How many are too many?

[Bri-in-RI]

I dont even know what to say about this one-
http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/bik/2218286783.html

 

[SCHWINNRAY69]

Imagine clicking through all those gears at once :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[outskirtscustoms]

I had that same thought, the conclusion was you'd have a lot of multiplications in gear ratios so it wouldn't really be all that much of an advantage, just added weight on the bike.

 

[JoKeR63]

I had that same thought, the conclusion was you'd have a lot of multiplications in gear ratios so it wouldn't really be all that much of an advantage, just added weight on the bike.

Unless you have a steep hill and thirst for death!

 

[mastronaut]

C'mon guys, that's just as advertised, slap a seat and a set of ape hangers and she's a done deal!

 

[deorman]

So, if you put it low/low/low, can you pedal forward while braking/track standing the front end? Will it spin your tire on the rim? :lol: You'd probably need to ride off a cliff to get in high. :lol: I've seen a 45-spd roadie, that seemed to make some sense.

 

[Spokeshave]

I got a headache just looking at the pics.

 

[X-RAY]

of the 140 ratios, i wonder how many are duplicates. and the chainline would prevent some combinations, so how many useable speeds does it have? still, my desire for excess thinks its pretty cool, even if not practical.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

of the 140 ratios, i wonder how many are duplicates. and the chainline would prevent some combinations, so how many useable speeds does it have? still, my desire for excess thinks its pretty cool, even if not practical.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31641&p=309350&hilit=7+speed+cluster#p309350
Funkystickman wrote this: It still sounds like rocket science to me but here it is.

You could do it, they have 3-speed rear hubs that take 9-speed cassettes (SRAM and Sturmey both make them) and with a triple chainring, you'd have 109 gears, but as was mentioned, you'd duplicate a LOT of gears....

I'll give you an example.

With a Sturmey CS-RF3 hub, an 11-34 cassette, and a 22-32-42 crank, you'd end up with the following gear inches (assuming a 26" wheel):
Duplicate gears (within a half inch) are in red, and don't count. Most people couldn't tell the difference between 1 gear inch... if you widen the duplicate range to 1 gear inch, it eliminates another 20 gears or so.

small ring, 1:1 hub gear
16.8, 19, 22, 24.8, 28.6, 33.6, 38.1, 44, 52
middle ring, 1:1 hub gear
24.5, 27.7, 32, 36.2, 41.6, 48.9, 55.5, 64, 75.6
big ring, 1:1 hub gear
32.1, 36.4, 42, 47.5, 54.6, 64.2, 72.8, 84, 99.3

You can see, there's already a few gears duplicated. Putting the rear hub in 1st drops all gear ratios 25%, so you get:
12.6, 14.3, 16.5, 18.6, 21.5, 25.2, 28.6, 33, 39
18.4, 20.8, 24, 27.2, 31.2, 36.7, 41.6, 48, 56.7
24, 27.3, 31.5, 35.6, 41, 48.1, 54.6, 63, 74.5

And the hub in 3rd would be everything +33%
22.3, 25.3, 29.3, 33, 38, 44.7, 50.6, 58.5, 69.1
32.6, 36.8, 42.5, 48.1, 55.3, 65, 73.8, 85.1, 100.5
42.7, 48.4, 55.9, 63.2, 72.6, 85.4, 96.8, 111.7, 132

Not only are there tons of overlap, by the time you get to either extreme, you get bigger and bigger gaps, which defeats the purpose of having lots of gears. It would be nuts having three shifters on the handlebars... I could see somebody modding an old Hurst shifter with three knobs for this

Would it be cool? Heck yeah! Would it be functional and efficient? Not really. You'd be better off with a Nuvinci hub and infinite gears.

 

[CCR]

my bike shop has a few sram wheels, 3 speeds with 7 speed clusters on them, i think theres still a lot of duplicated gears on that thing though. my brain is too weak this morning to do the math at the moment though :lol:

 

[caffeine7]

"Dude, is that a 140 mph speedo on a bike?" "No, its my gear indicator"

 

[Wildcat]

my bike shop has a few sram wheels, 3 speeds with 7 speed clusters on them, i think theres still a lot of duplicated gears on that thing though. my brain is too weak this morning to do the math at the moment though :lol:

That's what my Bike E came with, 21 speeds with a single chainwheel way up front. All the gears are different.

 

[ozzmonaut]

I find a 3 spd to be perfect. You have one for cruising flatland, one for climbing hills, and one for downhill or for extra speed. Everything beyond and in between is just not neccessary.

 

[BrunneCustoms]

I find a 3 spd to be perfect. You have one for cruising flatland, one for climbing hills, and one for downhill or for extra speed. Everything beyond and in between is just not neccessary.

I agree. My riding has shown which gears I favor and it's always the same three. My folding bike with the three speed is by far the best setup I have. Just enough difference in each gear for my taste.

 

[ozzmonaut]

When I was a kid I had a 10 spd, but never used all the gears. My first vintage lightweight was a 3 spd herculesm and I found that I could go anywhere with very little effort. I was 16 then, and it really made me question all of those other gear setups.

 

[deorman]

I tend to by-pass gears more or less depending on terrain, load, etc., but I usually use most if not all the gears a bike has if I ride it over any distance. 21 is more than plenty. :mrgreen:

 

[outskirtscustoms]

I have ridden to Peru (15 miles each way) on a single speed and did just fine.