a decision about my Townie. A few months ago I purchased a Townie 3 and have been enjoying riding it. I am trying to get back into shape and I feel like the three speeds are not challenging enough. Is it possible to change the gear hub on the Townie 3 or should I just purchase a new Townie 8?
Thanks,
Christine

[Velo Dog]

I'm not sure what you mean by "challenging." Is it too easy to pedal, or do you want the challenge of mastering the allegedly difficult art of shifting a more complicated driveline?
If it's the former, just shift up. Ride around in the highest gear all the time, or at least until you get tired or your knees give out. I don't remember what hub the Townie has, but if even that's not enough, your dealer ought to be able to put on a smaller cog in back to give you higher gearing, which would be harder to pedal but give you a higher top speed. It's a tradeoff, though: When you need lower gears to climb a hill, you may not have them.
If you want a more complex bike...imagine me shrugging here. Anybody can learn to shift a modern driveline in about 10 minutes, so the novelty will wear off in a day or two and you will have spent the money for nothing. There are many reasons for a multi-speed bike, but that's not a very good one. Ride faster, ride farther, climb every hill you can find and see if that's enough challenge for you.

[donnamb]

Hello,
I am new to the bike world and would like some help making a decision about my Townie. A few months ago I purchased a Townie 3 and have been enjoying riding it. I am trying to get back into shape and I feel like the three speeds are not challenging enough. Is it possible to change the gear hub on the Townie 3 or should I just purchase a new Townie 8?
Thanks,
Christine
It's not the hub itself you would change, it's the cog on the hub. Yes, you can change that. You can either order a new cog through your LBS and put it on yourself, or just get them to do it. It shouldn't cost too much.

[Sixty Fiver]

With an internal gear hub the hub's gearing range is determined by the chain ring and cog combination and reducing the size of the rear cog or increasing the size of the chain ring will increase the respective gearing through the entire range... when you gain some gearing at the top you will also lose some bottom end gearing.

I am not sure what the gearing on your bike is now but of you find yourself not using the first gear and wishing the third was higher a cog change is probably a good option. The second gear will of course, also be increased.

I ride a 30 year old Raleigh 3 speed which is a 42 pound bike and it's stock gearing is rather high... climbing with this bike is very challenging, to say the least.

I am looking to switch to a larger cog so I have a better climbing gear and will still have a fairly high top gear that will be more spinnable.

[KrisPistofferson]

Hello,
I am new to the bike world and would like some help making a decision about my Townie. A few months ago I purchased a Townie 3 and have been enjoying riding it. I am trying to get back into shape and I feel like the three speeds are not challenging enough. Is it possible to change the gear hub on the Townie 3 or should I just purchase a new Townie 8?
Thanks,
Christine
Well, first of all I've ridden the Townie 3, great bike, simple drivetrain, comfortable for short trips. Having said that, if the reason you want to switch is maybe because you are having difficulty on hills and such, you may want to think about different geometry and not just a few more gears on the hub. A diamond frame bike gives you more leverage on the pedals, to put it simply. Breezer makes an excellent diamond frame commuting bike with 8 or 3 speed hub that might fit your needs better if the problem is hills. Good luck!

[HauntedMyst]

Well, first of all I've ridden the Townie 3, great bike, simple drivetrain, comfortable for short trips. Having said that, if the reason you want to switch is maybe because you are having difficulty on hills and such, you may want to think about different geometry and not just a few more gears on the hub. A diamond frame bike gives you more leverage on the pedals, to put it simply. Breezer makes an excellent diamond frame commuting bike with 8 or 3 speed hub that might fit your needs better if the problem is hills. Good luck!


I have to agree. I love my townie but it doesn't really lend itself as a "get back in shape" bike. Its more of a getting the groceries or go out for a leasurly ride bike. I find my road biek much more suited to excersize.