7-speed hub gear conversion

Quoted message said:

I'd like to replace the freehub/derailleur on my old hack bike
(it's an old road/touring frame) with a 7-speed hub gear,
probably Shimano, and with flat bars.
I'm not sure what you need to do this - apart from getting a
new rear wheel built around a 7-speed hub, will I also need
any special braze-ons on the seatstays to handle the
cable-routing etc?

Nope. The cable routing is the same as for any grip/twist/thumb
shifter/brifter.

Quoted message said:

Also what type of shifter do you use for a 7-speed hub?

I use the shifter that comes with the hub. I've seen gear-hub
installations that used alternatives to the intended shifter, but there
were usually problems with doing that, and there's no need: you can
always get a correct shifter from Shimano through the dealer.

--
"Bicycling is a healthy and manly pursuit with much
to recommend it, and, unlike other foolish crazes,
it has not died out." -- The Daily Telegraph (1877)

jumbolugs said:

I'd like to replace the freehub/derailleur on my old hack bike (it's an
old road/touring frame) with a 7-speed hub gear, probably Shimano, and
with flat bars.
I'm not sure what you need to do this - apart from getting a new rear
wheel built around a 7-speed hub, will I also need any special
braze-ons on the seatstays to handle the cable-routing etc?

With the Shimano Nexus hub, if you want to use the existing braze-ons
(which isn't necessary if you buy the complete kit), then it depends
on what's present now. If your current cable routes along the
chainstay, you may be in good shape. If it routes down the seat stay,
you're probably going to have to reroute it. If you use the cable
setup that is supplied with the hub and shifter, you can ignore what's
there now as long as your frame has a reasonably conventional
non-rear-suspension geometry. Given that it's more work to use the
current braze-ons than it is to use the cable and kit that is
supplied, I'd vote for the supplied cable.

I believe the SRAM setup is similar, but that you have more options
about whether to use the existing braze-ons if they're on the
chainstay. I haven't looked at one of those closely, though.

Quoted message said:

Also what type of shifter do you use for a 7-speed hub?

You pretty much have to use the one that comes with the gearhub;
nothing else is going to work. Be prepared for it to have a
twist-grip.

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jumbolugs said:

I'd like to replace the freehub/derailleur on my old hack bike (it's an
old road/touring frame) with a 7-speed hub gear, probably Shimano, and
with flat bars.

Flat bars make such a conversion less complicated, so that is a good
choice. (Even if you don't think drop bars suck, which is my
opinion.)

Quoted message said:

I'm not sure what you need to do this - apart from getting a new rear
wheel built around a 7-speed hub, will I also need any special
braze-ons on the seatstays to handle the cable-routing etc?

You can and probably should use a full-length cable housing, which you
can lash on any way you like. It is often possible to use your
ordinary derailleur cable guides and stops if you so choose. (The
chainstay-mounted cable stop must be placed at least a few inches back
up the stay from the dropout.)

Quoted message said:

Also what type of shifter do you use for a 7-speed hub?

All gearhubs use dedicated shifters. Shimano make you buy a shifter
separately, but SRAM (whose hub kicks Shimano's into the weeds)
include a twist shifter and grips along with their hub.

Chalo Colina

jumbolugs said:

I'd like to replace the freehub/derailleur on my old hack bike (it's an
old road/touring frame) with a 7-speed hub gear, probably Shimano, and
with flat bars.
I'm not sure what you need to do this - apart from getting a new rear
wheel built around a 7-speed hub, will I also need any special
braze-ons on the seatstays to handle the cable-routing etc? Also what
type of shifter do you use for a 7-speed hub?

Look at the 8 speed Nexus hub too. It's supposed to be more efficient
than the 7 speed, and the 8-speed one on my wife's bike is nice to use.

No additional braze-ons required, but you need horizontal or
semi-horizontal dropouts, or alternatively a separate chain tensioner.
The brake reaction arm bolts onto the chainstay and, annoyingly,
requires both a 10mm spanner and a 5mm allen key to remove if you have
to get the wheel out.

Ours uses a combined Nexus shifter and RH brake lever (the front brake
in England, probably the rear brake for you). AFAIK the cable pull is
completely different to shifters for 8 speed Shimano derailleurs.