need advice on sturmey 8 speed internal hub

[ohchusan]

hey guys,
need some advice.
i have a 26" cantilever frame and
i intend to use the sturmey 8 speed internal hub with 24" wheels and 24x3 tires, what i need to know is,
what tooth count chain ring should i look at? not sure what the stock sprocket size is on the 8 sp tho as i haven't ordered it yet
will this be good enough for daily commuting with slight gradients along the way?
i'm just a regular joe in terms of fitness so will this setup end up killing me? haha

i know that the tire choice is not the wisest but its what i got and besides, it'll be hella different from all the road bikes and foldies yes?

any input would be appreciated!

TIA
Darren

 

[ohchusan]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohchusan/3777542432/

here's what the bike looks like now, will reuse the 24x3 tires

 

[blackcruzer]

As long as you got enough room between the dropout, I don't think it matter what you put the internal hub on. I like them better because you don't have to have that derailer hanging off your bike.

 

[deorman]

Anything in the mid to upper 40's should be fine. 44-46t are the most common.

 

[ohchusan]

As long as you got enough room between the dropout, I don't think it matter what you put the internal hub on. I like them better because you don't have to have that derailer hanging off your bike.

cool, actually, i'm thinking of getting the drum brake version, front and rear just so that i have brakes. the tires are too wide to have normal caliper brakes. also drum cuz they're old school-er looking! haha. dunno how much stopping power these will provide but i figure F and R drum brakes are better than just the regular coaster rear brake i have now?

thanks for the advice!

 

[ohchusan]

Anything in the mid to upper 40's should be fine. 44-46t are the most common.

excellent! that's what i have on now... 44t. just one less part to buy for my "quest"

thanks Deoman!

 

[chrisharne]

The Sturmey 8spd is designed with gear 1 as the "normal" gear. Each other gear gets higher and higher. I think that means you'd want a pretty small front chainring to keep the gearing from getting ridiculously high...

I'm not positive, but that's something to look into for sure.

 

[deorman]

That would surprise me greatly, but if true would definitely call for a much smaller ring, like 30t or so.

 

[Wildcat]

I took this off their webpage. Looks like a small chainwheel is called for. A 28 might even work.

• Overall Range - 325%
• Gear 1 - 100% (Direct Drive)
• Gear 2 - 130% (Gear 1 + 30%)
• Gear 3 - 148% (Gear 2 + 14%)
• Gear 4 - 169% (Gear 3 + 14%)
• Gear 5 - 192% (Gear 4 + 14%)
• Gear 6 - 220% (Gear 5 + 14%)
• Gear 7 - 250% (Gear 6 + 14%)
• Gear 8 - 325% (Gear 7 + 30

 

[ohchusan]

hey thanks for the heads up guys. appreciate it.

actually after giving it more thought and finding out that shipping this 8sp hub with a matching front one (both drums) including shipping's gonna set me back quite a bit. i'm wondering if i should just buy a brand new (18-27sp) hybrid bike locally? i intend to ride about 16km one way to and from work so i'm between two minds now. as much as i'd wanna ride something more unique... i'm wondering if i'd end up killing myself trying to do the do with the fat tires and 8 sp up and down the gradients on route?

anyone here commute this type of distances daily with fat tires? i know its not really that far but i am clearly not as fit as i'd wanna be, i'm 42 this year and the ups and downs will prolly take its toll, hence the interest in a geared setup.

i'm also toying with the idea of using 700 wheels (if thats what they're called??) and tires on my canti frame, i've seen a few on this site and they look killer! anyone know off hand what the overall diameter is for a 700 wheel/tire combo? i could then use a derailleur set up right? or am i missing something? not very knowledgeable where it comes to bicycles as you can tell by now..

tia guys!

