I like triples. If just for that "throw it in the little ring" bail out.

For the most part- I had everything decided for me by my decision to use the shifters I like- Command Shifters work with 6 speed- so that's what I was riding. Now there's a 10 speed ring for them- so I went from 6 to 10 speed in the back. It's effing glorious. So I'll eventually be swapping my Command Shiftered bikes to 10 speed.

Maybe I'll do that "wide range double" or "compact double" thing that all the kids are into these days.

Not 100% sure it was SA, I think it was them. I read about S-A currently still selling a 3 speed fixed gear hub.

My ideal drivetrain is 1 x 3 with an SA AW on the rear. 46 X 21 teeth.

nice drive train. Love a good aw.

Newer NIG 3 speeds shift much easier than the older AW which could drop between 2nd & 3rd

Mk2 with AW3 , Steel trigger .. was a push to get in 1st ..


gave way to a Mk 4 with BSR with plastic shifter.. it shifts more effortlessly into all 3 gears ..

A few years ago I test rode a fatbike with Nuvinci CVT drive. They're heavy but what a sensation in pedaling a bike!

I've always been impressed how well very old but properly maintained IGH 3 speeds perform. They really are tough and unlike finicky or temperamental derailleurs.

Currently have a project in the works with a new Shimano Alfine 8 speed IGH. Time will tell...

Derailleur-
As for other bikes and applications, do enjoy a basic 1 x 5 on vintage Bottechia but initially had chain drops when quickly shifting low to high range. Weaker spring design in the Campy Velox but solved the chain drop by adding a front chain guide. Now perfect. That bike can get caked of dirt on messy singletracks (knobby 700x32 Dugast tubulars) and it shifts without issues.

Dig the 1 x 11 for mtb. Flawless and quick.

And then there's the wide range odd ball 3 x 3 x 2. This one is a blast.



Fixed gear and 3 x 3 x 2


1 x 11

What do I want from a gear system? I want gears that are close enough but not too close. I want a low enough bottom and a high enough top. I want a relatively easy shifting pattern. I want replacement parts at a reasonable cost.

I have a 3x9 bike, and I find it indistinguishable in the above criteria as my 3x10 bike. The gears on the 3x8 are certainly close enough. I bet once I try the 3x8 drivetrain that is sitting and waiting for installation on my gravel bike, they will probably be close enough.

Our tandem was 3x7. We needed a lower bottom and a higher top. I looked around and thought about it. I decided not to go with used stuff for an upgrade. I decided on an 11-speed cassette and shifter because of how fast stuff goes obsolete. That was one factor, but it's easier to find 11-speed new stuff than fewer speeds. Another advantage of the latest stuff is that it might just be better designed or made. I replaced the cassette and hub and shifter. I kept the old front derailleur and shifter. The rear derailleur and shifter (Deore XT) look and feel cheap in the hands, but that may not be the case. They work magnificently. So one test is durability, and that will take time. The new top gear is better but still not high enough. I'll try a bigger big chainring. It might work with the current derailleur and chain. We now have closer gears than we need, which isn't so bad. But driving a tandem is like driving a tractor trailer. I'm often rowing from bottom gear to top gear and back.

Nice bikes [MENTION=350383]crank_addict[/MENTION]. Is that a Reverb dropper on the Felt? Been meaning to try out a dropper.

I had a local framebuilder braze 2 cogs together; the first flipped, then a steel spacer, then the second with the second cut out so it slips over the threaded portion of the first. A 21-17 "dingle". I also put a touch of dish in the wheel so those two cogs line up with the first two chainrings and the other, now dished out, lines up with the outside chainring. Works really well. Each ca hainline is a rock solid, simple fix gear, just three very different gears.

Ben

Yes. Flip the wheel also to get the big gear. The bike is old-school as in 100+ years old-school. (If road fix gears had stayed around, I am sure my bike would be far from unique.)

