wphamilton

I agree. Efficiency of the drive train most definitely is a consideration to this commuter, as is minimizing the other sources of drag. More fun equals better commute.

There are different approaches sure, but it sure seems to me like we can complicate the whole thing in the name of "simplicity". There just isn't that much maintenance involved for regular old gears, chains and derailleurs, not enough for me anyway to accept extra drag, weight, expense with non-standard parts, or to give up shifting.

To OP, doing my own maintenance I haven't had a mechanical issue commuting in my last two years of commuting, and that's with taking only half a dozen days to drive in that time. Sora level components and under. Unless we're commuting in some kind of extreme conditions we don't need anything special or unusual. Single-speed won't gain you much in maintenance. Belt drives won't save much in wear and tear. Disk brakes won't stop you much better. Hub dynamos aren't all that much more convenient than batteries. It's all cool, even useful maybe, but IMO not worth consideration if you really want economic, comfortable and practical. Just get the kind of bike that you like to ride, and ride to work.

Riveting

There's nothing wrong with riding fast (other than the increased chance of death, heck, last weekend on a group ride, I hit a personal best of 38 mph going downhill, and was on the brakes most of the time), but during some stretches of my commute, slower is safer, and at those times, a little extra resistance could help keep my intensity up, yet keep me slow enough to not freak out the people in the metal cages or the pedestrians.

What's wrong with bonus resistance? Have you ever followed a heavy weight lifting regimen, where you intentionally add resistance/weight to gain performance results? I was just thinking along those lines.

Darth Lefty 

Well there you go. A hybrid isn't perfect for every role but it does pretty good at nearly everything and will tell you what you want if you care to change it later.

Riveting

I don't use a hub dynamo specifically, but I do use the Reelight RL770 magnetic induction power generator to power my commuter lights Reelight RL770 Friction Free Combo Light Set - Modern Bike

IMO, a power generator system is much better than daily maintaining USB rechargeable lights or swapping batteries. My lights automatically come on as soon as the bike is rolling 2 mph, and stay on for a full 4 minutes after my bike comes to a stop at stop signs or red lights. Always on = peace of mind.

Well worth the additional one pound of weight.

wphamilton

There are different approaches.

It takes me about 30 seconds every 3-5 days to charge my lights. An extra pound (is it really that much?), plus the extra drag from the eddy induction, plus the extra aerodynamic drag of the Reelight, wouldn't for me be a worthwhile exchange for that 30 seconds. Now, because it's cool and I'm a gadget geek it might be worth it. (and admittedly the $42 set is tempting) But the point is, you don't gain enough for it to be important for someone who spec'd economical, comfortable and practical. Buy a Cree headlight from Amazon, $20.

ItsJustMe

I bought a $300 Giant hybrid and rode it > 30,000 miles and about 9 years. By the end of the 2nd year or so I had a MUCH better idea of what I wanted in a bike. I just kept riding my hybrid until it was ready for a LOT of stuff to go wrong with it real soon now, and then upgraded.

I eventually wound up with two bikes, because I really love having a road bike in the summer, but I need something with fenders and capable of having studded tires, and also I wanted IGH and disc brakes. It's a tank in the wintertime when I need a tank, but in the summer I do NOT want a tank, and I hate riding it then.

spare_wheel

I should point out that one of the reasons I started buying bike/sport-specific clothing was because I got tired of conventional clothing wearing out. In other words, biking in "normal clothes" proved to not be frugal at all. Moreover, the synthetic bike/sport-centric shorts I wear typically don't have padding and are reasonably non-descript (mtb shorts, hiking/climbing shorts).

spare_wheel

If you had to "maintain" your USB rechargeable lights daily then you bought a defective light.

ThermionicScott 

I'll worry about going "too fast" around cars when I'm matching their 30 MPH. Not there yet.

Of course. In weight lifting, strength gains are highest when using sets of relatively low reps (5-8), and sets of up to 20 are used for some purposes. By comparison, resistance added to the thousands of pedal strokes along a commute mostly just sap energy. And fun.

I dunno about you, but I commute for fun, and zipping around riding balls-out, as fast as I can is a part of that. I get plenty of exercise on my rides. If you want to build strength, go to the gym.

Or if you prefer misery, go ahead and add drag chutes and cinderblocks and special devices to drag on the tires.

Robert C

First off, I have a NuVinci 360 on my commuter bike and with certain reservations I recommend it strongly. However, I will share this chart for those interested:

From and article translated here.

