I'm shopping for a new bike to be used for commuting/town.

I've ridden bikes with Sturmey Archer and Nexus three speeds and one with an 8 speed derailleur. The bike with the derailleur was much easier to pedal, although it was a more expensive bike with bigger wheels.

I'm really leaning towards getting one with a derailleur, but everyone around here seems to think that internal hubs are so much better. What am I missing?

I think it depends entirely on what kind of riding you do and where. Bikes with three speed internal hubs are likely oriented toward commuting on moderate terrain. Bikes with derailleurs, and 8+ gears, are usable over a much wider variety of terrain. If you live on the flats, internal hubs will be more than adequate.

i dunno... my girlfirend rides a 7spd derailleur setup with a thumb shifter and i ride a singlspeed.

the derailleur is slightly more maintenance than the singlespeed but not much.

she does wear though gears/chains etc more quickly than i do. but not really quickly (2 chains a year?).

if you know how to maintain a bike (and don't mind doing it every once in a while) i think a derailleur will serve you fine.

i'd think the 3psd is less maintenance and will have a greater dirvetrain life but is heavier... and then there is the drag people talk about but i can't say as i have never spent good time aboard an internal hub.

Two chains a year? Is she a mileage junky? If not, that seems a little bit excessive.

I haven't ridden an internal hub since my Raylieh in the '70s. But the 10 speed I replaced it with was way faster and is still around.

Joe

I have a nexus 8 equipped road bike and a an old Trek w. derailers and a triple crank. The differenec in my opinion is nominal. The nexus is nice as you can shift when stopped and with fewer gearing choices I tend to shift less often. If you have substantial hills on you commute the deraler bike will have wider gear range and make climbing easier especially if you are carrying a load.

People tend to post that one is better than the other and most of the time it seems to be more based on opinion rather than fact. The most impotant thing is that the bike you choose fits properly. Also I would reccomend full fenders as it helps keep the drivetrain cleaner than without and that helps to lengthen the life of the parts and reduce the amount of cleaning and minor maintinece. I have both and like both.

I tend to ride the Nexus equipped Schwinn in the winter and the Trek in the summer. Not because the Nexus is better in the winter but the Schwinn frame is completly chromed under the paint and it helps to resist corrosion from the road salt and moisture. Good luck!

If you can use a derailleur drivetrain easily, seamlessly, and you like it fine, then go for it. They're cheaper anyway. Some of us cannot or will not, and I think those are the opinions you're reading that make you wonder. Those of us who do not use derailleurs wish we could have at least the variety of internal gearing choices that are available in Europe or even Japan.

Well, one disadvantage of the derailler (just had this happen this morning) is they can freeze up. I hopped on my bike to go to work and the rear derailler wouldn't shift. I (while coasting, didn't stop) moved the shifter all the way over and kicked the derailler a couple times and it started working, but that's not really a manufacturer recommended maintenance procedure .

(in my case, it froze up because last time I rode the bike was in freezing rain, so it was all wet, and I left it in the unheated garage)

OTOH, no way would I have much luck with an internal hub I don't think, because my commute is majorly hilly (to me anyway). I usually use all 8 rear gears and the 2 lower chainrings (rarely get into the large ring). So I don't think many of the internal hubs have that kind of range.

Of course I've also done this commute (not a lot, just twice) on a fixie... so really at the end of the day, you can ride anything anywhere once you get used to it. I'd go with whatever feels better to you.

That's pretty surprising. I haven't noticed a difference btw my internal gear hub and my derailer bike.

You aren't missing anything. It's possible that the derailleur bike seemed easier to pedal because it had more gears where you need them.

Whatever the case, get the bike you like best. Although each setup has its advantages/disadvantages, the differences are too small to be a big deal for commuting around town. Either will work fine.

Well, it's possible that it was a better bike for other reasons. I was surprised myself. I'm even wondering if perhaps shop owners are just more careful when putting together more expensive bikes.

The last time I rode an internal hub bike was in the 80's I think. Derailleurs don't really require that much maintenance once they're properly adjusted. Most of the problems I've had have been due to the shifter wearing out - all those plastic internals don't last nearly as long as a decent rear derailleur. Of course, my two commuters are SS - one speed to rule them all...