Ben

Thanks. PNW Pine for 27.2 d. Its excellent. Often in the bike industry push gimmicks but have to say the dropper post for mtb is transforming brilliant.

I used to ride MX and of course its natural to be flexible off the saddle - mostly ride the pegs.

For off road bicycles and especially hardtail, its the same scenario. Getting the saddle out of the way is a godsend, far more flexible and properly 'riding ON the pedals'. Yet also conveniently allows the opposite, often want it 'exactly in position' for when the trail smooths out.

Ok NOW you need to show us some pics of that!!!

Bah! Double post

I'm looking forward to seeing this one at the Bourbon and Tobacco Tour in about a month. Right John? You're still bringing it aren't you?

Just crossed my mind but I have this Sachs 3 x 7 all in the back. Its been dependable.

This Sachs IGH rear hub opens up many possibilities including adding a front derailleur (which I don't have for this particular rig).

That's the motivation. Will only change if we have to move in a hurry.

As brevity is the soul of wit, Simplicity is the soul of engineering -CC
The "best drivetrain" is always the next one

Wide/Narrow front single chain ring
correct chainline
Cassette hub for strength with a 8spd cassette
Know your rear mech limits when choosing cassettes
Low gear as needed for the big hill
#4 sprocket gear should produce your cruising speed
You can always coast if you run out of gear at the top.
Enjoy lighter, simpler, cycling zen -CC

The "ideal" drivetrain? All the years I've been riding around relatively flat Columbus, the trusty 1x1 setup on my "city bike" has been perfect. UDoDU

Internal gear hubs are fascinating and elegant, I grew up on them, but they have numerous drawbacks, and some critical advantages:
- Heavy.
- Complex. Try to fix one in the field or find someone to do so on a world tour in East Berzerkistan. Heck, in many major US cities, to actually repair it rather than getting the line "You need a new rear wheel." Periodic maintenance, simply periodic internal greasing is a major thing, and many manufacturers don't make things easy.
- Weather fragile; If you live someplace rain intense, you need to do a full overhaul with marine grease annually. See above.
- Planetary gears typical consume 5% energy in friction, unless operating in the one direct drive gear.
- Often utilize oiled main hub bearings instead of grease, with a large diameter so more runout, so harder to adjust for a precise fit and preload, tiny steel balls so not rated for heavy loads as with touring, poor seals (labyrinth instead of rubber lip) so leak oil and are rain sensitive.
+ Ability to shift when stopped.
+ Can use a larger, more effective chainguard.
+ For very small wheels like on a Brompton, provides an overdrive to give sufficient high gear.

if your gear needs can be satisfied by an old aw sturmey archer hub, youll find transmission losses are very low. Certainly lower than what you get with an 11 tooth rear sprocket. Otherwise, yeah you covered it.

Never have owned one , I will profess that the Rohloff hubs intrigue me, and by all user accounts they seem indestructible . I have not heard an account of one requiring service to date , but that doesn't mean anything. The weight is concerning ...

I used to work for a company with another subsidiary that made an internal gear 12, even heavier, and from what I read, less reliable than the Rohloff. I wouldn't want a Rohloff for my normal uses, but would love to have one just for it's Swissness, in the same way I love complex mechanical chronographs. But I don't camp, sail, ski, etc. with the expensive chrono. Rohloffs are similarly expensive.

I think even heavier or at least equally heavy was the NuVinci hub, brilliantly simple, but I had doubts about durability from a hub that relied on friction between hard steel elements immersed in oil, the same doubts I have about automotive CVTs.

I am test riding a dingle-6 geared bike today. AW hub with both 28T and 18T in the back (spacers removed) with 52T and 42T double crankset. Gives crazy wide range, but requires a 15mm wrench to change between 42x28 or 52x18. Gear range is from below 30GI to over 100GI. I followed Sheldon's suggestion of making the larger 28T sprocket for the AW hub by grinding some of the teeth off sprockets from an 8 speed cassette. I will report on my test once I have ridden for a few days.

-Will