C
Cyclezee
Guest
I would like to know peoples opinion as to the best type of gearing for electric for an electric bike, hub or derailleur?
Hi
I haven't any experience of riding a hub geared electric bike ... are they like the Sturmey Archer gears of the 50's? Clunky, but you could change gear without pedalling! I'm just getting used to derailleur gears on my new bike. As a boy, I was always dissuaded from having Simplex derailleur gears because they seemed 'complicated'. Not much help to you, but I had a 'blast from the past' moment!
Don
C
Cyclezee
Guest
Hi Don,
Yes Sturmey Archer did and still do make hub gears.
Today by far the most popular are made by Shimano and yes, you are correct, you do not have to pedal when changing gear.
Yes Sturmey Archer did and still do make hub gears.
Today by far the most popular are made by Shimano and yes, you are correct, you do not have to pedal when changing gear.
Hello again John,
Just my experience beween hub and derailleur gears. We have found our Rohloff 14 speed hub excellent as it gives you every gear either step by step or jumping 2 or 3 gears with just a little hesitation between changes when pedalling hard, by comparision our 24 speed derailleur which does not give anything like 14 gears when having to change between rings, also a number of the gears virtually duplicate each other. I suppose its preference but we like the hub gears, another bonus, there is no mucky spockets etc. to work on.
Pete
Just my experience beween hub and derailleur gears. We have found our Rohloff 14 speed hub excellent as it gives you every gear either step by step or jumping 2 or 3 gears with just a little hesitation between changes when pedalling hard, by comparision our 24 speed derailleur which does not give anything like 14 gears when having to change between rings, also a number of the gears virtually duplicate each other. I suppose its preference but we like the hub gears, another bonus, there is no mucky spockets etc. to work on.
Pete
C
Cyclezee
Guest
Hello Pete,
I am also starting to favour hub gears, for similar reasons, low maintenance, ability to change gear whilst stationery etc.
I am also starting to favour hub gears, for similar reasons, low maintenance, ability to change gear whilst stationery etc.
Hub gears preferably, Shimano 8 and 11 gears currently the best at mainstream prices, or there's the 14 gear Rohloff for millionaires.
The "Sturmey Archer" of Britain no longer exists, it was sold to China some while ago and is now Sunrace-Sturmey. The first new gear they introduced is an 8 gear oddity, low gear being direct drive and all the others up from there, a very inefficient method and needing tiny chainwheels and large rear sprockets. Both they and SRAM are intending new better hubs shortly. SRAM also introduced a new hub at the same time as the Sunrace 8 gear, named the i-motion 9 speed, but it's failed to make inroads in the market. They've dropped the old P5, P5 cargo and S7 hubs meanwhile.
The "Sturmey Archer" of Britain no longer exists, it was sold to China some while ago and is now Sunrace-Sturmey. The first new gear they introduced is an 8 gear oddity, low gear being direct drive and all the others up from there, a very inefficient method and needing tiny chainwheels and large rear sprockets. Both they and SRAM are intending new better hubs shortly. SRAM also introduced a new hub at the same time as the Sunrace 8 gear, named the i-motion 9 speed, but it's failed to make inroads in the market. They've dropped the old P5, P5 cargo and S7 hubs meanwhile.
C
Cyclezee
Guest
I have a kudos city with 8 speed hub gears. I rode about 20 e-bikes before I bought this and my top 2 both had hub gears (city and wisper 906). One reason for the hub is virtually zero maintenance, smoother gear changes and as others have said you can change 2 or 3 gears up and down without any worries. The last point with an e bike is essential in my opinion as you accelerate so fast I often go from 2-4-6-8 without thinking. Also by having hub gears it means you have the motor in the front wheel which adds some weight to the front and gives a better balance.
I think historical usage plays an important part in selection of hub or deraillieur gears. Those who have deraillieur gears all their life see no reason to change to hub when selecting an e-bike. However those taking up cycling later in life are soon sold on the lack of maintenance of hub gears,the ability to jump gears and change stationary is a big advantage.
I really like the Shimano Nexus 8 hub,especially on a bike for commuting.
Dave
KudosCycles
I really like the Shimano Nexus 8 hub,especially on a bike for commuting.
Dave
KudosCycles
I have a Panasonic crank driven BH E-motion with eight derailleur gears and my husband has a similar motor on his Raleigh Leeds with 7 speed hub gears. They seem to do equally well on the many hills around here. Sometimes its great to be able to continue to climb whilst changing gear with the derailleur but you need to ease off with the hub gears and sometimes its useful to be able to change gears when stopped like the hub gears. The hub gears are more robust, the derailleur is easier and cheaper to fix if it goes wrong. The clicky lever gear change on the derailleur is easier to use than the twist change with the hub. So, swings and roundabouts.
