21 spd vs. 3 spd internal

donquijote1954 said:

Howdy!

I'm debating between those two arrangements in a Townie cruiser, and I
wonder which one is better in situations where wind (not hills) could
be a factor. Is a 3 spd internal equivalent to 3 spd external?

Uhhh... the subject line says "21 vs 3-speed" and then the body says
"3-speed internal" vs. "3-speed external". I think you need to clarify
what you're asking about.

Jeff

donquijote1954 said:

Howdy!

I'm debating between those two arrangements in a Townie cruiser, and I
wonder which one is better in situations where wind (not hills) could
be a factor. Is a 3 spd internal equivalent to 3 spd external?

Thanks in Advance!

I ride a three speed utility bike in hilly middle Tennessee, and
mine is geared so it's a got uphill, flat, and downhill gears. Dead
simple and it gets ridden a lot. Remember that you can change the cog
in back to alter the overall ratio. The idea of external gears on a
bike that calls itself a cruiser is ludicrous. Have a look at a more
conventional Breezer with a 7 or 8 speed hub or even a Bianchi Milano
if you want more ratios.

Per landotter:

Quoted message said:

I ride a three speed utility bike in hilly middle Tennessee, and
mine is geared so it's a got uphill, flat, and downhill gears. Dead
simple and it gets ridden a lot. Remember that you can change the cog
in back to alter the overall ratio. The idea of external gears on a
bike that calls itself a cruiser is ludicrous. Have a look at a more
conventional Breezer with a 7 or 8 speed hub or even a Bianchi Milano
if you want more ratios.

And check out Heinz Stucke - not went around the world by bike, but spend
virtually his entire adult life on the road.

His take is that 3 speeds is enough.
--
PeteCresswell

Per (PeteCresswell):

Quoted message said:

Heinz Stucke

Oops, forgot the URL:
http://www.bikechina.com/ct-heinzstucke1z.html
--
PeteCresswell

donquijote1954 said:

Howdy!

I'm debating between those two arrangements in a Townie cruiser, and I
wonder which one is better in situations where wind (not hills) could
be a factor. Is a 3 spd internal equivalent to 3 spd external?

A SRAM DualDrive hub has a 1.36:1 overdrive (3rd gear), a 1:1 direct
drive (2nd gear) and a 0.73:1 underdrive (1st gear). By comparison, the
standard 52/42/32 road triple has 1.24:1 large ring and 0.76:1 "granny"
ring (relative to the middle ring) and the common 44/32/22 ATB triple
crank has ratios of 1.375:1 and 0.69:1. So it really depends on the
teeth range of the crank (the maximum difference of which is limited by
both front and rear derailer capacity).

Quoted message said:

Thanks in Advance!

You are risking getting flamed for appearing illiterate by Herr Brandt:
<http://groups.google.com/group/rec.bicycles.tech/msg/1358551cf31cb80f?dmode=source>.

--
Tom Sherman - Here, not there.

JeffWills said:

donquijote1954 said:

Howdy!

I'm debating between those two arrangements in a Townie cruiser, and I
wonder which one is better in situations where wind (not hills) could
be a factor. Is a 3 spd internal equivalent to 3 spd external?

Uhhh... the subject line says "21 vs 3-speed" and then the body says
"3-speed internal" vs. "3-speed external". I think you need to clarify
what you're asking about.

Jeff

The case at hand is in the tittle, the other is a hypothetical
question. Thanks!

(PeteCresswell) said:

Per landotter:

Quoted message said:

I ride a three speed utility bike in hilly middle Tennessee, and
mine is geared so it's a got uphill, flat, and downhill gears. Dead
simple and it gets ridden a lot. Remember that you can change the cog
in back to alter the overall ratio. The idea of external gears on a
bike that calls itself a cruiser is ludicrous. Have a look at a more
conventional Breezer with a 7 or 8 speed hub or even a Bianchi Milano
if you want more ratios.

And check out Heinz Stucke - not went around the world by bike, but spend
virtually his entire adult life on the road.

His take is that 3 speeds is enough.

I guess then it's not a problem in headwind. Thanks!