Hi All,

I am looking to begin an extensive (Everything from the drivetrain itself to the rims, new cranks, pedals, etc.), expensive (by my standards) overhaul on the drivetrain of my commuter!

The bike is a 2005 Fuji Absolute, a frame which may not seem fancy enough to invest this much time, money, and effort into. But having spent an average of an hour a day for the past six years of my life straddling her, I have just accepted that it will be my commuter for life.

But enough dilly-dallying. Here is my unabridged brain-dump:

Internal Gear Hub ($140)
Shimano Nexus Inter-7 SG-7R46, 36H

* Wide overall gear ratio (244%)
* Small, consistent gear steps (each about 15%)
* Good value for 7-speed hub


Hub Mounting Hardware ($15)
Non-Turn Washers for Vertical Dropouts

* Mandatory for hub installation on Vertical Dropout frame


Shifter ($20)
Shimano SL-7S10

* Mandatory (I am assuming that, with internal hubs, one must use the shifter specifically designed for a given hub?)


Rims ($60 each, $120 total)
Velocity Deep-V, Black, 36H, Machined Sidewall (x2)

* Strong, low-maintenance, well-accepted
* 36H in the rear is a constraint imposed by the hub. Theoretically I could get away with a lower spoke count for the front, but why? Would any reduction in weight really be worth the reduction in stability?


Chain Tensioner (Budget ~ $40)

* I'm noticing there are basically two varieties
o Cheaper type, looks similar to a rear derailleur, chain passes through two standard cogs
o More expensive type, chain only passes through one cog with guiding mechanisms.
+ Surley Singleator ($40) is of this type and seems popular, well-received, and well-priced.


Crankset/Chainring (Budget ~ $50)

* The crank arms are the one part that probably doesn't need to be replaced, but why stop $30 short of a 100% new drivetrain?
o Also, the front end of my drivetrain is just in bad shape overall these days. Mostly it's because of the chainrings; but given the amount of abuse the crankset has taken in my various crashes, the crankarms themselves very well could be somewhat off.
* I like a wide cadence, and am therefore thinking 175mm crank arms.
* I'm curious to hear recommendations, but I will likely sit down and actually do the math to figure out what size chainring I want. Ideally I would like my top gear to have an even higher gear ratio than my current drivetrain.


Chain (Budget ~ $20)

* I would normally not think twice about a new chain, and assume they are all generally created equal, but I figure it's worth a second thought as part of a full overhaul. Any recommendations? Or just any chain, as I would normally do?


Pedals (Budget ~ $30)

* My existing pedals are incredibly damaged due to crashes...
* I am open to getting clipless/platform combo petals (i.e. full-sized platform pedals with the latch thing), but refuse to commit myself to wearing goofy shoes every time I want to get around town.
* Toe clips are stupid.


Front Hub (Budget ~ $30)

* I'm thinking 36H up here as well. Not only does it satisfy my obsessive compulsive desire to have the same spoke count in the front and rear, I feel like the added weight of four more spokes is worth the extra stability (see comments on rims).
* Does quality matter? It would be a shame to put a crappy hub at the center of such a fancy, expensive rim, especially if I'm going through the labor of building wheels from scratch. But at the same time, if all front hubs are created equal, then there's no reason to throw money away.
* Roller Brakes - The rear gear hub is specifically compatible with roller brakes. If I wanted to keep my options open for doing roller brakes in the future, do I have to account for this when choosing a front hub? Are there any other prerequisites for roller brakes, such as certain drillings on the frame?
o I am not looking for opinions on roller brakes, just the relationship between wheel hubs and roller brakes.

Spokes (Budget ~ $20)

* Really, do we care?



TOTAL INVESTMENT: ~ $485

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!