Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,715
Bikes: '38 Schwinn New World, ’69 Peugeot PX-10, '72 Peugeot PX-10, ‘7? Valgan, '78 Raleigh Comp GS, ’79 Holdsworth Pro, ’80 Peugeot TH-8 tandem, '87 Trek 400T, ‘7? Raleigh Sports, ‘7? Raleigh Superbe, ‘6? Hercules
Mentioned: 17 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 770 Post(s)
Except in very hilly places, my ideal 'beater/pub' bike is an English (-style) 3-speed. To me, in many ways, the classic English 3-speed is the pinnacle of human-powered (utility) transportation. Simple* and robust. Alas, I live in a very hilly place so my 3-speeds sadly see very little use- I'm in the bottom gear of my wide-range triples just to get up my road and driveway! Mashing up a steep hill on a 3-speed after some time spent at the 'pub' isn't the most fun way to end an outing!
*Yeah, OK, the internals of a planetary-gear hub aren't exactly 'simple', but with a (very) little bit of maintenance, they'll go years (and years, and years.....) without having to be opened up.