Training.Wheels

I live on flat terrain. I was wondering if having more gears means having a faster ride. Will the Mu Uno be of comparable speed compared to the P8, P24, and P360 on flat pavement or will it outrun them, since the Uno lacks the extra weight of gears? Thanks in advance!

badmother

what matters is what gears you have. A bike with one or two gears can be just as fast as a multy gear bike. If you do a lot of stopping and starting (like traficclights) and still want speed you may want two or three gears.

The main advantage with several gears in my opinion is that if you are not "into gears" you`ll find a gear or two that is perfect for yo without looking into the theory behind. Also if you want to ride in different areas (take the bike with you on holyday or try some touring by bike) you may want more gears.

If yoyu can afford more than one bike (and have the space) you could buy another one later if your needs changes. If that is not an option then make sure the bike you buy now can cower your present and future needs.

If you are not into repairing your own bikes I suggest you look into hub geared bikes.

fusilierdan

The Uno has a top gear of 62 inches the P8 96 and the P24 107. Given the same cadence the P24 will be faster.
The Uno weights 22 pounds P8- 24.7, P24- 26

I'm with badmother on this.

My wife and I have P8s.

brakemeister

One speed bikes or fixies are cool ..... and somewhat make sense for some.... but usually its the second or third bike in a stable ....

ill go with gears, when you ask the above questions ....
No dumb question at all ...

thor

pacificcyclist

Bicycle weight is not an issue with riding on flat terrain. Aerodynamics is as well as rotational weight on the wheels have more bearing on how fast you can ride on flat terrain. Just having more gears means absolutely nothing if you have to go against increasing aero drag as you speed up. Just today, I was able to tag along behind an 18 wheeler truck moving at avg 55km/h on my road bike for about 3km. It was as though I was being pulled and effort was brisk but manageable. This is when having bigger gears help. I certainly can't do this alone for any extended period of time without the help of a big peloton drafting each other either. Remember that the drag is exponential as your speed increase and your body is a major contributor to this drag. It does not help especially with folders set up with a more upright riding position compared to a typical road bike. If you try to do this alone, you'll consume all the energy and you'll be dead in no time.

I find that I need to exert a lot more effort on my Dahon Mu SL with Kinetix Pro wheels (paired spoked light weight) to maintain an avg 40 to 42km/h speed with my fast group compared to say my Trek road bike which is a lot easier when I was riding in Arizona last year. If you have to carry luggage, make sure that they stay upfront. Low rider small front panniers, Brompton bag or modified Dahon basket bag as well as a handle bag and a rear trunk bag is more aerodynamic compared to 2 rear panniers or a rear Carridice bag.

Hope this helps.

Training.Wheels

Thanks for the help, fellas. In all my years of riding, I never really understood the technicalities of gears and such. I was always the type to ride what was available at the moment (usually borrowed from my brother who owned several different types of bikes). The last few years, I've only dealt with one speeders, but I've been thinking about getting something with gears because touring is starting to interest me. Right now I'm debating on the Dahon Speed P8 and the Tern Link P24h. If anyone has any suggestions as to which I should choose and why, don't hesitate.

brakemeister

both good bikes .... a little different in their intended use ...

Speed P 8 699$
Steel frame... 8 gears.. 33 - 97 gear inches .... Big apples


Tern Link P 24h 950$
internal gears plus derailleur 21 - 107 gear inches.... wow ..thats a big spread .... alloy Tern frame, nice adjustable Stem, fenders, Schwalbe Supreme tires ... 20 x 1.6 and

for 250 bucks you get an adjustable stem, more gear expansion, whichhelps both going up a steep hill , or let you attain a higher speed going downhill.... great tires , Tern oversized hinges......

thor

badmother

Thor used a lot of words to describe the Tern.. My guess is that is his favourite .

pacificcyclist

Sheldon Brown's online gear calculator has an option that let you know potentially how fast you'll move at each gears. Both Speed P8 and Tern P24h are good bikes, with the Tern being a plus having a lower gearing than the P8 for hillier climbs. I wouldn't worry about going fast downhill when touring because with all the touring bags strapped on, you'll be the least aerodynamic anyhow. Plus you'll sometime encounter headwind going down a steep hill that you need a 21" just to get you moving down an 10% grade! Happened to me a few times while touring 5 western states with my Bike Friday NWT.

brakemeister

lol ... nope ... both good bikes .... just that the tern is newer and has a couple extra things the speed p 8 doesnt have ... but than its also 250 bucks more .... more money more words ..lol

:-)
thor

Training.Wheels

Yeah, I've been eyeing that Tern for sure but that price of the Dahon is an eye catcher too, you know? I'm pretty sure I'll be happier with the Tern; my gut feeling just tells me.

BadBoy10

Thor: LOVE the website--and the information provided--best website EVER--the specs and information--very cleanly presented and quick to read! I think I am going to get the Dahon Speed 7. I think it can handle 50 miles daily.

I test rode a silver Dahon Speed 7 on Monday--she is a quick little thing.

The folding seems really easy. And for my first folder--I don't want to get too overwhelmed.

I can't tell the difference between the Speed 7 and the Mariner D7--clearly the $50 price point but what else am I missing?


Be gentle. I am a newbie too!

brakemeister

speed steel frame ..... Mariner alloy frame ......
I would take the mariner ... but its a lot of personal taste involved as both bikes are good solid bikes

thor

BadBoy10

AAAH! Duh and Doh!

One rides different? More comfortable? Able to absorb harsh realities of mean streets?

Curious as to why specifically you prefer the alloy?

Thanks

brakemeister

a little lighter and I dont mind alloy.....also the polished frame doesnt show scratches quite as easy as a painted one.

BadBoy10

Oh!

Okay! Well, I am a newbie. I do not want to overextend myself and then "it not work out." Still researching. Your website has helped!

alhedges

It's simple - usually there's a rate of pedaling (called a "cadence") that you are most comfortable pedaling at. Gears allow you to continue to pedal at this rate as the terrain changes. So if you come to a hill and shift to a lower gear, you can still pedal as fast as you would on the flats; the bike itself will move more slowly, but you'll still be putting out energy at the same optimal rate. (If you don't have gears, your pedaling slows down and sometimes have to stand on the pedals to keep going at all). Going downhill, you can shift to a higher gear and move farther while pedaling at the same rate.

The general idea is to mostly pedal at the same rate no matter what the terrain and to shift to the appropriate gear to allow you to do this.