Originally Posted by apw55
Thanks for pointing out this bike. I look at Sheldon's site pretty often but hadn't come across this bike yet. I've been tossing around the idea of building a bike based on this concept for a while now, using a modern frame (with horizontal dropouts) and a Nexus or Sram hub. I would add fenders. To my mind, this is a modernization of the '30's / '40's English Clubman type of bike. Versitale and Practical.
Regards,
Alan
I couldn't order a bike from Harris Cyclery because they can't ship anything bigger than a built up wheel to Canada. I had this cutom bike put together from a local bike shop:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/nkpatel/urbanite.jpg
Perhaps it has some features you have in mind for your own bike. It has a light steel horizontal dropout frame, with a Shimano Nexus 8. The store uses these frames to build single speed courier bikes and hub-geared commuters like mine.
I don't have many miles on it yet, but it sure makes quick, fast seamless shifts. The store recommended yearly service on the hub regardless of milage and to always try and downshift at the bottom of the leg stroke. Power-on downshifting puts a lot of stress on the hub (instantly multiplying the torque) and repeated stress will reduce it's life. If I stick to these rules, the hub will last no matter how much milage is put on it.
Regards,
Nim