Would I Be Better Off with Derailleurs or Internal Gear Hub thingies on my New Bike?

[SierraSlim]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Hey, Y'all![/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]If you've seen any of my posts, you know what a biking ignoramus I am, so here's another question that most people would probably be ashamed to admit they didn't know, lol.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]The bike I rode as a kid had no gears -- at least, it didn't change any, lol. I knew people then who had bikes with lots of gears, and several friends let me try theirs. But you had to kick back on the pedals/chain or something while you messed with a lever on the handlebars. I could never make it work, got made fun of frequently, lol, and just gave up and rode my own bike, having developed the mindset that gears were too hard to use.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Since July, when I started riding again, my beach cruiser has 3 gears in what I guess is called an internal gear hub. I've actually never used third gear, even; maybe that will come when I can go faster than I am able to, now? Anyway, I change from first to second by simply turning a little rotating thing on my handlebar. No kicking backward and jerking things, just an easy twist of the knob. I like it. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]In my bike shopping, I'm seeing bikes with what looks like a bajillion chains and sprockets; they evidently use what's called a derailleur. (Even the name is scary, lol.) Probably as a result of my childhood experiences with gears, they scare me to death. I don't know how they work, and am afraid I would never be able to figure out how to MAKE then work, or even which gears to use. I have also seen bikes with almost no scary-looking chain tangles, and what I am told is called an internal gear hub. It looks much easier to use, but when I ask about them, it has been inferred that 'real' cyclists sneer at those. Sigh....[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Two things you need to know before the question: I cannot imagine being the kind of person who would EVER change a chain or derail one or whatever you do with those things. I grew up in the South at a time when women were cossetted and protected from "men's work", and taught that 'real women don't pump gas.' (I'm laughing as I envision some of the serious women bikers I've seen rolling their eyes in horror at me.) /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif My idea of the ideal thing to do if something on the bike quits working is to call a cab and get it to take me and my bike home or to the repair shop. Also, my husband has a bike with a "shimano 7-speed internal gear hub," (I just emailed him and asked, lol), and if there were to be work done on my bike at home, he would be the one doing it. (And at the risk of being disloyal to the man I love, I do love him -- but he's not much of a mechanic.) [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]That being said, the question is: For my upcoming purchase of a bike to take on easy 30-miles-a-day tours, would you suggest derailleurs or internal hub gear thingies? I do fine right now on my simple 3-speed beach cruiser, but that may be because I haven't yet managed to get up to 15 mph, even, and there are no hills here to worry about, though there may be mild ones on the tour. Do higher speeds -- which I assume I will eventually get to -- require lots more gears? If so, does it have to be the scary derailleur thing? Do you still have to kick back on the pedal and be coordinated enough to do things on the handlebars at the same time? Is one type easier/less expensive to fix than the other type? Will 'serious' cyclists sneer at me for having a hub gear? Should I just give up and hire a chauffeur, LOL?[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I'm now becoming confident that the sweet guys here will help me to see at least another small portion of the light. Thanks in advance for doing so.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]

 

[Steve_A]

Slim, Some of us love to write about bikes and explain things, and I guess I'm one of them. Don't listen to bike snobs. Internal gear hubs have come a long way and perfectly legitimate drivetrains for modern bikes, even for a tour (at least a moderately easy one). They have all of the advantages that you have mentioned: clean, simple on the outside, easy to use. However, you shouldn't be afraid of derailleurs. This technology has also come a long way. Shifting is also easy. In a flat-bar bike, the shifters will be either built into or right next to the brake lever. You hands will never have to leave the bar. It will either shift like you current bike, with a twist, or it will have two levers next to each brake: one that push with your thumb to shift one way, and smaller "trigger" that will shift the other way. It really doesn't take long to get used to shifting. You do have pedal while you're shifting, which usually means shifting into a lower gear when you come to a stop, so that you will be prepared to start in the easier gear. Again, this is easy to master.

