Lightning Thunderbolt with internal hub?

Jina Chan said:

Hi Folks - I have a Lightning Thunderbolt from back in '99, when they were
still making them. I've noticed lately that the shifting on the front 3
chainrings is pretty rough, not that it was ever great with the cheap
components that it came with. And I got to thinking, if I'm going to
upgrade components, why not just get a 3-speed internal hub like a Sachs
3x7 (if they still sell those) and have it put on the front instead of the
chainrings?

Has anyone ever tried this? Does anyone know if it would be a good idea?
I'd like to get some input from knowledgable folks before I do anything
that could mess up my bike.

I'm not sure what you're asking for. A SRAM DualDrive (aka Sachs
3x7/8/9) hub mounts in the rear. The "3" refers to planetary gears
operating inside the rear hub. They're still available:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/sram.html (scroll down a bit), but
they don't "replace" the front chainrings or shifting mechanism in any
particular way. You could put one on your bike, but then you'd have a
63 (or 72, or 81) speed bike. You could install one and eliminate all
but one chainring, but that's still not "putting an internal hub on the
front".

Could you clarify, please?

Jeff

Why remove the front Derraileur? It would just give you even more of a gear
range combined with the 3x7. (I used to have this type of setup on my trike)