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

ya, maybe a 20 mile round trip commute on those huge tires and that heavy bike is a bit much. I know I'd want something more "roadie" style, 700c wheels etc.

maybe you could find a nice lugged frame and get that internal 8spd hub into it, laced to 700c wheels. clean look, yet geared for a medium-long commute.

 

[deorman]

700c wheels on a 26" whl bike will mean you'll be limited to small, hard tires, which are great for clean pavement, but pretty much suck anywhere else. 26" mtb, such as on a lot of "hybrid" bikes, or cruiser rims, can be fitted w/1.5"-1.75" medium pressure street tires, which roll much easier than balloons, but still give some cushion, and better performance on gravel, pavement edges, and dirt than high pressure racing tires. Also, high-end large mtb tires usually hold higher pressures and have continuous tread centers which allow them to roll more easily than beach tires or cheap low pressure tires. For a 5-10-mile daily commute, proper leg extension and a well-fitted seat and handle bar are probably going to be your most important choices. Even a 1-speed can work, depending on the terrain, gearing, and your state of mind. Some low-end mtb's that you can get the whole bike for the price of a bare wheel can be swapped bolt-on to an old cruiser frame, as long as the rear axle isn't more than about 3/8" longer. For example, viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18006

 

[deorman]

Personally, I think a $300.00 mountain or hybrid bike ($50-150 used :wink: ) with street tires is the best bang for your buck in terms of transportation, but some riders absolutely swear by skinny lightweights :| . They can certainly get there faster, but they can be rough on older nerves and bones. :wink:

 

[deorman]

I forgot to mention, in case it hadn't occurred to you, tire size effects gearing as well. A smaller tire goes a shorter distance per revolution, easier to pedal, not as fast at the same cadence. :| AND 700c wheels can take some really big tires, they (the tires) just won't fit your 26" bike. They're known as 28" or 29er's.

 

[FunkyStickman]

hey thanks for the heads up guys. appreciate it.

actually after giving it more thought and finding out that shipping this 8sp hub with a matching front one (both drums) including shipping's gonna set me back quite a bit. i'm wondering if i should just buy a brand new (18-27sp) hybrid bike locally? i intend to ride about 16km one way to and from work so i'm between two minds now. as much as i'd wanna ride something more unique... i'm wondering if i'd end up killing myself trying to do the do with the fat tires and 8 sp up and down the gradients on route?

anyone here commute this type of distances daily with fat tires? i know its not really that far but i am clearly not as fit as i'd wanna be, i'm 42 this year and the ups and downs will prolly take its toll, hence the interest in a geared setup.

i'm also toying with the idea of using 700 wheels (if thats what they're called??) and tires on my canti frame, i've seen a few on this site and they look killer! anyone know off hand what the overall diameter is for a 700 wheel/tire combo? i could then use a derailleur set up right? or am i missing something? not very knowledgeable where it comes to bicycles as you can tell by now..

tia guys!

Okay, I've built, and ridden for long distances, a bike with a Sturmey 8-speed hub and a 24X3" tire.

First off: yes, the Sturmey 8sp is different from all other internal gear hubs in that 1:1 is the lowest gear, not somewhere in the middle. This means that you either need a 20" wheel, or a really small chainring. You can see in my pics I used the smallest chainring I could find at the moment, which was a 32T. It works fine for flatland riding. I used the 25T rear cog, and 32T in the front. I paid $135 for my 8-speed hub, got it from http://www.ebikestop.com which had the best price I could find anywhere. Right now, all the Sturmey 70mm front drum brakes are out of stock, everywhere. You'd probably find a 90mm drum hub, which will run you around $70. Plus you'd have to find someone to build the wheels for you (which I would offer to do, but I'm just too busy currently).

However, I rode the bike 115 miles for an MS tour in October. 75 miles one day, 40 the next. And I found out a few things I hadn't prepared for, mainly that when I got into some hills, the 32T chainring wasn't low enough. I currently have a 28T crank on it, and I think it would work for the hills now... but mainly because I can't stand and honk on this bike. I may even go down to a 22T. If you have a standard canti frame, you could probably get away with a 32T and stand on the hills.

