the thing is, the 3-speed hub gear is very robust, lightweight, requires virtually no maintenance, hardly ever needs adjusting and costs next to nothing (compared to other hub gears)!

 

Yes, I have one circa 40 years old on a Dawes Kingpin folder, never a problem and seen no more than a few drops of oil in the hub each year.

Just I don't ask of it anything like the rides, or terrains I do on our road bikes or Kalkhoff Agattu Impulse.

Accept the SA versions of that vintage were robust, no knowledge of current offerings.

Id much prefer the hub gearing as ive had on my non electric bike had for many yrs now , this without any faults happening

 

much better over the Derailleurs , plus I havent had any

job need done at all in all them years with hub gearing , and although elec-bike sounds good , I reckon theyre far too expensive

but all to their own .

The problem with hub gears and gates belt drive is how to tension the belt with a mid drive and the use of eccentric bb do not play well together

Easy to overcome on a factory build with just needs tensioners- adjusters on the rear wheel old school style

Have tried to convert several types -brands, but lumps on the bb have always been in the way

Being no expert but having a Batribike Quartz (with new batteries) but never have been keen on derailure gears I’ve just looked at the Rollfoff hub gear which I like very much, - combine that with a rear wheel belt drive and I’d have the lot! - if it were possible - and to find someone to supply and fit it? But then where to put the motor? How much of this would be feasible?

 

Jim

Edited June 14, 20205 yr by Jimo

Retrofitting a belt drive is exceedingly challenged for all but those with frame re-engineering skills and facilities, as you can't break the belt to thread through the standard configuration of the stays. Basically the bike frame has to be designed for use of the belt.

Chains can be split and rejoined, a Gates carbon belt can't, and as mentioned belt tensioning provisions need including.

As also flagged up you can add a front hub motor to an existing belt drive push bike. IMO few of those desiring the technical sophistication of a belt drive bike, are going to be accepting of a front wheel motor drive?

Being no expert but having a Batribike Quartz (with new batteries) but never have been keen on derailure gears I’ve just looked at the Rollfoff hub gear which I like very much, - combine that with a rear wheel belt drive and I’d have the lot! - if it were possible - and to find someone to supply and fit it? But then where to put the motor? How much of this would be feasible?

 

Jim

 

Rohloff are the "rolls royce" of hub gears, there are a few others that are much cheaper and do sort of the same job.

But in any case you'd be out of luck with your bike in terms of using the motor.

Being no expert but having a Batribike Quartz (with new batteries) but never have been keen on derailure gears I’ve just looked at the Rollfoff hub gear which I like very much, - combine that with a rear wheel belt drive and I’d have the lot! - if it were possible - and to find someone to supply and fit it? But then where to put the motor? How much of this would be feasible?

 

Jim

 

P.s Impractical to adjust that bike (obviously anything can be done ata price)

id say you bought the wrong bike and it would be simpler and cheaper to sell it and buy one with the features you wanted.

I would be very happy to make and sell solid 'plodders'.

the cost of producing a belt drive 3-speed hubgear is little more than a derailleur (about $50 a bike). I made one 3 years ago but it didn't sell well. My guess is people prefer to have 8-speed even if they rarely need more than 3.

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/2017/zephyr-c/zephyr-c-1500.jpg

 

So how many orders do you need to cause you to get your spanners out? Seems the current panicdemic might dredge up some appropriate customers again .. although 7 or 8 speed might be more popular.

So how many orders do you need to cause you to get your spanners out?

 

we need to sell at least 100 bikes of a model a year to make it viable.

It's a tiny quantity for most factories, they wouldn't be interested in helping us with anything smaller.

 

although 7 or 8 speed might be more popular.

yes, agreed.

the main problem is it adds 1kg of extra weight and about $50 extra cost.

8 years ago, I made a beautiful bike with 7-speed hubgear, the Woosh Sundowner. It was a solid plodder. Dutch style, comfortable, upright, long range.

I thought it would be an ideal commuters' bike. I was wrong. Customers preferred the MTB shape.

4-5 years ago, I made the Zephyr-CDN, crank drive, folding, hubgear and sold it for £749. I really loved it, it sold for not much money and deserved more success. It sold well for 2 years then suddenly, sales dried up. I put that on account of Halfords entering the e-bike market with their cheap folding bikes.

Buyers in the most part are led by the bigger brands and stores and since the 80's the mtb seems to be king, I see lots of people riding them on the road as it is/was in the main the trend.

If one major brand was to suddenly go with hub gears and they took off every one else would follow suit, in the 70's the SA 3 speed was common place.

Slowly now 700c or 29ers hybrids are appearing, my 700c with Geoff's on I get few looks and comments. As I tell folks it is function over form and I go for comfort when riding rather then discomfort, for a proper nice bike you have to bespoke some of the fittings instead of the usual standard tat that is fitted. That speaks for it self two or three latest users/posts complaining about tingling sensations in the hands.

we need to sell at least 100 bikes of a model a year to make it viable.

It's a tiny quantity for most factories, they wouldn't be interested in helping us with anything smaller.

 

 

yes, agreed.

the main problem is it adds 1kg of extra weight and about $50 extra cost.

8 years ago, I made a beautiful bike with 7-speed hubgear, the Woosh Sundowner. It was a solid plodder. Dutch style, comfortable, upright, long range.

I thought it would be an ideal commuters' bike. I was wrong. Customers preferred the MTB shape.

