Hello,

As my question likely indicates, I'm not a knowledgeable rider. I'm actually not even a rider, but looking to start, primarily commuting to work, about 10 miles each way. The Biria EZ board bikes have caught my eye and am wondering what difference I would find between the 7 and 8 speed versions. My commute would be predominantly flat, yet there are some not insignificant hills. Could anyone offer some knowledge and/or advice?

Thanks!

The 8 speed is a much nicer bike in my opinion because of the Internal Geared Hub (IGH). There is no external derailleur to get bent, misaligned and dirty. The IGH is self contained, rarely needs adjustment and is much cleaner. With a IGH you can shift at a stop light and then pedal away, which you can't do easily with an external derailleur. Outside of that, the bikes are the same.

My concern about these bikes is their weight and the distance you need to travel. Ten miles is a lot especially for a 34 pound bike. Not saying it can't be done, because it can and I am sure people on this board do it. It just seems a little heavy for my liking. With that said I just came back from Copenhagen and people there ride similar style bikes and do so without a problem so I may be putting my North American bias into the equation.

Thanks for the response. I'll have to think about the weight issue more than I have. As for the gears, I thought I had read somewhere that the derailleur had an advantage when it came to hills. Anything to that?

In the FWIW department, I have one of the first Biria bikes ever imported to the US - steel frame. I ride it 8+ miles daily. I had some quality issues with the wheels, but once replaced the frame et al have been bomb proof. Wonderful if you wear skirts as I do.

Thanks for that, Zorba. The Biria I'm most interested in has an aluminum frame. Which model do you have? How's it handle the hills?

What I think you are saying about the advantage of a derailleur system is the range of gears and there is some truth to that. The range from high to low is much greater than an IGH. Where it is usually compromised is the gears you need for hills. It certainly something to consider, though there are work arounds to this.

I come from the school of thought of what are you going to be doing with your bike 80% of the time and work around that. I wouldn't buy a derailleur bike because there was one hill on my route when the other 95% time it is flat. I worked in the bike biz for many years and I was always amazed at what people thought they needed vs what they really needed. I spent more time educating people on bikes than the actual sale.

I have been thinking of building my girlfriend a bike with an IGH but worry about the hills for her. Currently she has a triple up front with a bailout gear in the rear (maybe 32) and she uses it where we cycle up and down to the river. What I think I can do is go with the IGH but change the cog on the rear to something larger or change the chain ring up front. This way we lose on the top end, which is fine since she doesn't go that fast and gain on the bottom end, where she will use it. She will never have the same range as her current bike but that is ok, because she never uses the top end of the range. I have never seen her shift to the largest chain ring. You could do something similar but you may not have to.

My vote is still for an IGH.

Thanks again. It seems the general (but not unanimous) assessment of the various bike dealers I've spoken to don't believe the Biria is truly up to the task of a 20 mile per day ("the geometry would wear you down"; "you would wear the bike (the rims) down", etc). One bike shop had a Jamis Commuter 2 (2011), and it has bigger tires and double-wall rims. But the Commuter 2 version has an 8 speed derailleur (and I've read the fenders are more cosmetic than functional). Any thoughts on this bike?

Do a search for 'Jamis Commuter review' . The reviews I read on that series make it sound good. As for the fenders, if the fenders curl around the tire laterally for just a little and are wider than the tire just a little, they'll work.
I like derailers also, not only for the wider gear range but also if I have to fix a flat it's less hassle removing the wheel and no hassle lining things up. I understand that IGHs are supposed to be better for riding in ice and snow, but I don't do that, that's what cars are for. I have a 24 speed set up and while I use only 2 gears mostly around town when I go for a day long ride, I use them all.

Would recommend the TC Superlight 8 as it comes stock w/a dynamo hub and lights fore and aft which you wil need to add anyway for safe cycle-commuting. The weight of the bike for commuting doesn't scare me much. The gearing in the pic appears to be suitable for moderate terrain. Go on https://www.mapmyride.com and map out your commuting route and you can be informed of the elevation changes. There's an app specifically for that on the website.

Also, add a Mr. Tuffy tire liner to your rear tire at least. Learn how to change a tube and put your gears back into proper adjustment for your bike. At some point you will flat and the more you know the better equipped to handle emergencies you will be. In addtion to the stock lights I would invest in a couple of rear blinkies and a front HL that blinks as well. https://www.pricepoint.com has some very nice Sette lights for 9.00 that are the equal of lights costing 3x as much.

For a framepump I'd recommend a Topeak Road Morph w/Gauge from https://www.bikeisland.com 35.00 w/no shipping. It's the most effective and user friendly framepump on the market. Also, get a floor pump w/a gauge as well...Topeak Joe Blow is the one I have. Very good for not alot of money...again bikeisland.com. Trunkbag, tire levers, multi-tool(Park MTB-3 is 20.00 and includes a chaintool @ bikeisland), tube(s), patch-kit and extra chain links. Add a wb cage, wb and you're good to go.

The reason I suggested including all the emergency accessories is that even if you're not capable of doing roadside repairs straight away yourself whoever stops to help you will greatly appreciate the tools and forethought. My wife will attest to this. She thought I was going overboard until someone stopped to help her and commented that her 'emergency rig' was well thought out.

Very nice bike, btw.

Thanks for those responses. I've read a rather favorable review of the Jamis Commuter 4, but central to the review was applause for the IHB 8. My price point is really closer to the Commuter 2 which doesn't come with it. Another bike someone suggested was the Giant Via, which comes in a 3speed IBH or 8 speed derailleur.

I've used mapmyride, and the elevation changes are significant. Does that argue for the 8 speed (whatever the design)?

Thanks for your patience from newbie questions!

Yes!

might even argue for a low end mtb with 24 gears, that small chain ring comes in handy at times. You might be able to find a 24 speed hybrid in your price range as well, if not new then maybe used.

On closer inspection, I've got three 'category 5' climbs. Would a three speed suffice, or would you still recommend 8 (if not higher)?

I think 8 gears is a good choice for most 'commuters'. 3 gears means you will push a little harder on those hills, but you are probably not going to have to get off and walk or anything. You'll just suffer a little more.

With the Alfine 11 and Rohloff 14, now you're talking about enough of a range that you can take your bike and ride it around the world. That's a club I would secretly like to join. Maybe one day.

It's really tough to answer. I've been on a ride several times with 5 hills that MapMyRide classifies as category 5. Most of them aren't bad at all but two are pretty challenging (for me). Race officials generally classify those 2 hills as category 4. There are people that go on that ride with just single speeds and do fine, but they're strong riders.

It's probably safe to say that these are hills on your route are ones you're at least going to notice.

Given that, I don't think a 3 speed is the best choice but it's really a matter of how hard you want to work on those hills.

I think IGHs shine when you're riding in adverse conditions like lots of grit or road salt. I don't think rain in and of itself is so hard on derailleurs. There other advantages to an IGH. You can shift while stopped, and you can use a full chain guard. Chains are cheaper and will last longer. IGHs are less likely to get knocked out of whack by your bike falling over (or other accident).

Downsides to an IGH: Upfront cost, weight, a bit more difficult to fix flats, repairs can be very expensive.

Do you need more gears than 8? I can't say for sure. Even with 8 gears the shop can change some things to make it easier to go up hills at the expense of maximum speed. For example, I have an 8 speed bike an IGH that has a lower "Low Gear" than my 18 speed road bike. All else being equal, it would theoretically be easier to get the IGH bike up a steep hill than the road bike but I wouldn't be able to get it going as fast down the other side of the hill.