Originally Posted by Tightwad
Good grief! Of all the internal hub you could've picked you chose the Rolhoff 14 speed! Comparing a
Rolhoff to a simple 3 speed is like comparing a skateboard to a Rolls Royce!!
You and I both know that a Rolhoff is a very special hub BUILT FOR ABUSE NO OTHER HUB CAN HANDLE.
That's why they cost a $1,000 each!!!!!!!! A shimano 3 speed hub cost about $60 +/- and will last the
average rider a lifetime barring any abuse.
You are free to chose whatever gear type you feel suits the job at hand. So it should be for any rider.
I agree that if hills, that are of note, are involved then there is only one choice.....the derailer system.
That said, one CAN get by very well on flat or rolling terrain with a internal hub quite nicely without
all , or any, of grief a derailer system can , and does, cause.
It's also fair to note that any manufacture will choose parts that generate repeat business. That's
the reason that there are few internal hub makers.....hubs don't gernerate much repeat business.
They are to reliable.
Eshvanu isn't looking at 3 speed hubs. He's looking at 7 speed hubs which are hardly less complicated than the Rolhoff. I'm not trying to talk he out of it, I'm just trying to point out the limitations. Even a 3 speed hub is more complicated than a derailer system, and heavier, without the availability of the range of a derailer bike. Derailer bikes don't require that much in terms of adjustment or maintainence either. Any issue with shifting that a derailer bike has is going to be pretty much the same issues that an internal hub has, with the exception of damaging the derailer in a crash but even that is rare. I've only managed to do it once and even then it was a simple repair. Other problems are going to be cable related as are 99.9% of all shifting problems...on either system.
As for range, a 46/18 would have a low of 33 gear inches. A derailered bike could easily have a low gear of 27" and would be that hard to get something much, much lower. Trust me, Eshvanu, if you are riding out of downtown to the west, your knees will a whole lot happier with you for that kind of range. A 33" gear is more along the lines of what a studly young guy would ride...not something us old farts like
