My routine is to let the Spring Rains clean off the sand and salt from my Sachs 7 speed hub equipped bike, no other maintenance or cleaning besides a squirt of silicone spray about once a month. I replace the $5 chain about once a year with 5000 miles of use. I've changed the front and rear sprockets once in 35,000+ miles. I'd rather waste my time on the Internet that futzing around cleaning bicycle parts that don't need it.

I almost never agree with you, but this is spot on.

Sure, Sachs (Super 7) /Sram Spectro 7 speed IGH's have a better reputation than Shimano regarding durability, but consider yourself very, very lucky to have been able to ride +35000 miles over seven? years without even repacking the hub bearings.
I have seen several failed S7 hubs, in all cases water ingress had caused rust, corrosion, and pitting of the races. Nothing special about that, that is the most common way for all hubs to fail, but on the other hand hand it also a failure mode that can be prevented by maintenance like bearing grease repacking. There is nothing magical about IGH's, without maintenance they will fail prematurely just like any other hub.

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Regards

This has gotten a little out of hand... IGH's and derailleurs require maintenance and are subject to destruction due to the winter elements. Plain and simple. Going SS will make your bike ALOT more reliable in the long run while requiring ALOT less maintenance. You still must clean and lube the chain, clean sprocket, repack bearings, etc. You will not however have to adjust the derailleurs due to cable stretching etc. You will not have to clean and lube the derailleurs to get all the sand and road salt off. You will also not have those parts to break on you during your commute. IMO, Its a great conversion if your body and commute are willing.

all in all, hills or no hills, singlespeed is just simple and straightforward. only 1 cog and easy to maintain as opposed to multiple gears. and you get a better workout if ur going uphills! lolz

I doubt that S/S or fixed gear hubs are any less susceptible to water ingress and would "need" just as much cleaning and maintenance to avoid rust, corrosion, and pitting of the races as any other type of typical hub. Chain and sprocket wear should be about the same as any IGH.

BTW, 35,000+ all weather miles in seven years of commuting is correct.

If a "better workout" is what you are after make sure to get the heaviest bike available; under inflated tires will help too. For added workout boosting, add a couple of sandbags to your messenger bag or rear rack; low maintenance is an extra benefit.

The appeal of converting to SS is substantial but, given all the variables (hills, limited warm up time, wind, etc) I've chosen to stay geared all these years. In addition, I've only recently started taking better care of my drivetrain. I used to do the bare minimum as on a year round commuter bike, cleaning seemed futile. Instead I'd replace the entire drive train every Spring. This year, as a means to improve performance more than anything else, I decided to start using a chain scrubber with an organic degreaser-big difference. Pedalling efficiancy is improved and I hope to lower wear and tear and extend the life of those parts. I know that SS would leave me wishing for more. More top end, more climbing gears, more choices to spin into a wind, etc. My 29er MTB is SS and I love it for all the right reasons but, for my daily, all-season commuter? I think that ship has sailed.

Do I have to apologize for laughing?
That was funny.

How about spending a fraction of that on a beater off CL or such. Something that you're not going to feel the need to perfect after sloppy rides. In the good weather I alternate a fixie & an 18-speed. Right now I'm riding a $10 yard sale rebuild, I keep it up but I don't sweat it.

if you ride ss/fixed exclusively for one year, starting with a 'soft' gear and slowly building up your ability to spin at +100rpms for an extended period of time while increasing your ratio every few months when you get back on a geared bike you will be a missile. trust me, not having the option to downshift or upshift greatly improves your physical range. power and endurance/stamina will increase dramatically.

i'll be commuting this year with my roadie converted to ss, my old fixed gear conversion will be relegated to 'family-bike' status[add brakes - pull kiddie trailer] and i'll be buying a proper track bike again.



edit: i noticed that i can climb hills on a fixed gear much more aggressively than on a ss. this probably has something to do with momentum and my less than adequate, non-peloton pedal stroke.

There's no "dead spot" on a fixed gear. Wheel momentum carries your foot through it. I've noticed it too; I climb like a monster on my fixed, but there's some slogging when I flip back to the singlespeed side.

Well... Whatever you decide, dont get rid of your multispeed parts. I just went back to gears today and loved it. I think instead of converting your bike, you should wait and buy a separate SS bike.

What have you noticed about your ability to aggressively descend hills, especially down hill curves on a fixed gear?

exactly. it eliminates my inadequate pedal stroke. im riding to work, not in the peloton. haha



just fine crushing a downhill fixed. previously, on an actual track bike, pedal strike was less of a concern when cornering with the higher bb shell but on my conversion i have gotten a bit nervous on occasion.
i dont think its possible to corner as hard on a fixed gear as you can on a bike that freewheels with the ability for static foot placement and perfect body positioning without pedaling. we arent even factoring gnarly toe overlap here. truth?

My snow bike has 9 speed XT set up and it freezes sometimes. I would like to change it to a IGH, but I only have this winter to worry about. Besides, the guy who won my Cross Check on ebay flaked, so I have no dough for it anyways.

I have gone SS for commuting and I love it.

That being said, it really depends on the route you take. I have a route with just a couple of medium hills, only one where I have to stand up. If your commute is hilly don't do it. If it is reasonably flat with maybe one or two hills, go for it.

I rode a fixed gear in Iowa City in the early 80's (all year round, I was carless in college). I did have to add a frt brake, riding down Market towards IMU was too much when I had a Pagliai's pizza in one hand. You're young, it'll make you a better rider. I used to ride out Mormen Trek Road to BlackHawk Ave in the spring, that ride on a fixed gear will make you fit, straight into the wind with rollers!

Riders reported in the cycling periodicals of the day of covering up to 50,000 miles on their Sturmey-Archer three speeds with a hub maintenance regimen of only adding a little oil through the hub's oil port on a regular basis. They claimed they never opened the hub shells during this period of use. This was around 100 years ago. See "devolution".


It's actually pretty easy to add a lubricator to a new SRF3.

tcs

FYI, most of the posts on this thread about IGH service are old info. The newer Shimano Nexus (8R30/31 and 8R35/36 and Alfine are very well sealed as is the SRAM i-Motion 9. There's no need to drop $100 for Shimano's "special" lube, synthetic ATF is beng used by many folks with good results, only $5 per quart.

Here's a link that explains the differences between old and new Nexus hub's sealing:
http://www.astounding.org.uk/ian/hubgear/index.html

I just got a new bike with a 3sp this weekend. Quite a difference from my old 21 sp derailleur (not saying I don't like my 3sp, it's just quite an adjustment). Made me realize that SS wouldn't be for me.