are four speeds nexus' that sought after?

[snydur]

i have one and i like it, but i know its dang hard to find parts for. . .or even a whole hub! but are these really that rare ? i got a call from a good friend of mine asking if he should pick up this cruiser with a four speed, course i told him to grab it and run, but are these just that rare? thanks!

 

[Uncle Stretch]

No they suck! the gearing is so close on 3rd and 4th that you will wonder
why they added that extra gear. Then you have to run a really small front
sprocket to make them useable at all. They discontinued them for a reason
the three speed will out perform them. This is just my opinion though. :roll:

 

[Road Master]

I'm a Sturmey Archer 3 Speed guy from way back - had two 50s boys Hercules in the 60s. Nothing will ever replace those old English bikes w/ the SA Hubs and changers.(Still have two) But I also have a Dyno Motoglide w/ the Nexis 4 Speed and there is two things that I really like about it - I love the way the gear changer operates back and forth and also the fact that you can change gears up or down without letting up on the pedals - very cool! Robert

 

[dos cruiser]

I have a 2001 Schwinn Cruiser 4 and Uncle Stretch is right about them being hard to ride. I like the bike for flat trails, family riding but I wouldn't take on a pub crawl.

 

[Sinner4]

I like the old 3 speeds, Shimano and the Sturmy. Found out how to use them and make the bike realy move out. who needs a 4 or 8 or even an 11 speed internal. 3 is fine.

 

[snydur]

well damn, now i feel bad for loving my four speed. then again it is the only internal gear ive ever owned. . .ridden. :roll:

 

[kingfish254]

I love the Nexus 7 I have on Flex-Liner 7 and I also really like the Nexus 8 I have on my Dahon Mu folding bike.

 

[Houndog]

I have a nexus 4 speed wheelset I'd sell cheap...It's in the for sale section...

 

[heyslugger]

...the three speed will out perform them.

I just got one on a Felt Chief I traded for. I love the way it rides and shifts but it seems like there is a huge gap between 2nd and third somehow. More than there ought to be. I have never changed sprockets or anything like that on a bike and my only 3sp exp. is on a SA hub and those gears seem closer together, more natural somehow. Is there something I can do to get the Nexus running 'closer'. I hope my ? made some sense. thanks for any advice, sorry to hijack a thread with this.

 

[honestherman]

Have a question guys.
I have two newer bikes that I ride all the time. One is an 18 speed and one is a 7 speed. After I rode the 7 speed for a while I realized that the low gear on it ls like 6th gear on the 18 speed. No real Low Gear. In other words I am working too hard in 1st gear just for a slow cruise.
Now I am hooked on a 50's Schwinn. I want to install a gear change hub on rear. Which one do you guys suggest? I like a low gear but also like a mid high Gear also.
Any Suggestions on best options?

 

[Bigcam59]

if it's a derailleur bike with a freewheel, invest in a Shimano megarange freewheel. it has a whopping 34 tooth low gear, which should be plenty low for climbing. Most 7 speed only have a 28 tooth low gear. 8)

 

[expjawa]

I have that MegaRange freewheel on my winter bike, paired with a 44T front, and 26x1.75" snow tires. That has pretty much all the low gear I can use without going mountain biking. The combination isn't overly fast, but fast on snow isn't necessarily wise... The MegaRange is a good choice if you need low range, and it's pretty inexpensive too.