Shaft drive mtb

[JA331]

Spotted this shaft drive mtb for sale today. Can anyone shed any light on this system? My experience with sram’s 3 speed coaster on my electra straight 8 hasn’t been good and i’ve read their 7 speed isn’t much better. The coaster on 3 speed hub freewheels until the grease heats up. Trek upgraded the later straight 8’s to the nexus 8 speed hub.

 

[RustyGold]

I've have/had nexus 7s and 8s...and I have a Sachs 7 (what SRAM derived their 7 from), but I've never laced it into a wheel. From an efficiency standpoint, they are all pretty draggy...none are as efficient as a Sturmey 3spd, and no igh compares to a derailer setup for efficiency. As for strength, my nexuses get light trail use and the occasional small jump, and no problems with either 7 or 8. My understanding is that if you are going to really abuse them, you need to find the Alfine (or premium) versions with stronger internals. I've never found one for cheap out in the wild, however. I like the Nexus 7 over the 8, as I prefer the close ratio gearbox the 7 provides, I can always find the goldilocks gear for any occasion .

 

[JA331]

Agreed, the 7 speed nexus feels like a close ratio gearbox in a race car and I find myself only really using the top 4 gears. The gears in the discontinued 4 speed feel close too but smoother in operation. I have a sturmey 3 speed on my red menace and love it. Top gear in particular feels it has more drive than the nexus 3.

 

[toro1978]

The jump between the gears is influenced by your gearing. The higher the ratio between the chainring and the rear sprocket, the more range and the bigger the jumps.
I have an S7, haven't ridden it a lot, but had no problems with it so far. I have Nexus 7, I got it used, it has seen some relatively hard use, never had problems with it either.

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

that is cool. I'd like to have one of those.