The reason that I would recommend a derailleur bike is that you will have a wider range of gearing for hills. I don't know what the range of a Shimano internal 7-speed hub is. It may very well be perfectly adequate for 99% of the terrain that you're going to ride. I would bet that will be a narrower range than the possible 27 speeds that you would get from a hybrid with a triple crank and a 9-speed cassette on the back (or 8-speed or 7-speed). (to be continued)

 

[SierraSlim]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Steve,[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Where would people like me BE if someone like you wasn't kind enough to take the time to explain things to us? My hubby probably knows a lot of this (at least, he acts like he knows it all, LOL), but getting him to take the time to patiently break everything down is an entirely different set of problems. I can get about 5 minutes out of him, which is about 1 or 2 questions, and then he has other things to do, poor thing. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif So do NOT apologize for being willing to help others out with our myriad of what must be frustratingly stupid questions. If it weren't for people like you, I would probably have thrown my bike in the garbage by now and given up![/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]The other thing I like about the answers I receive from you (and the others who have answered me here, so far) is that you don't speak in techno-biker-babble. When you know as little as I know, spouting off to me about the various capabilities of 21 speed gear ratio thingies with VOX oxygenation up to this yazoo means NADA. You might as well be discussing astrophysics with me. But y'all explain things in a way that my poor overtaxed brain can actually comprehend, and I love it!! Your explanation about shifting down to stop and start again made perfect sense, because I had to learn to do that when I learned to drive a stick shift in my car. So I get it, I GET it, and that's thanks to you![/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]You're also REALLY encouraging about things, like my derailleur phobia, in a way that makes me willing to check it out before I run screaming from the bike store. I may go ahead and GET an internal gear hub, simply because that's the way Hubby is trying to push me, and he pays the bike bills, lol. But thanks to you, I will at least try the other kind too, before I make up my mind. [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff](I can tell you now that Hubby will say, "We'll never do enough tours with hills to merit the derailleurs." But he tends to be negative about new things before we try them, and after he enjoys it is much more willing to go even further, so we'll probably end up with a derailleur, eventually, if we like touring as much as I think we're gonna. But sometimes you gotta let 'em lead, even when you think they're headed in the wrong direction.) /img/vbsmilies/smilies/rolleyes.gif [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks again, Steve. And PLEASE keep sharing what you know. A lot of us need it badly.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]
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[Steve_A]

I don't think you'll go wrong with a quality bike with either drive system, derailleurs or internal gears. You will find a much larger selection of bikes with derailleurs, so that may influence your decision. My guess is that the internal gear hubs will be found on more basic, less expensive and heavier bikes, at least in the local bike shops. But that's not to say that those hubs are cheap or shoddy, they aren't. I just feel that the bike makers for the mass market will build bikes with internal hubs in an effort to appeal to folks who ride casually and want a simpler bike. There are serious cyclists who put these hubs on their very expensive bikes. So try to ride both before you buy. If you want to get more technical, there's a lot of great info on the Harris Cyclery site, look up internal gear hubs in the Articles section. Cheers, Steve

 

[SierraSlim]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I'm just afraid I'll fall off the bike in the parking lot at REI, trying to shift! ROFLOL. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]If I can keep the bike below $500 -- which is why I was looking at used ones -- that would make Frugal Hubby happy; he won't want to pay more until I've proven to him (over more than 2 months) that I'm committed to cycling, so that's okay, as long as I can still get a good bike. We'll just have to go on Saturday and see what both fits well, can handle hills and tours, looks pretty, and tugs at my heartstrings the most. [/COLOR]
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[COLOR= #0000ff]I'll be trying to remember all your good advice while I'm there! (Oh, and I've been checking Harris Cyclery out. There is a lot of good info there. Thanks!)[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]

 

[Steve_A]

OK Slim, I took a quick look at the REI website and found this one for $533 (sale): Scott SUB 30 Solution Bike - 2010. It looks like it's nicely equipped with very decent Shimano components, all aluminum frame and fork. You might like the color. If you read the two reviews posted on the site for this bike, you can completely ignore the one-star review. This person is an idiot, or the bike mechanic is one, or both . There's nothing wrong with the bike that a decent mechanic couldn't fix quickly. So, check it out if your store has one in stock. I didn't look at all of the bikes there, many are on sale. Good luck!