Sturmey had a townie bike built for a trade show, look at the chainring they use:

Plus they used 700C (29") wheels. It is probably a 28T ring.

Shop around, the Sturmey hub is very good quality for the price. If you find a Shimano 8sp Nexus hub, they are quieter and geared for normal chainrings, but you can't get them with real drum brakes. And they're a good bit more expensive than the Sturmey hubs.

Let me know if you have any questions about it!
(Oh, and I'm 35... gears are a must!)

 

[ohchusan]

wow! thanks for all this important info guys! i really REALLy appreciate it!...
thanks goodness for all the willingness to share this info with me. i think you guys have helped me from making some costly mistakes.
looks like i will have to give deeper thought into this idea of mine.....

 

[blackcruzer]

hey thanks for the heads up guys. appreciate it.

actually after giving it more thought and finding out that shipping this 8sp hub with a matching front one (both drums) including shipping's gonna set me back quite a bit. i'm wondering if i should just buy a brand new (18-27sp) hybrid bike locally? i intend to ride about 16km one way to and from work so i'm between two minds now. as much as i'd wanna ride something more unique... i'm wondering if i'd end up killing myself trying to do the do with the fat tires and 8 sp up and down the gradients on route?

anyone here commute this type of distances daily with fat tires? i know its not really that far but i am clearly not as fit as i'd wanna be, i'm 42 this year and the ups and downs will prolly take its toll, hence the interest in a geared setup.

i'm also toying with the idea of using 700 wheels (if thats what they're called??) and tires on my canti frame, i've seen a few on this site and they look killer! anyone know off hand what the overall diameter is for a 700 wheel/tire combo? i could then use a derailleur set up right? or am i missing something? not very knowledgeable where it comes to bicycles as you can tell by now..

tia guys!

Okay, I've built, and ridden for long distances, a bike with a Sturmey 8-speed hub and a 24X3" tire.

First off: yes, the Sturmey 8sp is different from all other internal gear hubs in that 1:1 is the lowest gear, not somewhere in the middle. This means that you either need a 20" wheel, or a really small chainring. You can see in my pics I used the smallest chainring I could find at the moment, which was a 32T. It works fine for flatland riding. I used the 25T rear cog, and 32T in the front. I paid $135 for my 8-speed hub, got it from http://www.ebikestop.com which had the best price I could find anywhere. Right now, all the Sturmey 70mm front drum brakes are out of stock, everywhere. You'd probably find a 90mm drum hub, which will run you around $70. Plus you'd have to find someone to build the wheels for you (which I would offer to do, but I'm just too busy currently).

However, I rode the bike 115 miles for an MS tour in October. 75 miles one day, 40 the next. And I found out a few things I hadn't prepared for, mainly that when I got into some hills, the 32T chainring wasn't low enough. I currently have a 28T crank on it, and I think it would work for the hills now... but mainly because I can't stand and honk on this bike. I may even go down to a 22T. If you have a standard canti frame, you could probably get away with a 32T and stand on the hills.

Sturmey had a townie bike built for a trade show, look at the chainring they use:

Plus they used 700C (29") wheels. It is probably a 28T ring.

Shop around, the Sturmey hub is very good quality for the price. If you find a Shimano 8sp Nexus hub, they are quieter and geared for normal chainrings, but you can't get them with real drum brakes. And they're a good bit more expensive than the Sturmey hubs.

Let me know if you have any questions about it!
(Oh, and I'm 35... gears are a must!)

OK, are you saying that you leave the sturmey in first gear at all time. It sound like that hub is worthless unless you have a small sprocket upfront. I was gonna put one on my trike build, it got 24x100mm on the back.

 

[ohchusan]

blackcruzer, you read my mind...was gonnna ask which gear you leave it in on the flats FSM....