Ridgeback Electron

[Seakerr]

The one that looks good to me @ £2400. Crankcase drive, hydraulic hub brakes, step through, mudguards, lights etc BUT the gears are within the rear hub with no external gearing. The chain drives one external cog. Riding it seems to be low geared but the supplier says that he can fix that by changing the external cog. Now you experienced lot what are your thoughts about that?.......please?
Seakerr

 

[Nealh]

IGH gearing can be changed by using a different toothed sprocket.

 

[Kendalian]

The Shimano Nexus hub can take sprockets from 16 teeth to 24 teeth no problem without changing the chain so you can easily change the overall gearing.

Cheers

Kendalian

 

[blaw1201]

Ridgeback electron:
Electron also features Mudguards, Pannier Rack, Shimano Hydraulic Disc Brakes and a kick-stand.
Ridgeback are proud to present a new level of effortless performance to e-bikes.

Its a good bike by ridgeback

 

[Seakerr]

Thanks Kendalion and Blaw. With my lack of up to date knowledge of bicycles generally I had never come across gearing within the hub. While it must surely be the way forward I wasn't too keen on being a Guinea pig. If it works then that's the thing for me because otherwise the Ridgeback ticks all the boxes.
Seakerr

 

[RobF]

The bike you are thinking of has electrically operated gear changing.

It will probably do clever things such as change down a few gears when you stop so you are in a low gear to pull away again.

There will be a cheaper version of the bike with the same gear hub, but changes operated by a traditional tensioned cable.

No reason to believe the electric gear changing won't work, but it is a fairly new innovation on hub gears.

Having everything Shimano - crank drive/transmission/gear hub - makes sense because it should all work together.

Service is also simple, nearly every bike shop has access to Madison, the company which handles Shimano service in the UK.

http://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bikes/traditional/electron/electron-plus

 

[Trevormonty]

The Shimano STEPS drive is excellent, we have one.

Can't speak from personal experience about (our bike has derailleur gears) DI2 internal hub but reviews are good. Haven't heard of any reliability issues. The big plus of hub gears is being able to changed down when stopped. In case of Di2, STEPS drive system will do it automatically. You also have option of automatic gear changes just like automatic gearbox in car.

Maintenance is lower with IGH, not cassette to clean or replace, single speed chains are strong and last for ages.

Best this you can do is take one for test ride.

 

[Seakerr]

Many thanks to all for your advice.
Seems like I should just buy this.
Seakerr

 

[grldtnr]

Many thanks to all for your advice.
Seems like I should just buy this.
Seakerr

Internal geared hubs , make a lot of sense, for around town, and short distance commuting,get a bike with disc or hub brakes and a chain case, makes for a clean low maintenance machine, very practical, it isn't all about 'bling', in fact, I'd say a Town bike can be bling itself.

 

[Seakerr]

Hi Gridtnr
At the age of 78 I don't want to climb rough muddy mountain tracks . I prefer to stick to roads and gravel tracks and I want to arrive relatively clean, oil and mud free. So a bit of bling suits me well. Also day running lights may just allow a motorist to see me when he might not have noticed an unlit bike. This might save my old skin for a few more years. Having said all that I can see where you're coming from. Thanks for your comments.
Seakerr