Shimano Nexus 8 hub for me....I'm a new convert to hub gears and wouldnt want to ever go back.
I dont find them any more or less tricky to change than derailleur......barely a split second lift off the pedals to change down and so much more convenient to be able to change gear at a standstill.....no need for any of those 'blonde moments' forgetting to change gear before stopping.
I do still have plenty of 'blonde moments ' of course, but at least they dont affect my gear changing any more ......
Lynda
I dont find them any more or less tricky to change than derailleur......barely a split second lift off the pedals to change down and so much more convenient to be able to change gear at a standstill.....no need for any of those 'blonde moments' forgetting to change gear before stopping.
I do still have plenty of 'blonde moments ' of course, but at least they dont affect my gear changing any more ......
Lynda
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I've just bought and ridden my first hub-geared bike for - erm - 55 years? Of course I'm completely used to a derailleur and it becomes so second nature to select your pull-away gear before stopping I can't ever remember getting it wrong.
This is an Alfine 8-speed - doesn't have a twistgrip change but uses the two-paddle system which some derailleurs have. The only thing is - it must be me, but it appears to work backwards to intuition - I really have to concentrate to make sure I change down not up, and vice-versa.
Other than that, there's no doubt that the technology has moved more than a little since I last rode a boneshaker with a SA 3-speed. It's so smooth changing you don't think it's gone - as long as you drop the load off. It's less forgiving on being pushed into a change with the power on than a derailleur would be. It does some odd things if you do that - like going into a gear which seems unrelated to the one you were coming from or going to - and then it 'remembers' when you ease off.
Rog.
This is an Alfine 8-speed - doesn't have a twistgrip change but uses the two-paddle system which some derailleurs have. The only thing is - it must be me, but it appears to work backwards to intuition - I really have to concentrate to make sure I change down not up, and vice-versa.
Other than that, there's no doubt that the technology has moved more than a little since I last rode a boneshaker with a SA 3-speed. It's so smooth changing you don't think it's gone - as long as you drop the load off. It's less forgiving on being pushed into a change with the power on than a derailleur would be. It does some odd things if you do that - like going into a gear which seems unrelated to the one you were coming from or going to - and then it 'remembers' when you ease off.
Rog.
I was brought up on SA 3-speeds before gladly progressing to derailleur. Nowadays it's derailleur on our "proper bikes" which we ride for fun and Nexus 8-speed on our Agattus which are our transport bikes, and that seems to me to be the appropriate use for each type.
If an e-bike's aimed at youngsters or at Cyclists, I'd specify derailleurs for it. If it's aimed at older riders or marketed as a form of transport, it definitely needs hub gears.
If an e-bike's aimed at youngsters or at Cyclists, I'd specify derailleurs for it. If it's aimed at older riders or marketed as a form of transport, it definitely needs hub gears.
When I'm cycling up the hills near me the gradient changes regularly. This means I'm up and down the gears constantly. With a hub gear how would I change down a gear when pedalling uphill? If I have to stop pedaling for a second to change gear, wouldn't the momentum come off the bike?
A question for Flecc!!
What is the range of these hub gears. At present I have a 42 chain ring driving an 11-32 cassette which gets me up the steepest hills. However, I could put an 11-36 cassettte on the wheel if I felt really lazy.
With a hub gear you are stuck with the in built ratios, although you can of course change the sprocket.
I am attracted to hub gears because last autumn, a rather tough spine of a fallen leaf got swept into my cassette, lifted the chain off the 11 tooth sprocket and ruined it.
On the other hand, it only took a £22 new cassette and 20 minutes to repair it. Having dismantled and repaired a few SA AW's, I wouldn't fancy dealing with an 8 speed hub.
What is the range of these hub gears. At present I have a 42 chain ring driving an 11-32 cassette which gets me up the steepest hills. However, I could put an 11-36 cassettte on the wheel if I felt really lazy.
With a hub gear you are stuck with the in built ratios, although you can of course change the sprocket.
I am attracted to hub gears because last autumn, a rather tough spine of a fallen leaf got swept into my cassette, lifted the chain off the 11 tooth sprocket and ruined it.
On the other hand, it only took a £22 new cassette and 20 minutes to repair it. Having dismantled and repaired a few SA AW's, I wouldn't fancy dealing with an 8 speed hub.
It would, though with the Shimano hubs the pause is very slight and change ups can be achieved with some continuing pressure. But hub gears tend to need a different technique, basically more anticipation, and there's the big advantage of being able to select gears when stationary.
Shimano Nexus/Alfine 8 gear = 307%
SRAM i-motion 9 gear = 340%
Rohloff Speedhub 14 gear = 526%
NuVinci CVT = 350%
Shimano Nexus 3 gear = 200%
SRAM P5 5 gear = 252%
.
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