Pyromancer wrote:
> It's about one mile each way, and it's downhill all the way there. And
> while it's a hill to me I suspect many of the serious cyclists
> hereabouts would probably regard it as flat! 
A Dutch bike, as long as the gearing takes into account that it is /not/
as flat as Amsterdam, should be fine for this. A Galaxy is a more
versatile bike that will row with you into touring etc. as well, but it
will need more maintenance on an ongoing basis than a Dutch bike.
> Regarding the gearing on the Dutch bikes - I assume you get 3, 5 or 7 in
> the hub
In the NL it's quite common to just get a single speed because things
really /are/ flat apart from the bridges in a lot of places, but they're
certainly available with 3 -> 8 in internal hubs.
> and then when there's a 3 chainring derailleur that gives you
> the 24 or whatever.
No. Dutch bikes have full chain cases, which don't really work very
well with derailleurs. On the plus side it means the chain maintenance
consists of forgetting about it for most of the time.
> What are the hub gear ratios like?
Depends on the model of hub itself. But the 3 speed on my Brompton is
okay for me to ride around Dundee which isn't short of hills. Not
/optimally/ at all times, but reasonably without ridiculous contrivance.
> Is it like a 21
> speed normal set but with much bigger gaps between the ratios, or are
> the ratios closer together?
Bit of both, but note a "21 speed" has more like 12 useful gears because
of the overlap between different speeds. There's no point riding the
small chainwheel with the small sprocket, you'll get an equivalent
ration elsewhere and the chain will be straighter while you do it.
> I noticed that on my old bike I really only ever used the largest,
> middle, and smallest gears at the back, plus the three at the front, so
> although it was actually a 21 I really used it like a 9 (or perhaps 7,
> as I tried to avoid the "diagonal chain" thing).
The back generally changes more evenly so it's better to be shifting
there than at the front. Also the case that rear shifts are generally
to closer rations. The point of gears is to allow the engine to keep
revving close to its sweet spot, so try and keep a fairly uniform
cadence of the pedal cranks by changing down as the speed drops off or
changing up as speed increases. Typical change scheme on a 21 is
small/7, s/6, s/5, middle/5, m/4, m/3, small/3, s/2, s/1.
On a rear hub it's simple, start at one end and work to the other.
Another gear system is the Dualdrive, where a rear derailleur cassette
sits on a hub so rather than front chainwheel changes you do the big
shifts in the hub. The nice thing about this is a bit less chain wear
and no worry about diagonal chain lines, and you can do big shifts
standing still, like at traffic lights.
> I suppose really it's the lower ratios I really need - don't want to
> have to get off and push up the steep hill by the Fforde Green when
> coming back from Tesco fully loaded!
Find out what the actual gear is. 30" gear is low enough for most
things in an urban context (i.e., not doing 50 miles a day as well as
big hills with full touring load), but a little lower will get that
heavy shopping up the braes even better.
> I've looked at the Gazelles and like what I see, though I'll have to try
> one before deciding though, guess I'll be popping over to York for a
> test ride at some point. I do like the idea of a hub dynamo and built
> in locks, and of bikes built to last for decades.
Hub dynamos are /highly/ recommended here. Wondrous things. Can be
retrofitted to a Galaxy too, of course. Built in locks don't actually
the lock bike *to* anything, so your insurers won't be impressed if
someone just picks it up and pops it in the back of a van. The weight
of a full on Dutch bike is some proof against this, as is their lack of
sporty street cred, but don't rely on that for more than quick visits to
shops from where you can see the bike the /whole time/ you're in.
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net
[email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
