No_alternative

Hi! I am new here and was wondering if someone could tell me if it would be possible to fit gears onto a vintage cruiser bicycle like the one in this photo?



My girlfriend is looking for a bike and this one is perfect except for the fact that it doesn't have gears!

Any friendly mechanical geniuses out there?

Thanks for the help!

RubberLegs

Welcome to the forum. I would think the easiest way would be to pop in a 3 speed hub (or whole donor wheel, might be cheaper) and a shifter on the bar.

Velognome 

Or better yet, a 2 speed kick back hub with a coaster brake. No cables to install and you get 2 gears and a rear brake

Here's a hub in a wheel with a starting bid of $9.95....may go to $49.00 before it ends but a heck of an easy way to get gears, bolt it on and go!

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...ped+hub&_rdc=1

repechage

Yes, it can be done. Not a job that you would want to pay a bike shop to do the costs would get out of hand quickly. If you are mechanically inclined it would be a Project. My guess is this bike has a coaster brake in the rear hub. So, a 3 speed with a coaster brake would be part of the solution.
Probably not a good basis for a derailleur transplant.
This bike has the form factor that reminds me of some folding bikes, if a folding mechanism is hiding behind the chainring then that would have to be considered too.

repechage

I have this gut feeling the tire size is not common on the original poster's bike.

clasher

Although it's something I have avoided for years, if I had a girlfriend she'd be getting a brand spanking new sturmey archery 5 speed hub built into a nice cr-18 rim. Those old frames spread pretty easily too. Any good shop or online wheelbuilder can get you new wheels built around the 20" BMX size. A good local bike shop could help you with this idea.

No_alternative

Hey thanks to all for the repies! So quick and informative!

ive never heard of the kickback hub before. It's a great idea but I'm not sure it's right for this project. I think having more gears, and especially lower gears for hills are going to be important. I am keen to do this myself also, so I'm not scared of installing the gears.

a couple more questions though. What do you think the maximum number of gears I could fit onto the front hub of the bike? 3? And can I get a small gear hub onto the rear axle as well or would I need to scrap the kickback brakes for that?

Also, clasher said:
what do you mean by that? Do you mean the actual bike frame might break while she is riding it?

thanks again for being so friendly and helpful!

Velognome 

The rear triangle needs to be as wide or narrow as the hub you are installing. Older cruiser bikes are pretty easy to manipulate by cold setting ( spreading the rear triangle). Goolge "Sheldon cold setting a frame" for a step by step with pictures.


There are a lot of different types of hubs: variable ratio, 18, 11, 8, 5, 3, 2 speeds. As a rule, more gears = more money. A Sturmey Archer 5 speed should give her a range to climb most any hill and won't break the bank. You can purchase the hub or wheel and hub with the cables and shifter as a package from most LBS.

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Sturmey Archer SRF-5 Cycle Hub Gear 5 Speed UTILITY

clasher

Oh sorry, frame spacing is generally the distance between the wheel slots on the rear end of the bike. If you're having a shop do some or all of the work they should be able to sort this out depending on what kind of wheel and bicycle you decide to go with. Many gear hubs have adjustable spacing (in a manner of speaking).

Personally I'd have a local bike shop build a wheel around a sturmey archer S-RF5 hub, I'd imagine a good shop can space the wheel so it will fit your frame. Have them rebuild the front wheel for you too with a new rim, I'd suggest a CR-18 for a good value and decent looks. Most shops should be able to order those products for you and make sure that the wheel will fit the frame and so on. I'd get some new tires too; the widest that the frame will handle. Upgrade the front brake too since it does most of the stopping work... a rear brake isn't a terrible idea either.

The low hill-climbing gears that you want can be had but the 5 speed has a limit range but it should do fine for moderate commuting. Upgrading to an 8 speed sturmey archer might work for this too but I dunno if it'll fit in the frame as easily or not. Again, I'd consult with a shop or a co-op about some of this if you're in over your head already

eschlwc

around here, you can actually find a nice mixtie already outfitted with gearing that works appropriately for around $100. it would be a much more appropriate bike to take on hills and be operated easily by an adult, regardless of gender.

frantik

if that bike is perfect but it needs gears, then it's not perfect. adding derailleur gears would be much more trouble than it's worth.

If want a bike with a wide range of gears, keep looking.

do you mean the large gear that is connected to the pedals? it would be very difficult to add more chainrings. you would probably have to change the bottom bracket and crankset, remove the chain guard, and then figure out some way to mount the front derailleur. basically, a ton of work for a low end department store bike. actually, looking again, i don't even think it would be possible without welding stuff to the bike

the options presented with the multispeed rear hub are probably your best bets, or keep looking is what i would recommend

puchfinnland

I agree.

the 2 speed kickback or a 3 speed is just perfect for that project.

a deraileur setup is just too much.

I got one kick back hub and I love it!