Why Derailleurs gears?

[vidtek]

After being in the colonies for 33 years and not on a bike during that time, on returning to blighty I find it very perplexing why the derailleur gear system is so ubiquitous in the UK. It's exposed to the elements, is always a pain to adjust, you can't change gears when stationary - so why???

The Nexus type hub gears are a much more elegant solution, but are a rarity here and I don't understand why.
Almost maintenance-free, you can change gears at anytime, and they look so much better.

 

[soundwave]

hub gears cant jump or do hard off road riding.

 

[Artstu]

Weight and transmission losses. My e-bike gets away with a Nexus 8, but I prefer an ordinary bike on derailleurs.

So no vote from me because they both have a place.

 

[KirstinS]

hub gears cant jump or do hard off road riding.

Not really true , alfine 8 have a solid if niche following in the mtb space

Proven to be near bullet proof over a good 5 years.

Maybe not good for the most extreme of riding.....but then neither are most bikes and their other components

 

[soundwave]

if i can brake a xd hub then one on my bike would not last very long tbh.

go hit some jumps and try it

 

[KeithMac]

I've gone for a Nuvinci hub on one and the other is single speed.

Prefer the simplicity and self containment of a nice hub system, plus less to clean..

 

[Fordulike]

It's exposed to the elements, is always a pain to adjust, you can't change gears when stationary - so why???

It's exposed to the elements - totally true, although a rag and small brush quickly solves this problem. After a ride of course

is always a pain to adjust - not quite! If you spend a little time to adjust the mechanism properly first time, then you shouldn't need to touch it again. I've not had to adjust my 8-speed in over 2500 miles.

you can't change gears when stationary - true, it does require a bit of pre-planning when coming to a halt, but it becomes intuitive after a while.
Saying that, I have been caught out on the rare occasion lol.

so why??? - derailleur systems are cheap and it's easy to replace individual worn or broken parts.

 

[vidtek]

if i can brake a xd hub then one on my bike would not last very long tbh.

go hit some jumps and try it

Yeah, sure a 66 year old doing jumps - might as well be on a skateboard! I'm built for comfort not speed or anything else. Or as my wife's grandmother put it very succinctly 45 years ago-" I need nourishment not punishment at my age" when one of her contemporaries point out a potential boyfriend.

 

[anotherkiwi]

After being in the colonies for 33 years and not on a bike during that time, on returning to blighty I find it very perplexing why the derailleur gear system is so ubiquitous in the UK. It's exposed to the elements, is always a pain to adjust, you can't change gears when stationary - so why???

The Nexus type hub gears are a much more elegant solution, but are a rarity here and I don't understand why.
Almost maintenance-free, you can change gears at anytime, and they look so much better.

Cost. Retailers want attractive price stickers.
Maintenance. It isn't as easy for your average Joe to change a flat tyre with a hub gear.
Weight. Means they have to be built into higher quality rims with better spokes, see point one.

On a side note pinion have brought out a cheaper gearbox which has a 9 speed XR version ideal for hub motor e-bikes. The cost savings are from using cast magnesium rather than machined aluminium casing. This also brings weight down to 2 kg. That is 2 kg of sprung weight.

 

[KeithMac]

Cost. Retailers want attractive price stickers.
Maintenance. It isn't as easy for your average Joe to change a flat tyre with a hub gear.
Weight. Means they have to be built into higher quality rims with better spokes, see point one.

On a side note pinion have brought out a cheaper gearbox which has a 9 speed XR version ideal for hub motor e-bikes. The cost savings are from using cast magnesium rather than machined aluminium casing. This also brings weight down to 2 kg. That is 2 kg of sprung weight.

Would that be a crank gearbox then?, any links?.

 

[vidtek]

Cost. Retailers want attractive price stickers.
Maintenance. It isn't as easy for your average Joe to change a flat tyre with a hub gear.
Weight. Means they have to be built into higher quality rims with better spokes, see point one.