4-5 years ago, I made the Zephyr-CDN, crank drive, folding, hubgear and sold it for £749. I really loved it, it sold for not much money and deserved more success. It sold well for 2 years then suddenly, sales dried up. I put that on account of Halfords entering the e-bike market with their cheap folding bikes.

That Sundowner looks great. I would definitely be in the market for something similar. I am a really big fan of the Dutch-style "plodder" that perfectly suits my leisure cycling. My ideal would be step through Duty-Style swept back bars with hub gears & a belt drive & powered by the front hub with cadence sensor & a throttle. The Woosh Sundowner is the first I have found that ticks all the boxes. Any chance of putting it back into production?

the Rambla is a second stab at this 'solid plodders' market.

If it sells well this year, then I will fit a hub gear and a enclosed chain cover next year.

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?rambla

There was a Sundowner on Gumtree in Basildon, Esssex a 3 weeks ago with only 97 miles on the odo. Vgc £625.

Just looked now and it seems to be for sale still.

Edited June 20, 20205 yr by Nealh

the Rambla is a second stab at this 'solid plodders' market.

If it sells well this year, then I will fit a hub gear and a enclosed chain cover next year.

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?rambla

Woosh, a smaller frame for those of us that are only 5' 7" would be useful....my legs would be dangling! But we do need more choice of bikes with hub gears for those of us that have decided to go down that road (no pun intended). The Batribike Omega has a rear Nexus hub with front wheel motor.

the Rambla is a second stab at this 'solid plodders' market.

If it sells well this year, then I will fit a hub gear and a enclosed chain cover next year.

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?rambla

The Rambla would be perfect for me if it had hub gears & a front hub drive.

It looks like my only option at present is to do a conversion.

There was a Sundowner on Gumtree in Basildon, Esssex a 3 weeks ago with only 97 miles on the odo. Vgc £625.

Just looked now and it seems to be for sale still.

Brilliant! I live in North Essex so it’s not far. I will check it out. Thanks.

Link.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/woosh-sundowner-electric-bike/1373794588

I sold the Sundowners for £699 and 7 years later, he wants £625 for it.

I am gobsmacked.

I sold the Sundowners for £699 and 7 years later, he wants £625 for it.

I am gobsmacked.

 

You might get a bit extra for a replacement battery though

What it is for sale for and what is offered may not be any where near the same.

£200/250 maybe as the battery will need replacing sooner then later.

You could buy this frame: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/frames/40-st-thorn-nomad-mk3-step-through-frame-gunmetal-imron/ plus a kit from Woosh. This hub built in to a wheel: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shimano-Gear-hub-NEXUS-3-gear-SG-3D55-36-hole-135-mm-black/313044611403 Find some forks and you would have a good bike for about £1500. The belt drive part would mean finding a good engineer to make the required pulleys, and would add to the cost. My Nexus 3-speed has done 15000 miles through five winters, and still seems to work well.

Kudos Safari and Liberty

http://www.kudoscycles.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=275

http://www.kudoscycles.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=222

 

Pretty heavy even by 'robust' fully set up ebike standards, and a rather old-fashioned and low capacity battery (might have difficulty if it needs replacing at any time(*)). No belt (of course). But pretty cheap.

 

(*) Kudos spares don't look so plentiful.

http://www.kudoscycles.com/index.php?cPath=2

You could buy this frame: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/frames/40-st-thorn-nomad-mk3-step-through-frame-gunmetal-imron/ plus a kit from Woosh. This hub built in to a wheel: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shimano-Gear-hub-NEXUS-3-gear-SG-3D55-36-hole-135-mm-black/313044611403 Find some forks and you would have a good bike for about £1500. The belt drive part would mean finding a good engineer to make the required pulleys, and would add to the cost. My Nexus 3-speed has done 15000 miles through five winters, and still seems to work well.

I searched on EBay for toothed pulleys, just out of interest, and it came up with ready-made ones, but rather expensive! They were in Germany.

I had forgot about the Safari it is a heck of a lot of ebike for the money. And if it were to go wrong you can simply replace the electrics for under £100.

You could buy this frame: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/frames/40-st-thorn-nomad-mk3-step-through-frame-gunmetal-imron/ plus a kit from Woosh. This hub built in to a wheel: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shimano-Gear-hub-NEXUS-3-gear-SG-3D55-36-hole-135-mm-black/313044611403 Find some forks and you would have a good bike for about £1500. The belt drive part would mean finding a good engineer to make the required pulleys, and would add to the cost. My Nexus 3-speed has done 15000 miles through five winters, and still seems to work well.

I think that a better way of spending £1500 would be to spend £1049 on a complete Dutch-style bicycle with belt drive & hub gears & then add an electric front wheel (thanks to Woosh for this suggestion)

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Bergamont-Vitess-N8-Belt-Amsterdam-2020-Touring-Bike_218833.htm

I sold the Sundowners for £699 and 7 years later, he wants £625 for it.

I am gobsmacked.

Can you supply a new battery & how much would a new battery cost me?

What it is for sale for and what is offered may not be any where near the same.

£200/250 maybe as the battery will need replacing sooner then later.

It's interesting to know the original price was £699 but £200/250 is a rather low offer. From the photos the bike looks to be in 'as new' condition with just 97 miles on the clock. As long as Woosh can supply a new battery if required then I think that I'll take a look at the bike & decide about an offer.