I think that the NuVinci did poorly because it really dos not fit the parameters of the test as well as the other IGH systems. Also note, there is no comparison of conventional derailleur based systems. Also, it should be noted that the graph starts at over 70% efficiency.

wolfchild

Asking strangers on internet forums about what type of bike to purchase is a mistake that many people have made... All it does is confuse the person because they get a million different opinions about which bike is best... Every person is biased toward certain types of bikes and when you ask them they will just tell to get the same bike that they have. My advice to you is to go ahead and buy whatever bike YOU like, whatever bike makes YOU comfortable and then start riding...That's what I did. I just went and bought my bikes without asking anybody for their expert opinions and I am very happy with my bikes, no regrets.

Null66

Uh, no...

Energy in, energy out.
(Efficiency is energy out / energy in) * 100
that is all, no magic...

Graph is worse then it seemed riding it.
Kinda like having a mostly flat tire...

Not really different a except you have a lot of between gears. One thing I noticed riding it. The control on the handle bar has a fairly short throw so very hard to take advantage of fine tuning... Basic UI issue. Does short circuit the whole idea of infinitely variable, if you have to little throw to accurately dial in a higher resolution then a standard 8 speed.

One set of reviews the owners compared internal drag and the reports were wildly different from each other. Most abandoned it switching to traditional IGH or derailleur systems....

dedhed

Do people actually only own one bike?

Sullalto

Yes, most people. Or those for whom cycling isn't a hobby or priority in their life. Or if somebody with limited means decided to spend $1000 on the best bike they could afford instead of two cheaper bikes.

The vast majority of people only have one bike, if they have one at all.

john4789

"grave dis-service"?

easy there drama llama, were talking about a cheap/used ss bike. i doubt he will die from riding it.

Robert C

I find it interesting how well the speedhub does; but, it is rather expensive. The Alfine 11 isn't doing any better at lower power levels. In all, the Nuvinci does not do poorly. I still like it for the use I put it to; however, I do agree that some of the other IGHs' would be a better choice for touring.

findude

Here's a more detailed financial analysis that explores the economics of bike commuting: Get Rich With? Bikes

Gresp15C

Shouldn't it be called an internal ball hub?

I noticed that the Novara also comes in a version with a Sram 3-speed for cheaper. Now that thing looks like it would really cook.

Novara Arkham Bike - 2015 at REI.com

jyl

As for the economics . . . I figure bike commuting saves me about $3,000/yr in parking and gas. After the cost of the bike and gear (incl bike jacket, rain pants, etc), the ongoing costs are maybe $200/yr (tires and replacing the gear as it wears out).

Gresp15C

On the other hand, bike riding will make you live longer, which costs more.

I live near a university where parking is exorbitant. Even people who drive in from a fair distance have found that parking a couple miles away and cycling to the campus is beneficial. There are people who keep a bike permanently racked on their car.

From an economic standpoint (bike advocacy here), it also reduces the need for the city to build more parking garages downtown.

Gresp15C

BTW that Novara mentioned a few pages back with the continuous hub, also comes in a 3-speed version for cheaper. From where I'm sitting, it looks like it's got everything that I'd want in a commuter bike, ready to go. But I'm still compelled to keeping my old jalopy.

spare_wheel

i exceed 38 just about every commute and freaking out the people in the cages is one of the pleasure of cycling.

the sci guy 

Since we have an REI locally now, I've been in it quite a few times, and their bike supplies are pretty comprehensive. You could easily get everything you need to start commuting.
My suggestion: Novara Randonee. Comes with the rack already on it, built for commuting/touring. Easy bar end shifters, and is a nice looking bike to boot. Grab a pannier from somewhere (waterproof) - i don't remember exactly which brands REI has.
You're all set.
I doubt you'll have mechanical problems as you begin, so add things like a saddle bag, tire levers, co2, etc, as you go over the first couple weeks.
REI has plenty of light options.
You literally have everything you need right there.
Don't go overboard - pick up the basics, and get started.

no motor?

Right here. Still using the one I bought 9 years ago when I figured I'd overanalyze things and not do anything if I didn't buy the one I spotted on Craigslist. That was a great decision on my part.

DiabloScott

I've got a short commute. Parking is free at my office. So if I drove every day I'd be spending about $400 in gas - but I ride my commute bike about 80% of the time... so I'll say I'm saving $300 a year in gas plus some insignificant amount in vehicle wear and tear.

But I get $20 a month from the bicycle commuter program so that's $240 more.