Toss in the fact that you can more easily fit a wide range of gears, and it’s easy to see why the derailleur has been the industry norm for years. Less difficult to engineer, available from a wider array of manufacturers, and more ubiquitous – designing, producing, and procuring an external set-up is just plain cheaper, and sometimes that’s all you need. While it won’t matter much in a flat city, if your rides regularly have you tackling taller hills or hauling heavy loads, those extra gears can be a lifesaver.īased on the above, you probably guessed that two of the huge plusses for an external set-up are the lower initial cost and the benefit of a wider range of gears. There are only so many ways to cram all those gears into a hub, so you’re often forced to choose between the versatility of having a lot of gears and the practicality of the internal set-up. The last drawback is that you have fewer speeds. Luckily, those repairs will be fewer and farther between thanks to the reliability and durability inherent in the system. The more technical internal hubs require a bit more time and expertise so, while most bike shops are comfortable servicing them, you'll usually pay a little more for the work. But, when it does come time to repair, expect to pay a bit more than you would for an external system as well. Small parts, highly-engineered designs, and some mechanical wizardry combine to give internal hubs a higher initial price tag – one that’s hopefully alleviated by the reduced maintenance and repair costs over the life of the bike. Internal hubs are just more expensive than external gearing because they're more complicated systems. So what’re the downsides? The most obvious is cost. Even when you must futz, the 3-speeds are easier to tweak because the minimal movement of the cable means you never need to take big swings at it and there's no risk of an over-adjustment throwing your chain into the spokes. That means your cables stretch and wear more slowly, which translates into fewer missed-shifts and less time spent futzing with barrel adjusters. Internal hubs are also more reliable than their external counterparts because of their sealed mechanisms and because actuation requires much less cable pull. The internal set-up allows you to shift even when you’re at a stop, which is a huge bonus at that red light you “just missed” because you can downshift and get rolling again easily. The last positives are ease of use and reliability. Durability gets a boost too, as an internal hub won’t be knocked out of alignment (or break off) if the bike falls over – something derailleurs just can’t match. The lack of a cassette allows for the spokes on each side of the wheel to be more evenly matched, making a stronger rear wheel possible, which means less frequent truing is necessary as well. ![]() Besides having the essentials secured safely inside, there’s less wear on the chain as it never needs to change cogs, it’s impossible to cross-chain, and thicker, sturdier cogs can be used so your whole drivetrain will last longer. Internal hubs require less maintenance in general. It also prevents water, dirt, and road grime from gunking up the gears, causing premature wear, and that means less maintenance! In fact, because the 3-speeds don’t need to move the chain and don’t require a derailleur, they’ll allow you to mount a full-coverage chainguard so your entire drivetrain can be sealed from the elements, which means no more greasy pant-legs, less frequent chain repair, and the cleanest look possible on two wheels. Let’s start with the pros! Having everything sealed away in the hub accomplishes a couple of things first, it gives the bike a clean, minimalist appearance - keeping everything simple. So which is better? Well, it really comes down to you! Because the chain never has to move (it’s always engaging the same cog and the shifting happens inside the hub), the 3-speeds don’t have the derailleur so typical of a geared bike. ![]() The 3-speeds use an internal hub, so all the mechanics are sealed up inside the center of the wheel. The 8-speeds use what most folks would probably refer to as the “standard” gearing set-up on a bike – different-sized external cogs are shifted through by moving the chain with a derailleur (that thingy that hangs down with the “little pulley” on it that adjusts the chain’s tension and slides it left and right to change which cog is being engaged by the chain). This time, we’ll explore the differences between our 3-speed bikes and 8-speed bikes and weigh the pros and cons of each set-up!īesides the obvious, “One has 5 more gears, duh!”, the biggest difference between our 3-speed and 8-speed gearing systems is their design. In our first lesson, we covered the basics of gearing and how to shift effectively when starting from a stop (we skipped handing out the syllabus because nobody reads it anyway).
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