3 geared bikes

[david k]

i remember as a kid, bikes had a shifter with 3 sppeds on. it went to a cable into the rear hub. it just changed the notch on the rear cable and the gears changed

dont see em anymore

how did they work?

 

[LosingFocus]

Take a Google/Wiki for "hub gears" I think.

 

[palinurus]

Still plenty of them around. I had a nice SRAM 3 speed on my Brompton until I sold it.

You'll need a picture if you want to figure out how they work, Google it- or perhaps some clever sod has posted an animation on YouTube- worth a look.

 

[brockers]

Hub geared bikes seem to be bang on trend at the moment. These have 8,11, or 14 speeds though.

 

[Zoiders]

Planetary gear mechanism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Orrery_small.jpg

 

[david k]

seemed to be on all the cheap bikes when i was a kid, didnt expect them to still be around

 

[Zoiders]

Most cheap gas pipers would be ten speed road bikes.

An actual gents or ladies utility bike was not a cheap or shoddy thing from new and their were a huge range of options available if you had the cash.

Stainless wheels, various ratio Sturmey hubs of different speeds, braze ons, dynamo hubs, hub brakes if you fancied it, Raleigh manufactured them right up until about 84/85.

 

[corshamjim]

If you think 3-speed hub gears are cheap, check out the Sturmey Archer S3X. Why anyone would pay more for reduced functionality is beyond me. Sturmey's 3-speed with freewheel is about 1/3 the cost of the S3X.

 

[Yellow Fang]

There are still plenty of 3-speeds around, on Bromptons for instance. I've just spent about a month trying to put my hub back together after unwisely deciding to change the sprocket. My advice on discovering how they work: find another way other than taking them apart.

 

[tyred]

I completed a windy 50 mile ride on one of my old 3-speeds on Friday. 13.8mph Average

Love these things, virtually bombproof, very practical and very usable if geared properly.

 

[Hilldodger]

Pfft. Gears. Never catch on.

 

[Chris S]

I remember Sturmey Archer 3-speed gears on the Raleigh Chopper.


I've still got a 3-speed that I ride around town, it's low theft risk and got all the gear ratios that I need there.