Motobecane Messenger Seven Point Oh
 

I signed up for a ride called "Assault on the Carolinas" taking place next month but I didn't really have a proper bike to ride for 40 miles of rolling hills. My 27 speed "commuter bike" is awfully heavy and gets uncomfortable after about mile-25. My fixed gear Motobecane Messenger is a lot of fun and last fall I was doing 30 miles without too much discomfort but I'm out of shape from not riding much this winter and didn't think this was a great choice either. Obviously my mountain bike and polo bikes were not suitable candidates either. What is a boy to do...?

Throw an IGH wheel on the fixed gear and be ready to ride!

Below are some pictures of the bike. I know it is no longer a SS and so it's only marginally appropriate to post this in this forum but I don't care.

The bike BEFORE the conversion:
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...n/IMG_0427.jpg

And AFTER:
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...ssenger7-3.jpg
Drive Side

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...ssenger7-2.jpg
Non-drive side

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...ssenger7-1.jpg
The hub.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...ssenger7-4.jpg
Homemade shifter mount.

man ryan ur so inventive and smart lol

what is igh btw?

IGH = Internal Gear Hub.

I was inspired by the late Sheldon Brown's creation The San Jos8.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/b...san-jos8-1.jpg

I'll eventually purchase a new frame to install this setup onto since I still love my messenger (as a fixed gear) for sub-30-mile rides.

What gearing? I was seriously contemplating this on my moto mess... right up to the moment that I sold it. Maybe the next one, heh.

The stock 48T chainring x 19T cog that came with the wheel. It's raining so I haven't had a chance to see how I like this gearing yet but my LBS who sold me the wheel said they have plenty of cogs laying around if I decide this isn't the gearing for me.

Oops, I mean like how many gears internally? 3-5-7-8, etc....?

Oops, I guess I forgot to post that info!

The wheel is built around an SRAM S7 (7 speed) hub.

wow dude, thats really cool. i was dreaming about something similar with the new sturmey archer s3x on my fantom cross uno

Thanks.

An S3X Uno would be awesome!

So does it stay fixed gear or what?

Also I notice it's got a lever dealy like a coaster brake...is that necessary?


I'm really interested in building up something like this on my old frame

it doesn't stay fg.


and the drum brake on the s7 is necessary if you want a rear brake but don't want to run a rear brake at the bridge.

still...

awesome. i'm glad i have a road bike but if i didn't i'd love to have an igh i could affix to my kilo.

How "rolling" ?
I can do 40 in "the flats" , even with a semi-strong headwind, no problem ... I think with the many poss. climbs, I would want more of an upright possition ...

Almost, touring bike/centrury style .

The bike looks good regardless ... could be even better, If you cut the bar in half & put the "shifter" right by the stem . Than you just slide a smaller dia. bar insie the 2 halfs drill some holes & finish it off with a couple of "plug welds" ... maybe even line up the "seam" with one side of the stem . So it would still look like an FG/SS ...

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No, it freewheels in all 7 gears.

It is a coaster brake and on this bike it is necessary since I'm not running a rim brake (on a non-machined rim, that would scuff up the paint). If you haven't ridden a coaster brake biek as an adult you should try it sometime- mad skids without having to put balls to stem. :roflmao2:

Go for it! I'm working on securing another frame so I can build a new FG but I really like the internal gear hub too. You can feel the difference from a traditional derailleur setup but I like the difference. It took a little getting used to but every time I've gotten a new bike it's been an adjustment (mountain to road, road to fixed, fixed to coaster braked, etc.)

This wheel uses a non-machined rim so even though I'm running a dummy lever (so I can ride the hood) and have an extra brake caliper for the rear, I don't want to scuff up the rim. The coaster brake is a lot of fun too.

Thanks. Admittedly a road bike is probably a better solution to doing longer rides but the IGH works pretty well and I like having something different. When I show up for a group ride or chill at the LBS I know I have something different than what everyone else is riding.

I don't think I understand what you are saying? You do 40mph on a fixed gear into a head wind?

The IHG wheel is pretty heavy for a century ride but I think they are pretty tough for touring duty.

Thanks. I considered cutting the bar but there were several problems that led me to use the mount that I ended up with.

• The diameter of the road bars is larger than the diameter of flat bars the shifter was designed to mount to so even if I'd cut them I would have had to grind out the inside of the shifter to fit.
• The bars are aluminum and my welder is only set up for steel.
• Finding a piece of aluminum tubing the exact diameter of the inside of the bars to reinforce where I had cut them would have been difficult/expensive. Also I put a lot of pressure on the bars sometimes and a failed weld or stripped set screw on the tops could = dental surgery.
• The mount I fabricated only cost $0.35 because the only thing I purchased was the set screw.
• I kind of like the shifter where it is. It's easy to read what gear I'm in and convenient to shift when needed.

Great job.

:thumb: