Originally Posted by mriley
Does anyone here have any knowledge about how reliable the Shimano multi-speed hubs (7-, 8-speed) are.
I consider the Sturmey-Archer 3-speed to be very reliable - I've never had one fail. How do the Shimanos compare?
mriley
3 speeds:
If it has a coaster brake, Shimano is better.
If it does not have a coaster brake, Sturmey-Archer is better.
The older English Sturmey-Archer hubs are much better than the later ones. The new Taiwanese ones also look quite nice (definitely better than the later English stuff.)
8 speeds:
I own two bikes with the Shimano 8-speed and just
love this hub.
http://sheldonbrown.com/raleigh-international
http://sheldonbrown.com/iro
I have recently been trying out a Sturmey-Archer 8-speed, but so far I'm pretty disappointed in it. Shifting is much fussier than the Shimano (The Shimano Nexus 8 shifts better than
any other bicycle gear system I've ever tried.)
Also, the Sturmey-Archer 8-speed gearing is kinda weird. Direct drive is the lowest gear, all of the other gears are step-ups. Only two sprockets are available for it, 23 teeth or 25 teeth. Thus, if you want decent low gearing you need a teensy-weensy chainring, or a small rear wheel. I've installed mine on a Raleigh Twenty. I think the Sturmey is best suited for folding bikes for this reason.
For detailed info on gearing, see my online Gear Calculator for Internal Gear Hubs:
http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/internal.html
Sheldon "Epicyclic" Brown
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