Originally Posted by interested
If I understand you right, then you claim that chain riding the same sprocket all the time causes less wear than a chain riding in several (+4-5) sprockets? You can't be serious then.
Of course you need change the single sprocket more often than you need change a cassette.
Eyeballing the thicker and more heavily built nature of a single sprocket, and the lack of fancypants shaping of the teeth, and that the chain isn't walking over them, ever, suggests to me that the advantage here lays with the single sprocket. It's worth putting some thought into the mechanism of chain and cog wear. Having a straight chainline (and a beefier chain to begin with) is to the benefit of all of these things.
Originally Posted by interested
Personally I don't find it a significant disadvantage against internal gear hubs that it is so; you need to change moving parts from time to time, so sometimes when you do a chain change, do a sprocket change too. Same goes with cassettes. I can buy nice nickle-chrome coated cassettes for $30 at my LBS, and I have a hard time believing that such a cassette wouldn't outlast a single sprocket at least 3 times.
I don't have a hard time believing it at all and I'm going to find out. The way to decide would be to find out how often single-speed riders have to change their chain and cog.
Originally Posted by interested
Same with cranks; You can use a single chain ring in front on both gearing systems, - end of story, except of course that it gives yet another chance to gloat about, that things like front derailleurs and trippel cranks are actual options for derailleur systems. Internal gear hub users doesn't even have the opppertunity to pay extra for the advantages these things give.
You mean that the police will get upset if I have a triple on the front and a internally geared hub on the rear? Of course, it's kind of unneccessary to do such a thing, since you don't really need the extra gearing range...
Originally Posted by interested
Prices are from
http://www.nashbar.com/
Shimano 105 RD-5600 SS 10-Speed Short $67.99
Shimano Ultgera 6600 10 speed Rear Hub $79.99
Shimano 105 HG70 9spd Cassette $29.99
Total=$177.97
(Sheldon)
Shimano Nexus 8 $200
Total= $200
The savings are $22, perhaps a little less if one desires another cassette.
Well, you'd have to get an 11-34 cassette, for one, and a different rear derailer to match. And you're comparing a full service retail type of price with a deep discount price. Furthermore, the difference in chain saves you about $10 as well. I think it's about a wash, or even a slight advantage to the hub system.
Does a grip shifter on a rear derailer work as nicely as the grip shifter shifts the Nexus? I don't know, because my bike isn't finished yet, but I'll find out. It's not like it's hard for me to do the usual lift the wheel shift the gear gyrations at a stop sign; I do that now, but I'm looking forward to not having to worry about that.
Is the aboved priced derailleur system cheaper? yes.
Is it lighter? yes, probably, I don't bother to check it up.
Does it run with a lower friction? yes.
Is it more durable? Yes says I. Feel free to disagree, but one would have a hard time arguing that these high end components are less durable than a Nexus 8.
Does it require less maintenance? Yes says I, feel free to disagree, but one would have a hard time arguing that these high end components requires more maintenance than a Nexus 8.
I don't think there are too many people who would have too much trouble arguing any of these points. I'm going to find out. It would help if you compared with bits more actually comparable. I don't think it's cheaper. So, well, you're convincing to yourself, but not to other people, which is fine.
I'll grant you on weight and friction, but these are marginal (300grams, 4%) especially considering what these kinds of bikes are for. Durability under appropriate maintenance is a wash, but I think that maintenance is less for the internally geared hub; I'm expecting to have to repack it once every 10k miles or so, and will never need to do other adjustments. In terms of likelihood of being damaged as a result of some mishap, the internally geared hub absolutely wins hands down.
Basically, these things exist for a reason, not out of some sort of conspiracy or consumer stupidity or fear. The things you think are important in a shifting system are best satisfied with a derailer but other people have different priorities. The clue as to where these priorities are different are where you've had to stretch your reasoning.