hi,
i currently ride an old beat up ridgeback genesis day in london and have a dura-aced specialised allez road bike for out of town blasts/training. i need to replace the ridgeback as it is pretty old with bent chain stays. the question is what's the deal with hub gears? how do they compare to derailleur systems? as far as i can gather hub = able to shift with no pedaling, neater looks, less likely to go wrong, but heavy; derailleur = lighter, more prone to knocks and many gears have same ratios.
it looks as though the hub might be a viable option for city commuting, but does anyone use them for longer (50-60 miles) on road training rides/touring? i gather they're popular with MTB'ers cos of ability to stand mud and rocks, but what about road riding above the level of the daily commute? if it is possible to do a 60 mile blast on a hub, i may consider downsizing to one bike with a hub and straight bars as i never have been a fan of the dropped posture on the allez.
these ones look pretty city-orientated:
http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/bikes/roadrat/alfine/
http://www.cannondale.com/gbr/eng/Products/Bikes/Recreation-Urban/Urban/Bad-Boy/Details/2762-0BS8e-Bad-Boy-8-
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=44380
thanks
i currently ride an old beat up ridgeback genesis day in london and have a dura-aced specialised allez road bike for out of town blasts/training. i need to replace the ridgeback as it is pretty old with bent chain stays. the question is what's the deal with hub gears? how do they compare to derailleur systems? as far as i can gather hub = able to shift with no pedaling, neater looks, less likely to go wrong, but heavy; derailleur = lighter, more prone to knocks and many gears have same ratios.
it looks as though the hub might be a viable option for city commuting, but does anyone use them for longer (50-60 miles) on road training rides/touring? i gather they're popular with MTB'ers cos of ability to stand mud and rocks, but what about road riding above the level of the daily commute? if it is possible to do a 60 mile blast on a hub, i may consider downsizing to one bike with a hub and straight bars as i never have been a fan of the dropped posture on the allez.
these ones look pretty city-orientated:
http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/bikes/roadrat/alfine/
http://www.cannondale.com/gbr/eng/Products/Bikes/Recreation-Urban/Urban/Bad-Boy/Details/2762-0BS8e-Bad-Boy-8-
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=44380
thanks