On a side note pinion have brought out a cheaper gearbox which has a 9 speed XR version ideal for hub motor e-bikes. The cost savings are from using cast magnesium rather than machined aluminium casing. This also brings weight down to 2 kg. That is 2 kg of sprung weight.

mmmmmm.. I can see your point re cost to manufacturers, but when talking about an average bike at £1000 plus, I wouldn't have thought it would make that much of a difference. As far as maintenance is concerned, changing a flat on a hub would be far easier proposition I would have thought.
Got a link to that gearbox?

 

[flecc]

After being in the colonies for 33 years and not on a bike during that time, on returning to blighty I find it very perplexing why the derailleur gear system is so ubiquitous in the UK. It's exposed to the elements, is always a pain to adjust, you can't change gears when stationary - so why???

The Nexus type hub gears are a much more elegant solution, but are a rarity here and I don't understand why.
Almost maintenance-free, you can change gears at anytime, and they look so much better.

It resulted from the fact that cycling almost completely died out in Britain by the late 1970s, only the club sporting types left who naturally used derailleurs for their greater efficiency.

Then the invention of the mountain bike in 1979 kicked cycling back into life, but still in a sporting fashion. It was many years before any degree of utility cycling returned, by which time the derailleur was dominant in the minds of both trade and public and most people of cycling ages had no idea hub gears existed or how to use them. Even much of the trade had no knowledge of hub gears and how to repair them.

To this day walk into any British bike shop and you'll see how sporting styles of bike dominate, true utility bikes with mudguards, lights, rear carriers, wheel lock and fitted pump often almost absent.
.

 

[anotherkiwi]

pinion.eu

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The reason why derailleur gears are so ubiquitous is that for most people and most situations, they're better. Why would anybody want anything else?

 

[Alan Quay]

I'm waiting for the Chinese to come up with a rear hub motor with integrated 9 speed hub gears with electronically controlled shifting and braking.

 

[vidtek]

It resulted from the fact that cycling almost completely died out in Britain by the late 1970s, only the club sporting types left who naturally used derailleurs for their greater efficiency.

Then the invention of the mountain bike in 1979 kicked cycling back into life, but still in a sporting fashion. It was many years before any degree of utility cycling returned, by which time the derailleur was dominant in the minds of both trade and public and most people of cycling ages had no idea hub gears existed or how to use them. Even much of the trade had no knowledge of hub gears and how to repair them.

To this day walk into any British bike shop and you'll see how sporting styles of bike dominate, true utility bikes with mudguards, lights, rear carriers, wheel lock and fitted pump often almost absent.
.

I'm waiting for the Chinese to come up with a rear hub motor with integrated 9 speed hub gears with electronically controlled shifting and braking.

Now that would really be something Alan.

 

[oldtom]

Got both and I like them both though I'd say the Nexus 8 transmission is better for general utility and leisure cycling. For more serious, longer-distance cycling with hills and a desire to maintain a high road speed while keeping fit or getting fitter, I'd probably choose derailleur.

Tom

 

[flecc]

I'm waiting for the Chinese to come up with a rear hub motor with integrated 9 speed hub gears with electronically controlled shifting and braking.

The nearest we've ever got to that sort of concept is the BionX witn integrated SRAM 3 speed hub gear. But the motor is direct drive and doesn't use the gears so the only gain is neatness.

It isn't practical to have a hub motor driving through very many gears, since that would give a speed range well far above anything the law would allow. So only an included multi-speed hub gear not used by the motor, BionX style, would be practical.
.

 

[vidtek]

The nearest we've ever got to that sort of concept is the BionX witn integrated SRAM 3 speed hub gear. But the motor is direct drive and doesn't use the gears so the only gain is neatness.

It isn't practical to have a hub motor driving through very many gears, since that would give a speed range well far above anything the law would allow. So only an included multi-speed hub gear not used by the motor, BionX style, would be practical.
.

ahhh,..... but those far Easterners velly clever

 

[trex]

It isn't practical to have a hub motor driving through very many gears, since that would give a speed range well far above anything the law would allow. So only an included multi-speed hub gear not used by the motor, BionX style, would be practical.
.

'since that would give a speed range well far above anything the law would allow.' -
that's a secret reason why crank driven bikes are so popular.