 

[i12ride]

A woman who even cares to learn anything about bikes is a rare lovely thing IMO. As Steve has stated, there is nothing to fear about trying out different setups. Just go for what suits your needs most and that you feel comfortable on. There are many good bikes under 500.00 for your purposes....Touring, comfort, cross, mountain, cruisers with several different drivetrain types. Just shop around and go to different shops and try out lots of bikes. Most good shops will have trainers set up to fit people to their bikes. They should be able to take any bike you may be interested in and put it on the trainer, adjust it to your size & you can ride it on the trainer without any worry of crashing. This will also allow you to become comfortable with different gearing and shifting in a safe place and not have to worry about terrain or obstacles or traffic.

 

[jhuskey]

I recommend you go to a good bike shop with a knowledegable bike technician. Take what you have picked up on the forum and shop, listen and test ride. Don't fall in love with the first shiney frame you see.Take your time and figure out what you like.My first good bike was a Trak 460 back in the 80's and I still don't know what I want sometimes.

 

[SierraSlim]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Hey, Steve![/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]It was so sweet of you to take the time to look online at REI bikes for me, and I love having at least one specific bike I can go in and ask to see. Hopefully they'll have it, but if not I imagine they'll steer me to one with similar components. I actually don't care much for the color, but might like it in person, with colors changing on monitors the way they do. If I loved the bike, otherwise, I could probably ignore that -- or find a bike-painting shop and get it repainted, maybe? [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]In looking at Scott bikes, in general, I found this one I like the looks of (though I don't know if the components are good). It's not under $500, but I might be able to plead my way up the money scale, a little, if Frugal Hubby is in a good mood, lol. I do like the color of this one; but what I like even more is the general SHAPE of the bike; I find that I'm preferring the looks of those with a lower top horizontal bar (don't know what that's called yet; need to find a web picture of a bike with all the parts named for me, lol). If there's a reason that this shape not a good thing to have in a tour bike, like for stability or strength or whatever, please feel free to let me know, and I'll stop looking at those. But this will give you an idea of what I find 'pretty' in a non-cruiser bike. And thanks again for looking and pointing out the other one. [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Scott Sportster P4 Women's Road Bike 2009[/COLOR]

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[SierraSlim]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Hi, I12ride.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I love your name, lol! I actually blushed a little when you said, A woman who even cares to learn anything about bikes is a rare lovely thing IMO. That was very sweet, considering how ignorant of bikes my questions are. But even more importantly, that was very encouraging, because I keep waiting for the group here to get fed up and send me a message that goes something like, "Oh, for the love of GOD, woman, would you just buy a bike and leave us alone???", lol. I DO want to learn about bikes and biking in general, because I'm so hyped to have found a physical activity that I actually love and that, unlike other exercises, doesn't make this old body ache all the time. So having the kindness and support of the posters online here has just been a) invaluable and b) heart-warming. Thank you![/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I did NOT know that there were trainers that bike shops could put bikes on for me to try out. That's really cool! Since I've never ridden with gears, those first trial rides would be a little intimidating, but the trainer thingie is a great idea -- as long as it's not up on a stage with spotlights so everybody can see me, lol. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif I will definitely ask the guys at REI about that.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks again for your encouragement. When I started asking questions in these forums, I figured I would find people who could provide answers to what I was asking. I just wasn't prepared for how nice they would all be while doing it.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Have a great one.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]

 

