I'll be taking the 8SQB out for a longer ride this weekend. I'll let everyone know what I think about the performance of the hub.
Part of the "less efficient" feeling may be the sounds made by the hubs--you can hear the gears meshing together. I'd be interested in ready Berto's report--is it online? --Eric campyonly...@me.com www.campyonly.com www.wheelsnorth.org On Nov 18, 2009, at 6:41 AM, Tim McNamara wrote: > > On Nov 18, 2009, at 7:04 AM, Steve Wimberg wrote: > >> I agree that the internal gear hub is not as efficient as a derailleur >> setup > >> On Nov 17, 2009, at 4:24 PM, Eric Norris wrote: >> >>> My only issue with the hub (once I got the first defective hub >>> repaired by the good folks at Hiawatha Cyclery) is that it's >>> definitely not as efficient as a standard derailleur setup, and much >>> less effiicient than a fixed gear. > > Frank Berto's comparative efficiency testing of derailleurs versus > hub gears indicated that hub gears are very close to the efficiency > of derailleurs in most gears. It also showed that derailleur systems > are nowhere near as efficient as people think they are (e.g., the 98% > efficiency claim many people make is under very ideal conditions only). > > It was quite interesting that gear size has a much bigger impact on > efficiency, especially the rear cogs. As the cog gets small, > efficiency drops dramatically. Cogs below 14 teeth are less > efficient than hub gears. > > Hub gears have gotten a bad rap since about 1914 when Lucien Petit- > Breton complained that they were "friction boxes." Mind you, this > was after he was leading the Tour de France using a Sturmey-Archer > hub until he hit a dog and crashed out of the race... I've been > convinced for decades that hub gears are preferable to derailleurs > for about 90% of riders in terms of use (simple shifting, > reliability, etc.). The big problem for most riders is dealing with > flats, being a bit more complicated than is the case with derailleurs. > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=. > > --Eric campyonly...@me.com www.campyonly.com www.wheelsnorth.org -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=.
