deputyjones

I was at my LBS the other day and noticed they have a Raleigh 29er in stock like this one:



Here is a link to the bike specs

Unfortunately, that particular bike only comes in single speed and Raleigh's only geared 29er has a suspension fork. Being a Clyde I don't want a SS, and I don't really want a suspension fork for my commuter. Since I have been wanting a internal gear hub for my utility/commuter bike anyway we were tossing the idea around of building a wheel like that for this 29er.

My question is before I lay down the dough for the bike and wheel I thought I would throw it out to everyone and see what your opinions would be of this combo for a utility/commuter and if anyone knew if this combo was already made/available in the US?

TIA

rykoala

Go for it! Although I'm a uber-clyde, 310lbs or so, I ride fixed gear. You might just like it as-is if you try it out first. Otherwise... do it! Sounds like great fun!

donnamb 

You might glean some ideas from these two threads. I know the 2nd one is really long, but there's some good info on hub gear bikes in it.

GStateFaithful

How about this:

https://www.brodiebikes.com/2007/2007_bikes/ocho.php

Alfine hub, disc brakes, 700c wheels.

deputyjones

Seems like a nice bike, but with the Raleigh, the built wheel and shifter I would still be well under the price of that one.

Thanks for the links donnamb. I think I kind of opened a can of worms for myself here. I could build based on a Karate Monkey too. Lots of options here, hmmmmm.

14R 

That's what you need right here:



Link:

click here

xB_Nutt

Sounds great, go for it!! You might want to use a One-Way as a base bike though. Has the right tires and fenders for on road commuting. https://www.raleighusa.com/items.asp?deptid=5&itemid=349 The canti brakes will be a lot easier to integrate with the internal hub.

brunop

surly karate monkey 29er rockin' a rohloff speedhub and schwalbe big apples. i just got off it here at work. my commuter. smooth ridin'!!! the jam!!!

HardyWeinberg

I am coveting a Thorn bike but their rohloff frames seem to be for 26" only.

randall t

I allways wondered,if you found a great bike like that and it was single speed,if it had a replaceable dropout you could just replace that dropout with one that had a derailer hole in it?

fat_bike_nut

I remember reading a thread here started by a guy who built up a Surly Karate Monkey with a Shimano Nexus 8 internal gear hub. Karate Monkeys are 29'er bikes. They can fit FAT 29 x 2.35" Schwalbe Big Apple tires.

rykoala

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deputyjones

Yeah for sure. I would love to see how yours turned out. Building the Karate Monkey seems like the best choice as far as customization goes because honestly I would actually prefer to NOT have disc brakes because I don't think I really need them and would like to keep maintenance to a minimum (thus the internal gears). However, the Raleigh is pretty inexpensive. I think the LBS is selling it for $550 or so making the whole bike only $100 more than just the Karate Monkey frame.

fat_bike_nut

Well, I'd have a front disc if I lived in a rainy area at the very least. I brake 95% of the time using only the front brake anyway. The rear is superfluous under normal conditions, and I only use it when going downhill, the front tire blows out, etc. See Sheldon Brown's article here:

https://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html#frontuse

One of my future "dream commuters" would be to build up a Surly Karate Monkey with a front disc and rear cantilever or V-brake (cantilevers seem to provide more clearance for fenders & racks).

johann

I agree with the poster who mentioned fenders (as in the Raleigh One-Way). The fat 29'er tire thing is cool as long as the frame takes fenders and a rack (IMHO for a commuter). A KM would be a cool commuter, but it always struck me how the KM bends the seat tube to allow a more compact wheelbase. And this seems counterproductive to trying to have long chainstays and avoid heel strikes with panniers (although I have no evidence this is a problem on the KM, and don even know if it takes a rack).

The other bikes in this category (ss 29'er) include the Redline Flight Monocog 29er and it's less expensive chromoly brother Monocog 29er. These guys make the populer 925 singlespeed as well. Not sure if the monocogs have braze-ons for racks/fenders.

It's great that manufacturer´s like Bianchi, Raleigh, Surly, and Redline are creating bikes that are a little out of the norm.

deputyjones

Thanks for that. Like I said I would actually prefer canti's and the Redline is cheaper. Also, it shows my LBS is a dealer, but I have never seen any of their bikes in that shop.

GStateFaithful

If disc's are not needed how about the Jamis Commuter 3.0

https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/...commuter3.html

$535 MSRP with Nexus 8.

baxtefer

converting the XXIX to internal gears might not be such a great or economical idea
Since it doesn't have canti mounts you'll need a internal geared hub that'll take a disc

so that leaves you with Rohloff ($$$$$$$) or the Alfine (not available in aftermarket yet)

mastershake916

That raleigh's a nice looking bike.

BikeManDan

Or Sturney-Archer XRK8 but good luck sourcing one

nitropowered

Here's a really good tip I got from a shimano rep.

If your derailleur hanger is beyond repair, or you simply do not have a derailleur hanger, use a Hone or Saint derailleur that bolts onto the axle.

marqueemoon

I commute singlespeed and love it.

Honestly, if you want gears but not a suspension fork you'll be on the hook for way less money getting the geared 29er and swapping the bouncy fork for a suspension-corrected 29er rigid fork (assuming the front hub is not some wacky suspension-specific width). Even if it is, a new wheel AND a new fork will cost nothing compared to a Rohloff, and you can always upgrade/change the drivetrain later.

In a few years the technology will be better and the parts cheaper or it will go the other way and quality internal hubs will have fallen out of favor in the industry and you will be able to thank your lucky stars you didn't drop a bunch of money on one you can't find parts for.

deputyjones

Good points. Thanks for all the food for thought everyone!

stevel610 

I was thinking of doing the exact same thing. I think it's a pretty good idea. The canti issue is a problem, but you can probably have (rear) brake bosses installed for @ $40 and find a used set of brakes to install. The EBB would allow adjustment to switch wheel and you could make the single speed into a fixed so not need the rear brake.

Good luck.

I-Like-To-Bike

Can someone explain the difference between a 700c/622 mm wheel size and a 29er/622mm wheel size?

Is it just the width of the tire? If so, at what width does a wheel that has been considered in Europe for umpteen years to be 28", become 29"?