Like I said, what gear combination do you ride in most? Set your bike up so that's the center of your cluster, with whatever chainwheel you decide on using. That way you'll have what you're comfortable with, plus two up and two down.

On the internal gear option, do pay attention to the ratios that a given mechanism will provide, and take that into account when deciding which to use, and what size sprocket to fit it with -- factoring in chainwheel size too. There's another thread running where the S-A 8-speed unit was mentioned. Harris sells this for $170 with the shifter and a 25-tooth sprocket. However the lowest gear is direct drive, and all the others are higher! So you would want to use that hub with a really small chainwheel to get gears that are lower than what a 25-tooth sprocket would give you on a derailer bike -- like a 34 or 35 tooth chainwheel. That would mean getting a new crank in your case.

The traditional S-A equipped 3-speeds were geared rather high, with a 46 tooth chainwheel, and about an 18 tooth sprocket. Middle gear is direct drive on those (as it is on the old 5-speed, I believe). You can get sprockets for them up to 22 or 23, if I remember correctly. Harris sells them. Also, a S-A sprocket needs a 1/8" chain, but Shimano also makes them that will work with a 3/32" chain (typical on a "road" derailer bike). No difference in cost, just another thing to buy!

Oh, and having a correct chainline is much more important with a non-derailer rear end -- either internal hub or single speed. The derailer keeps the chain from popping off the rear cog at inopportune times, and the bike will be more efficient and silent if the chainline is right.

This is my first post in the general forums... and it's a bump!

I just bought my first 5 speed a few days ago, and after fixing it up, here is my conclusion: anyone who wants to deal with the hassle of a derailur for the benefit of only 5 speeds is a crazy person. I'm half tempted to convert this thing to a 3 speed, but not quite willing to deal with the associated expense and labor.

And I'm curious, why is everyone so opposed to wide gear ratios? I frequently find myself complaining about the opposite, so I'm not quite sure I see where you guys are coming from.

EDIT: Just saw that said 5-speed is an old Sears/Columbia machine. Good luck trying to make the original drivetrain work right. Either replace the RD, or unscrew the freewheel, respace the rear wheel, spin on a BMX freewheel, and make a singlespeed out of it.

What part of the mountainous country do you come from?

-Kurt

I live in Maine. The extent of the hilliness varies depending on specifics, but it's mostly relatively flat, in my opinion. Still, I like the range of gearing on my three speeds. I feel like, given the limited number of speeds, it's good that 1 and 3 lean slightly to the extremes. For a little bit of context, I spent years riding a single speed bike, so that might have a little bit to do with my preference. I like to keep it in 2 for most things, so if I'm going up or down, it's usually because of something relatively exaggerated (a hill, in one direction or the other). It occurs to me upon explaining it that other people probably prefer more subtlety, but still, I wouldn't think my preference is all THAT unusual.

As for my Sears bike, I should clarify it's specifics. I do not by any means claim to be an expert, but according to most of what I've gathered, my bike is probably a rebadged Puch. I could be wrong, but I think that makes it distinct from the Columbia ones. Hell if I know what I'm talking about though... anyway: I'd be lying if I said the derailur on that bike were all that spectacular, but after a lot of tweaking, I've gotten them to a point of "working" (I've only had this thing about 3 days). And by that, I mean I've gotten them to work about as well as I've gotten the derailur on any old road bike to work. On a 10 speed, I'm more willing to put up with the inherent fussiness of such a set up, because the payoff is more worthwhile. On a 5 speed, however, I find myself craving the smooth functionality (and range!) of a 3 speed hub.

Please pardon my complete ignorance about virtually everything, I've been biking all my life, but I've never been very active in the culture, so in many regards, I'm still a newbie, but I'm trying to learn.