[SierraSlim]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Good morning, JHuskey![/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I had to laugh when you said, "Don't fall in love with the first shiney frame you see," because that sounds EXACTLY like something I would do, LOL. I am a girly girl in an old, overweight body who is trying to become active and healthy, with the brain of a techno-phobe who is scared to death, trying to convert biking jargon which is mostly Greek to me into a comprehensible plan of action. It makes me a mess, in general, so the easy escape would be to pick out the prettiest bike I see. (That would be so much FUN, lol.) But I really am trying to back off the emotional appeal of the bike and make its looks secondary to form and function. Sigh.... being practical is such a bummer. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif I am going to ask my hubby NOT to let me buy the first one that appeals to me, and to make me shop around a little before I commit. That's not the FUN way to shop for me, lol, but I do see the wisdom in it. [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I also loved it that you admitted sometimes you still don't know what you want. Nobody gets that better than me. I thought Dear Hubby would divorce me before I made the final decision on the color of the paint in the living room, LOL.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Have a great one, Huskey, and thanks for the input.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]

 

[i12ride]

Everyone has to start somewhere so anyone who busts out with any elitist attitude should remember..........You aren't the best in the world, you may not be the worst so that puts everyone in between in the same boat. Always someone faster, stronger so that **** only tags those people as Cpt. DB and that doesn't stand for DiamondBack. Just because I started riding, wrenching since the age of 7 then later on spec'ing my own rides, 42 yrs ago & have a different bike that I could ride every day for a coupla weeks doesn't give me any reason to act like that and wouldn't for the reasons above. There are folks out there with more than 14 bikes of higher caliber and whatnot but who cares? I have mine, they serve my purposes, love updating, maintaining them, gettin muddier than hell, blazing around out on country roads, ridin day or night rain or shine cold or hot and love every minute of it. I'm winnin because I'm having the most fun is where I keep that nonsense. Time will degenerate all of us at some point and no one will remain king of anything forever before they are removed from their pedestal....except God, lol. Have fun with it. Most important thing is that you're gettin out and doing it and having fun.

The bike you posted above looks more like a mt bike or comfort bike to me. They don't have that big of tires on 700c rims so I'd guess that would be 26" rims. On those types, and on some hybrid or cross bikes with 700c rims and smaller tires, the top tube on women's models are sloped like that. Not so much on road specific bikes. There is no issue as far as the strength of the frame with the top tube being like that for their intended use. It is just easier stepover to mount them. I do find it a bit of a stretch for this particular bike to be over 500.00, for that you should be able to get mid level shimano components, disc brakes & front suspension. Without knowing the specific components and guessing, based on the pic and what normally comes on a bike like that, I'd say that bike looks more like 350-maybe 400.00 to me.

Another thing to keep in mind is....you can ride a bike like the one you posted everywhere but if you go with road specific then it'll only be good for that purpose. Same with downhill bike, no good for xc or roads. All around bike like that is a good first choice to see where you want to go with riding then get specific bikes for the type you wish to excel further at.

 

[SierraSlim]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Ya know, i12ride, I love intelligent people![/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]"I'm winning because I have the most fun" is one of my favorite statements to date. My sister and I are doing our first beginner's tour next June, and are thinking about team names for the two of us. We're considering Team Lastalot, lol, because a) we're so new to biking we'll probably be the slowest ones in the bunch, and b) we so don't CARE whether we're last or not, we have ZERO interest in setting speed records or bragging about split times, we just want to have fun! (Calling Cyndi Lauper, lol). [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I also loved your last paragraph. What if I get a tour-specific bike -- and then find out I don't like touring? I can't imagine that happening, but it's possilbe that my bottom just can't get used to all that riding, or the bugs in my face bug me, or whatever. But if I get a well-built all around bike, why wouldn't that work on a tour? As long as I have enough gears to get me up hills and a bicycle that will go fast enough for a beginner's tour, that's all I really care about. After that, I just want it to be comfy and pretty. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]I'm about to put up another post in Bike Buying Advice here about a bike Dear Hubby is urging me to consider, and would love everybody's input on that, too.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks for helping me out![/COLOR]

[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]