Well made modern derailers aren't too bad, but they still need to be adjusted every couple of months. Rear derailers are better, but the front ones cause havoc and I don't think that most riders need them or want them.

not really but we're close to 30 miles a day back and forth to work - all weather conditions... and she'll ride the occasional weekend 50 miler.

i just replace them when they get to .75 on the park guage. every 2-3 chains she needs a new cog on the back (she uses one gear 90% of the time). and soon we will have to replace the whole works as it was noisy as hell with this newest chain till things got bedded in.

but really chains cost 5 bucks, front rings 20, and a new cassette is maybe 20, so it isn't exactly like replacing an ultegra drivetrain or anything...

I dunno about adjusting every couple of months. After the initial cable stretch, they shouldn't need any further tweaking. Front derailleurs, IMHO, need even less work. Set it and forget it... I do agree that most riders don't need all the gears that come on their bikes. A single speed or fixed gear would work for 80% of commuters I see.

I put on 1500 miles plus last year and I never adjusted my derailers. Have not changed the chain either nor does it need it but I did use the Park chain cleaner on it 4 times or so. I have had the same bike for 10 years and I think the derailers got adjusted maybe three times now. Its not that hard either, most of the time it is a matter of adjusting the cable barrow. Breaks seem to need more adjusting to compensate for pad wear.

Impressive !

I should qualify my derailer comments--I have a 1990 vintage Raliegh hybrid that needs adjustment every couple hundred miles. If I don't, my chain will fall off. It's a pita and I'm biased and no doubt the part needs replacement. . I've said this up before and folks have jumped on me--I should know better!

On my Breezer (with internal gear hub), I went about 1300 miles before I cleaned the chain! No adjustments on the gears. They work great and the hub is pretty darn cool.

I have only adjusted the derailers on my 95 Trek 850 once since new. It hasn't seen a ton of miles, but I'd say maybe 1000-2000. It is due for some maintenance though.

Derailleurs need more understanding than internal hubs. But once you understand them, derailleurs are no problem at all.
The two basic adjustments are the stops and the cable tension.
Almost all of the time it's the cable tension that needs adjusting. It's a simple matter of turning a barrel adjuster.
The stops only need adjustment if the rear derailleur or hanger has been bent or the front derailleur clamp has twisted or slid down.
If neither of those things have happened it is cable tension that needs to be adjusted.
It can seem like something's wrong if the cables are dirty so you must check that before you attempt to make any adjustments. Check to see that the cables slid easily in their housings. Put some lube on the cables while you are at it.
Sometimes the shifters themselves are gummed up and need to be doused with WD40.
I haven't experienced a gummed up rear derailleur but I have experience a gummed up front derailleur on several occassions. It happens so infrequently that checking for that is overlooked. Just squirt all the pivots with WD40 and it usually works like new.

Derailers can get bent if you drop the bike.

Front derailers tend to be incompatible with chainguards.

I'd go for the clean look and operation of the internal-gear hub, if you feel no need for the slightly higher efficiency and wider range of gears of the derailer bike.

It depends so much on conditions and distance. I will cover 1500 commuting miles in a couple of months. On this side of the pond, they spread a mixture of salt and coarse sand on the roads. This gets in your drivechain and rims. Consequently, they wear out really really fast.

If I had the money, I'd put a Rohloff hub and chaincase on my bike, then hydraulic disc brakes.

I don't have the money, so I use bar-end shifters (no jams or breakages) and derailleurs. Need a new chain, chainrings and cassette real soon.

Isn't your's a 7 or 8 speed?

They can if you hit them hard enough and in the right place but I don't think that happens that easy. In 18 years of owning derailer bikes it has never happened to me and my bikes have been dropped a lot. I have bent a rim though.

To tell you the truth I never knew derailers were such a problem until I started reading BF about a year and a half ago. To some extent the bad rap might be coming from all the low end bikes that have them on now. I think if you get get a half way decent quality bike and get it it set up right you will be fine.

Yeah, mine's a 7 speed Nexus hub. If you have it in a comprable gear, it moves the same as my 24 speed hybrid. I understand the internal gear hubs have slightly more drag, but you can't feel it or notice it (although you can see it when you spin both rear wheels).

That said, I've never gone more than 15 miles at one time on my Breezer. I think you might on a 50 mile trip !

I'm a roadie and commute on one of my road bikes a couple times a week. There's nothing wrong with derailleurs at all.

My commute is pretty hilly and I much prefer a lightweight nimble road bike.