You backpedal a little, and it shifts to the other gear. The choices are either direct drive or a 1.36:1 gear.

It's also a coaster brake, but the coaster brake engages a little further past the gearshift point, so you can shift without hitting the brake at all. (But, you can't use the coaster brake without shifting, so you have to remember to shift again if you didn't want to shift.)

haha weird, I guess you just use your front rim brake most of the time then huh?

that kickback hub sounds pretty cool. Are they not available now?

I'm typically a front brake heavy rider anyway, so I don't mind it. The coaster brake basically acts as a backup for when the front brake is either ineffective (wet) or dangerous (slick surfaces).

And, Sturmey-Archer makes a 2-speed kickback hub (both with and without a coaster brake, and with a 1.38 2nd gear), but it has a reputation for poor shifting and eventually grenading (and we're talking about a kickback hub, so it's not like the typical failure mode of shifting under load is even possible). Oh, and it has a 116 mm OLD, and this bike has a 110 mm rear triangle (which, it's steel, so spreading it is certainly possible, but it'd be one more thing to do).

This Sachs hub has a reputation for being extremely reliable, it shifts nicely, and the coaster brake is strong. And, 112 mm OLD, which is close enough. (The earlier (like 1960s) version was actually 110 mm.) I got mine (complete with a repack) from here: http://torpedo-coasterbrake.com/

There were also a couple Bendix kickback hubs from the 60s and 70s, I believe, and collectors go nuts for those. As I understand, they're heavier and don't shift as well as the Sachs hubs. I don't know much about them, though. Edit: Red band used a "disc" brake (not sure how this works), yellow and blue used a "shoe" brake (looks like a normal coaster drum brake). Red and yellow are gear-down hubs (.67 1st, direct drive 2nd), blue is gear-up ("overdrive") (direct drive first, 1.5 2nd). Edit 2: Looks like the "disc" brake is essentially a steel/brass clutch pack that's shoved against the hub shell to brake.

Also worth mentioning are the three automatic hubs, because one of them is still in production, and two of them (including the one still in production) are related to my R 2110.

There's the Sachs A 2110, which is the same as my hub, but instead of kickback shifting, had centrifugal shifting based on wheel RPM. Red ring (typically, but not always, 28h) shifted at 16 km/h in a 20" wheel or 17 km/h in a 22" wheel, blue band (typically, but not always, 36h) shifted at 17 km/h in a 24" wheel, up to 19 km/h in a 28" (700C) wheel. The shift point was set by an internal spring, but changing that point requires opening the hub.

Shimano made an automatic hub, the AB-100, around that timeframe as well, based around the same concept as the Sachs automatic (although this one's a gear-down hub, not a gear-up hub - 0.74 1st, direct-drive 2nd). It has the advantage of having a big plastic knob for adjusting the shift point, but I've heard that it's not a very good hub. (I'm under the impression that this was before Shimano made good IGHes.)

SRAM has resurrected the A 2110 design as the Automatix. Now it's 1.37 in 2nd gear, but the shift points suck even WORSE (about 1 km/h slower than the A 2110), and you still have to crack it open and screw with the spring to change the shift point. Oh, and the 28h one that is optimized for a folder is unobtainium outside of Germany.

My First Commute ride in a Looooong time!
 

My commute is usually from Central MD to DC, so I take the train.
This summer however I'm on a detail 8 miles away in Beautiful Shepherdstown, WV. I rode my bike for the first time Wednesday. Lots of hills and lots of traffic for small towns, but it was great.
She's a 30 year old Ross Adventurer, but she looks brand new and rides like a dream.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=323220

Yikes! Do you like that seat nosing at your nethers? Straighten that puppy out unless you're done having children. Otherwise, nice bike, nice pic, good on ya for riding, those office chairs are hideous.

So I didn't feel like sifting through 448 pages of commuter bikes to find the answer to question, so perhaps someone could answer it for me: Why isn't this a sticky yet?!

​Josh

It used to be , back in the good old days.
But some admin (name not to be mentioned, lest I provoke his wrath) decided that there were too many stickies; so POOF!

got the Rum Runner out for the ride to my weekend job (acolyte at church).

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3785/9...3936f17f_o.jpg

RGNY, nice to know another forumite commuting on Sunday! I'm sometimes Lay Eucharistic Minister, sometimes Thurifer.
But I've never had my front wheel pulled into a warp in the space time continuum.

heh. yeah. mirrored bus stop window for the pic. :)

and when i'm ushering, i've learned how to roll a blazer so that it comes out of my messenger bag unwrinkled. some of the little old ladies call me "Clark Kent" for my pre/post bike transformation.

Propane and grocery run

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=323743

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=323744

I thought it was some new kind of aero wheel

Your bike is so freaking fast that the front wheel is already departing! That's awesome.

You're about to enter the Warp Zone..

Making adjustments...
 

Done having kids that I know of but did adjust the seat. I wasn't pleased with the bone deep ache in my posterior. I also got a Bell memory foam seat cover for my old and not so padded arse.

The chairs are hideous, but since I work for the federal government, hideous chairs that are as old as my bike cost the taxpayer nothing to NOT replace them.

Hmmm, your seat looks almost as "nosey in the nethers" as mine did :lol:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=323834
Right at parliament hill.

i do prefer an up tilt..... :)

I think I've posted my bicycle here before, but I have a few new photos, so I thought I'd share them!
My commute takes me from the suburbs, up over a forest-y hill, through downtown and out into the industrial area near the airport.
ANYWAY, bicycle commute photos:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=324024http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=324025http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=324026

my favorite is the third one! in the trees that looks like a great commute. want to trade?

First Day Commuting
 

Today's my first time commuting by bike in over 4 years. My bike route is 16 miles each way, but by car it's 12 miles. Here's my bike, a 1998 Nishiki Blazer. I bought it brand new from my LBS in 2001, still rolls pretty close to new. I've never replaced the tires, though. I've got a new set of slicks arriving on my doorstep tomorrow and I can't wait to see what sort of difference they make in pedaling for me.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=324485

Oh, I'll play. I've been riding my cyclocross bike this week to get things dialed in for a gravel road race this weekend (maybe). Racks on *all* the bikes.

http://i.imgur.com/NLdTDPUl.jpg

I don't know what it is about Redline but I've never seen an ugly one.

Still a work in progress with some more things to add (like handlebar wrap), but I've been building up this old Trek over the past week and rode it today to work for the first time. Super comfortable and fits like a glove. I love it already.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3822/9...ccf26c8c_b.jpg