maxo wrote:
> The fact that your utility bike has drops is a telling tale. 
I suppose so.
> Nothing wrong with that, just means you might actually take care of
> your bike. Clean the rims, make sure the pads are of good quality and
> not worn, that they're adjusted properly, etc.
>
> Most folks that want a utility bike want close to zero
> maintanence--thus hub or roller brakes are great.
I do as little maintanence on my utility bike as possible. The only
cleaning it gets is a wipe off after riding in the rain, so as not to
bring muck into the house. Thanks to kool-stop pads, I don't check for
pad wear often, nor play with brake adjustment.
> When you're tootlin around at 12 mph in the city you don't need
> god-like braking, you need reliable braking. Most folks are scared to
> brake hard anyway.
>
> Personally I like cantis front and roller back for a winter commuter,
> as I'm fond of the Nexus 7. Best of both worlds.
>
> BTW, how are your rim brakes in the wet or snow.
My front canti with kool-stops is better in the wet than the rear nexus
roller brake with drop bar brake levers when dry
I also love my Nexus 7, but I didn't love its brake. Oddly enough, I
found a NOS Shimano long reach (I needed ~70mm) dual pivot caliper for
the rear of my bike, and it was labelled "Nexus". Works well enough,
but isn't as nice as a cantilever, IMHO. Without the roller brake, it
is also a bit easier to change a flat, assuming you can't do the fix
the flat without removing the wheel trick.
I would like to like a drum or roller brake, but it seems Shimano
doesn't want me to. Is it too much to ask for a drop bar brake lever
compatable drum brake or a front drum brake without a "Power
Modulator"? Of course, there are other drum brakes out there (SRAM,
Sturmey-Archer), but they aren't real cheap, nor can I mount one on my
Nexus 7 rear hub, so I will stick with the rim brakes I already have
for now. Shimano should make their gear hubs disk brake compatable -
then you could use whatever disk brake you wanted.
Of course, while wishing for future Shimano products, how about making
a "rapid fire" shifter for the 8 speed Nexus, like they do for the 7.
The one for the 7 is my all time favorite shifter. It can be mounted
on drop bars, and to shift, all you have to do is sweep some part of
your hand across it - one way for up, the other for down. Its the best
thing I ever ordered from Harris Cyclery.
Later,
Mark Muller
