matmat

Hi everyone,

I have a old Raleigh that was converted to single speed freewheel, and I am interested in converting in it to a 3-speed, possibly using a Shimano Nexus 3.
It seems the easiest route to go would be to buy a wheel with the hub already mounted, and the shifter and cable included.

As of now, the bike has a large crank that gives a pretty "hard" speed. How will the 3 speeds of the new hub be related to that speed? Easier? Harder? One easier and one harder?

Also, I want to keep the rim brakes I have and am not interested in a coaster brake. But I can't seem to find a wheel with a Nexus that doesn't have a coaster brake. Is there an option for me to get that and just not use the coaster brake? Or should I keep searching?

Thanks a lot!

-Mat

NormanF

It costs too much money to convert an old Raleigh back to its original configuration.

My modern IGH equipped GT Eightball was under $1000 and it has an 8 speed Shimano Alfine hub and disc brakes.

So its a good value. The Raleigh Cadent is also another possibility to look at. Good luck.

matmat

Thank you Norman.

I don't know, I am looking at a wheel + shifter priced under $150, it seems pretty reasonable to me.

And I don't want to convert it "back to its original configuration", but have an internal 3-speed hub, not an external cassette.

Your bike sounds great but I definitely can't spend more than $200, which is why I'm looking at just updating what I have.

Thanks!

NormanF

As long as you stick to your budget its doable.

Do you plan to keep the 590 mm wheels or upgrade to 700 c? There are good 32-35 mm tires available in the latter and your brake options are either long reach sidepull brakes or drum brakes.

If you go the latter route, it will raise your bottom bracket. Its less complicated with 650 b and Panaracer Col De La Vie in the 38 mm is inexpensive and readily available.

Lightweight 590 wheels can still be had reasonably and Schwalbe makes nice Delta Cruiser tires in the size.

matmat

It was already upgraded to 700c wheels. And I have decent Bontrager tires that I don't plan on replacing before I need to. Same goes with the basic side pull brakes that I have now.

Basically I really just want to implement 3 speeds instead of just one, to make climbing up hills a bit easier (I cross 2 bridges every day on my commute).

But like I said the speed I have now is rather 'hard', I just want to make sure that getting a Nexus 3 would give me 'easier' speeds, not 'harder'.

And that I can use a Nexus 3 without a coaster brake...

Thank you!

DorkDisk

The "middle" gear gives you a 1.00 ratio, the other two gears are about 36% up and down.

Most are usually set up with the middle as the cruising gear, but you can mess around with the chainrings to give you the ratio you need.

I like to spin a lot and climb much so I usually run a 3x t on 3 speeds and set it up for cruising in the high gear with two low gears

matmat

Interesting... In this case I would probably end up with an almost useless gear if I don't change the crank (36% higher than what I have now seems way too hard even for going downhill).

How would I go about "messing around with the chainrings" to change the ratio? Could I have it set up with the 1.00 on the high gear, and the other two lower? Or is that a bad idea?

Thanks!

NormanF

Its easier to play with the cog tooth size to bring you more to the ratio you want.

DorkDisk

You cannot change the ratios of the hub. They are fixed, the result of its mechanical properties. This is by design.

What you can do is run a smaller chainring or larger cog so that your highest gear is lower. There are gearing calculators that can help you with the math so that you can find your ideal combo

dynaryder

Here's the gearing calculator I always use:
Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Gear Calculator

In most cases,it's quicker/easier to swap the cog on the hub than the chainring on the crank. Also note;older bikes have different rear spacing than modern ones(they're narrower). You'll want to use a hub that matches your bike's rear spacing. Measure the distance between the rear dropouts with the wheel out,then compare that to the OLD(Over Locknut Dimension) listed in the hub's specs. Off the top of my head,I'm not sure if Shimano offers a narrow OLD,but Sturmey Archer has several. SA also makes narrow 5 and 8spd hubs,if you'd be interested in those.

fietsbob

technically its 25% down , 33% up 1st is 3/4 of 2nd, 3rd is 4/3 of 2nd .