Originally Posted by marmer
Planning on getting a bike (Cadillac L-3) that only comes with a Nexus Inter-3/roller brake. Would like to upgrade to a 7 or 8 speed internal hub. Haven't seen the bike yet to measure, but I fear that the frame might not be the requisite ?130mm? , and it's an aluminum frame, hence no cold setting. Assuming the frame is wide enough, is this possible? If not, what are my options? 7 sp derailleur?
Thanks,
Marty
Your options are limited with this bike. Not only is the dropout spacing too narrow to accomodate a 7 or 8 speed hub(of any make), but it has rear facing dropouts making use of a derailleur difficult or impossible even with an adaptor bracket. Futhermore, only an older road type derailleur hub would be narrow enough to fit.
On to the next problem which is brakes. This frame has no bosses for cantis or V brakes, so your only option there would be a side pull caliper. Not impossible to do, but not a great option.
All in all, if you need more gears and you really want a pedal forward bike, I think the Townie 8 would be a better choice for you.
By the way, this is not a sales pitch as I sell Cadillac but not Electra.(See my response to your other post in the General Discussion Forum.)
Dan Burkhart
www.boomerbicycle.ca