Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Where are you pricing the internal hub bikes? At that same LBS where you are getting your maintenance recommendations?
I got an excellent LBS and would have no problems accepting their maintenance recommendation (Campagnolo and Shimano Pro Shop certified). If anyone got a bad moneygrubbing and lying LBS, then please change. There are usually plenty of good shops around. That my colleague's new LBS recommended a low maintenance schedule is only fair, since he showed up with a hub ridden to destruction in little more than a year. And all good maintenance schedules are based on actual usage, since wear and tear varies so much between different persons because of different riding styles (stomping or spinning), weather (all or only fair), weight etc etc.
It is also better to perform maintenance before any actual problems occur. It is better to change the grease before it is contaminated, than wait until the hub feels "gritty", since bearings and cups may allready been subject to brineling then.
Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Last Sachs/SRAM Spectro 7 fully equipped bike I bought in Germany was in 2002. Cost about €500 complete (about $450 at the time). Zero Seven Girls Bike is pictured below.
I have actual seen the exact model of the bike furthest to left in my neighborhood, didn't have a nice leather saddle though. The price is somewhat cheaper than here in Denmark, but Germany has some of the lowest bike part prices I know of. (Too bad that so many German shops doesn't accept credit cards, but you probably allready know how the germans fear/dislike credit cards)
Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Also bought two years previously my current commuter Sachs/SRAM Spectro 7 fully equipped Raggazzi bike for DM 268 (about $135) at the time. The price was so cheap that I bought a matching girl's model for the same price. That is the bike my daughter now uses in Philadelphia.
That is very cheap, one could probably sell the rear wheel here in Denmark, and make a profit, while still having the rest of the bike, at that low price. People do however quote bulk prices on raw frames from asia that are extremely cheap, and I guess that S7 are cheaper in bulk too.
Believe it or not, I have an Raggazzi MTB (hard tail, no front susp.) in my cellar, I am going to make it into a beater bike, probably a single speed, perhaps I will try a fixie if I can get a cheap hub.
Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
My experience in Europe has been that the internally geared commuter bikes were almost always cheaper than a "flashy" lightweight bike which may or may not be equipped for commuting. This was also true back in the US when Raleigh, Schwinn and others regularly sold 3 speed bikes with fenders and chainguard cheaper than any 10 speed offered at the time (early to mid 70's). The marketers solution was to remove those inexpensive bikes from the product mix.
Your experience is dead on regarding Denmark too. I can find cheap bikes that are identical except for the gearing systems, where the derailleur version is actually cheaper than the SRAM S7 version, but this is very rare. Usually the factory put some fancier tires on the derailleur version, and sells it as an upmarket version at a higher price.
There are some movements at the market here in Denmark though, since the so called "Hybrid" bikes gives the discriminate commuter access to road bike quality components without sacreficing the more upright riding position. (at a price though).
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Regards