Jack Gabus wrote: I was surfing some of the blogs and I noticed that some of the KOF gang are getting deep into the Rohloff setup. I guess if you are in Washington DC right now that would be a nice rig. Might this be the next Cyclocross rig or something new. Curt Goodrich has a really nice example. Kinda of looks the Hummer of cycling.
If anybody can shed some light or "SNOW" on the subject please have at it. <snip> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I'm of mixed emotions. I think that a Rohloff-equipped lugged or fillet-brazed bike is an elegant solution to a problem I haven't had in Washington DC. But, admitting that it's a judgment call, I don't see it as in the CR spirit. As far as I can tell, the internal gear hub was almost entirely utilitarian, with the FW a feature of some top-line touring bikes. In a decade or so on this list, I can remember few mentions of the FM (4-speed medium), and can't remember any mention of a bike with the narrow-range 4-speed FC. The 3-speed ASC seems to have been a pretty rare unit even in the day. Yes, there was a close-ratio AC 3-speed, but again, I almost get the feeling (not having read Hadley) that most of these units were catalogued as prestige items, but rarely bought. So, I don't think that 14-speed internal hubs, however elegant, are in the spirit of CR-dom. But, I sure won't get dogmatic about it.
harvey sachs Siberia-on-Potomac (McLean VA, just across the river from Washington DC), where nobody is riding in the 'burbs with 30" of snow on the ground, many roads are unplowed, and the ones that are plowed too narrow and nasty for riding today.