Why so few hub geared bikes with belts ? Looking at Kalkhoff
- Thread starter ElectricJoe
- Start date
You know you have to take it apart to regrease it every two years or whenever the water gets in?
Shimano Nexus/Alfine 3, 4-, 7-, 8-, and 11-Speed Technical Information
This page covers installation and adjustment issues common to different mdels of Shimano Nexus and Alfine internal-gear hubs.
www.sheldonbrown.com
the thing is, the 3-speed hub gear is very robust, lightweight, requires virtually no maintenance, hardly ever needs adjusting and costs next to nothing (compared to other hub gears)!
Yes, I have one circa 40 years old on a Dawes Kingpin folder, never a problem and seen no more than a few drops of oil in the hub each year.
Just I don't ask of it anything like the rides, or terrains I do on our road bikes or Kalkhoff Agattu Impulse.
Accept the SA versions of that vintage were robust, no knowledge of current offerings.
Id much prefer the hub gearing as ive had on my non electric bike had for many yrs now , this without any faults happening
much better over the Derailleurs , plus I havent had any
job need done at all in all them years with hub gearing , and although elec-bike sounds good , I reckon theyre far too expensive
but all to their own .
much better over the Derailleurs , plus I havent had any
job need done at all in all them years with hub gearing , and although elec-bike sounds good , I reckon theyre far too expensive
but all to their own .
The problem with hub gears and gates belt drive is how to tension the belt with a mid drive and the use of eccentric bb do not play well together
Easy to overcome on a factory build with just needs tensioners- adjusters on the rear wheel old school style
Have tried to convert several types -brands, but lumps on the bb have always been in the way
Easy to overcome on a factory build with just needs tensioners- adjusters on the rear wheel old school style
Have tried to convert several types -brands, but lumps on the bb have always been in the way
Being no expert but having a Batribike Quartz (with new batteries) but never have been keen on derailure gears I’ve just looked at the Rollfoff hub gear which I like very much, - combine that with a rear wheel belt drive and I’d have the lot! - if it were possible - and to find someone to supply and fit it? But then where to put the motor? How much of this would be feasible?
Jim
Jim
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Retrofitting a belt drive is exceedingly challenged for all but those with frame re-engineering skills and facilities, as you can't break the belt to thread through the standard configuration of the stays. Basically the bike frame has to be designed for use of the belt.
Chains can be split and rejoined, a Gates carbon belt can't, and as mentioned belt tensioning provisions need including.
As also flagged up you can add a front hub motor to an existing belt drive push bike. IMO few of those desiring the technical sophistication of a belt drive bike, are going to be accepting of a front wheel motor drive?
Chains can be split and rejoined, a Gates carbon belt can't, and as mentioned belt tensioning provisions need including.
As also flagged up you can add a front hub motor to an existing belt drive push bike. IMO few of those desiring the technical sophistication of a belt drive bike, are going to be accepting of a front wheel motor drive?
Rohloff are the "rolls royce" of hub gears, there are a few others that are much cheaper and do sort of the same job.
But in any case you'd be out of luck with your bike in terms of using the motor.
P.s Impractical to adjust that bike (obviously anything can be done ata price)
id say you bought the wrong bike and it would be simpler and cheaper to sell it and buy one with the features you wanted.
So how many orders do you need to cause you to get your spanners out? Seems the current panicdemic might dredge up some appropriate customers again .. although 7 or 8 speed might be more popular.
we need to sell at least 100 bikes of a model a year to make it viable.
It's a tiny quantity for most factories, they wouldn't be interested in helping us with anything smaller.
yes, agreed.
the main problem is it adds 1kg of extra weight and about $50 extra cost.
8 years ago, I made a beautiful bike with 7-speed hubgear, the Woosh Sundowner. It was a solid plodder. Dutch style, comfortable, upright, long range.
I thought it would be an ideal commuters' bike. I was wrong. Customers preferred the MTB shape.
4-5 years ago, I made the Zephyr-CDN, crank drive, folding, hubgear and sold it for £749. I really loved it, it sold for not much money and deserved more success. It sold well for 2 years then suddenly, sales dried up. I put that on account of Halfords entering the e-bike market with their cheap folding bikes.
Buyers in the most part are led by the bigger brands and stores and since the 80's the mtb seems to be king, I see lots of people riding them on the road as it is/was in the main the trend.
If one major brand was to suddenly go with hub gears and they took off every one else would follow suit, in the 70's the SA 3 speed was common place.
Slowly now 700c or 29ers hybrids are appearing, my 700c with Geoff's on I get few looks and comments. As I tell folks it is function over form and I go for comfort when riding rather then discomfort, for a proper nice bike you have to bespoke some of the fittings instead of the usual standard tat that is fitted. That speaks for it self two or three latest users/posts complaining about tingling sensations in the hands.
If one major brand was to suddenly go with hub gears and they took off every one else would follow suit, in the 70's the SA 3 speed was common place.
Slowly now 700c or 29ers hybrids are appearing, my 700c with Geoff's on I get few looks and comments. As I tell folks it is function over form and I go for comfort when riding rather then discomfort, for a proper nice bike you have to bespoke some of the fittings instead of the usual standard tat that is fitted. That speaks for it self two or three latest users/posts complaining about tingling sensations in the hands.
That Sundowner looks great. I would definitely be in the market for something similar. I am a really big fan of the Dutch-style "plodder" that perfectly suits my leisure cycling. My ideal would be step through Duty-Style swept back bars with hub gears & a belt drive & powered by the front hub with cadence sensor & a throttle. The Woosh Sundowner is the first I have found that ticks all the boxes. Any chance of putting it back into production?
the Rambla is a second stab at this 'solid plodders' market.
If it sells well this year, then I will fit a hub gear and a enclosed chain cover next year.
https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?rambla
If it sells well this year, then I will fit a hub gear and a enclosed chain cover next year.
https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?rambla
There was a Sundowner on Gumtree in Basildon, Esssex a 3 weeks ago with only 97 miles on the odo. Vgc £625.
Just looked now and it seems to be for sale still.
Just looked now and it seems to be for sale still.
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Woosh, a smaller frame for those of us that are only 5' 7" would be useful....my legs would be dangling! But we do need more choice of bikes with hub gears for those of us that have decided to go down that road (no pun intended). The Batribike Omega has a rear Nexus hub with front wheel motor.
The Rambla would be perfect for me if it had hub gears & a front hub drive.
It looks like my only option at present is to do a conversion.
Brilliant! I live in North Essex so it’s not far. I will check it out. Thanks.
Link.
www.gumtree.com
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