Cousin Phil wrote:
>Like many recent cyclists (I've only been cycling about 45 years) I've never
>really understood the regard with which the hub gear, especially the Sturmey
>Archer, is held by the British. I mean, the derailleur is so superior that it
>seems that the hub gear doesn't stand a chance.
Depends on the application. For short-range, all-weather utility transport, or for casual weekend riding, internal hubs have their virtues:
* Completely weatherproof.
* Can be shifted while stopped.
* Indexed shifting 85 years before reliable indexed derailer systems.
* Simple to operate with only one shifter.
* Much more reliable, practically maintenance-free.
* No fragile derailer dangling down in harm's way.
* Chain never falls off.
* Chain never skips.
* First-ever civilian spinoff of aerospace technology
Sheldon "Planetary Gears" Brown Newtonville, Massachusetts +-----------------------------------------------------+ | I'll tell you what I think of bicycling. I think | | it has done more to emancipate women than any one | | thing in the world. I rejoice every time I see a | | woman ride by on a bike. It gives her a feeling | | of self-reliance and independence the moment she | | takes her seat; and away she goes, the picture of | | untrammelled womanhood. --Susan B. Anthony 1896 | +-----------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772, 617-244-1040, FAX 617-244-1041
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