So I have a bike that is going to become a project bike and also learning material....and I am at the very very beginnings of how I want to go about tackling this project. So at this point of extreme infancy of this project I am looking at the int gear hub option among MANY options. No bigger then 7 speed....this will become a slow comfy bike mind you.....and no less then 3 spd.

The bike is a 85-87 Nishiki Olympic with a 6 in the back and 2 in the front


So right now i am only thinking about this option and then go from there.

I know there are still many options to look at in terms of drivetrains, but like I said basically today is day one of the note taking.

How big are the hills you plan to ride?

The principal advantage of a hub with more gears is to offer a wider range of ratios. You need to ensure your lowest, easiest gear is low enough that you can just barely ride up the biggest hill you wish to ride. An IGH with a small range, like a 3 speed, can give you the gear ratio necessary to climb the hills, but might be frustratingly slow on even moderate downhills.

Right now it doesnt matter about the type of riding....it is a general question.....sorry it was so vague

Oh... yeah. It is a good idea. Your frame likely has horizontal dropouts, which are necessary for an easy conversion. You need to measure the spacing between the rear dropouts - it will probably be 126mm - and find a hub with the same over-locknut-dimension, then build it into a wheel of a rim that is a size that will work with your nishiki (27" or possibly 700C). Then you may have to change the crank or bottom bracket to get proper chainline. Then figure out a way to route the cables, and you are off to the races!

For a project bike, a Sturmey Archer 3 speed is probably the best learning experience.
You will need a way if tensioning the chain; horizontal dropouts are probably the simplest way.
If you are in flat or gently rolling terrain, 3 speed is fine.

You need to do some of the work when you ask others for help. We have NO information about what you want to know or what criteria you have - for example: weight, cost, availability of prebuilt wheels vs. hubs, new vs. used, brand/model, overhaul-friendly.

Again, there was no question to answer. I must say I'm getting tires of posts where people just tack a question mark onto the end of the title.

How can type of riding not matter? If that's true, why even bother with a "project?" Buy an old English 3 speed and see if that works. If it does not then see what you have to do to satisfy whatever your needs are.

The current Sturmey Archer 5 speed should be useful. the ratios of the 3 speed
are the middle 3, 1 & 5 are an even wider ratio set, above and below.
advantage practically, is the ability to shift while stopped, or nearly so.

and the sequence of the shift is sequential 12345.

if you get a 3/32" thick hub cog, [vs 1/8th] it is possible to also use 2 chainrings.
and a spring chain tensioner, & front derailleur.. [6,7,8 speed chain]

To spread put the range, big difference, or half step the 5,
with 2 chainrings pretty close together.. 3 or 4 tooth difference ..

First off, that bike is a prime candidate for a gearhub conversion, so I say go for it. As for whether you need more than 3 speeds, all I can say is, with a fleet of gearhub bikes including several different speed models right up to 14 speed Rohloffs, the 2 bikes I ride the most are my two 3 speeds, and I'm a 58 year old 245 pounder who does not shy away from hills.
You should be able to zero in on the year of manufacture with the serial number . There will also be date codes on the components. You can do a search on the C&V forum to figure out how to decipher them.
Here's how I dated my Nishiki.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyPb...8&feature=plcp
I made a whole series of videos of the build, but here's the final product in case you're needing some inspiration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_fIuoZ5dSk

What do your rear dropouts look like? Are they horizontal so the rear axle can be shifted back and forth or are they vertical to hold the rear axle in one position?

What does the shift cable routing on your bike look like?

I really like my Sturmey Archer XRF-8W. It was cheap, and was available in 120mm OLD. It was noisy for the first 800 mi or so. When it breaks, I can use it for an anchor for my pontoon boat! The other draw back is it is only available as a twist shift. https://www.sturmey-archer.com/produc...5/id/6/specs/1 If yer bike will fit a 135mm OLD, you might try the NuVinci 360. It has infinite gears! It can shift when pedaling or coasting! Its got the coolest shifter ever! Its got extra cables! https://www.fallbrooktech.com/cycling/n360.

A mid 80s Olympic will be steel frame, horizontal drops, downtube shifters with over the bb cable routing. Like I said before, prime candidate.
Not that the cable routing is a huge issue. Sturmey Archer has cable clips and pulleys that let you route the cable any way you want.

The new SRF-3 Sturmey Archer 3 speed can be had for around $65. It's a great hub, but I live in the hills and 3 speeds aren't enough for my 64 year old legs. My Sturmey Archer five speed works much better for me. It's a NOS 1982 hub and was rather expensive. It's an easy conversion. The hardest part is building the wheel.

1959 Carlton


1973 Raleigh Competition

"Today is day one of the note takeing." You don't think those were pertinent questions?

yeah, I shoulda known you knew the answers to the questions before you asked them. Both good points to consider, but neither one a deal breaker.

Actually, I didn't know. I just knew that it's better to check out that stuff before starting to spend money.

I have done enough modifying bikes to know that starting with an appropriate frame is big in both minimizing frustration and minimizing the project cost. There's lots of little bits and bobs like chain tensioners and clamp on cable stops that you can buy, but they tend to be relatively expensive, sometimes hard to find, and can nickel and dime a project to death. It's so much easier if you start with a frame that doesn't need any of that stuff.