How many gears do you need on a bicycle?

RichTheDude · Jul 20, 2013

Nigel Goodwin said:
Yes, the Sturmey Archer gears were crap, and three is no where enough for a bicycle.

Low gear is too high for steep hills, and high gear too low for any kind of speed - really pretty naff all together.

Mind you, I used to have a Rudge single gear bike in my teens, and I used to get round pretty well OK - including some VERY, VERY steep hills (I still have the scars from getting knocked off by a car on one VERY, VERY steep hill - but I did take the wing mirror off with my head - it was a Ford Granada).

I never had a problem with the 3 Speed Sturmey Archer hub I retrofitted to my Raleigh BMX as a kid. I was given a 20 inch folding bike, so I stripped it for the back wheel, gear change selector and cable. I could outrun any of my friends on that bike . Did all BMX's exhibit the dreaded front wheel wobble at speed?

Val Gretchev · Jul 20, 2013

voidptr said:
my next bike, with Shimano Nexus 8-speed internally-geared rear hub ...

Thanks for pointing out the MEC Desire bicycle with the Shimano Nexus 8-speed hub. I am glad to see that you can still get a bike with internal gears.

My Raleigh cost me $60 in 1955. That was a lot of money back then when you could buy a loaf of bread for 10 cents.

Mr RB · Jul 20, 2013

Grip shifts rule.

**broken link removed**

21 gears is fine, especially when you can change gears instantly with no effort, not even having to lift your thumbs off the bars.

Val Gretchev · Jul 21, 2013

That’s me bringing up the rear on my brother’s 50 acre farm. The dirt bikes are fun to ride especially on the grass.

HiTech · Jul 25, 2013

Being a former professional bike mechanic from many years back, too many gears present numerous problems and challenges regarding the physics of gearing and lateral movement of a forward rotating chain. It's far better for a cyclist to strengthen themselves to handle larger gaps between gear ratios than it is to cluster together a bunch of close ratio cogs and while having the chain try to efficiently and reliably negotiate each one of them. Certain gear ratios just do not synchronize well.

How many gears do you need on a bicycle?

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How many gears do you need on a bicycle?

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