which nexus 8 speed hub bike: Blade8, CRXcity, TrekS500?

[chains]

Hi, I'm a real bike newbie and want a fuss free bike to travel to and from work (approx. 8km fairly flat travel each way) that's also fun. The internal gearings sounds very practical for me.

What are the strengths & weaknesses of the following nexus 8 speed hub bikes? Value for money? Quality? Suitability for my purposes?

Pls rate: Avanti Blade 8, Giant CRX City, Trek S500
(any other comparable bikes I've missed?)

Thanks in advance!

[sogood]

No personal experience with it but have used the old Sturmy-Archer 3 speed hub for many years. With all the mechanisms protected inside the hub shell, unaffected by rain, dirt and mud, the big advantage is reduced maintenance. Externally there's only one rear cog, one front chainring, keeping the chainline straight leading to reduced chain wear and far less chance of chain problems during a ride.

In other words, for people who don't have hills to tackle, these internal geared hubs are just perfect for commuters.

[Bnej]

I have the older S500 in 7 speed, with the chain ring changed from the 44t that comes with it to a 34t. That works pretty well up hills, but not as well as the granny gear on a mountain bike.

The S500 has 26" tyres, which you can get by on or off road with. They have presta valves and take a higher pressure than most MTB tyres. The drum brakes are less hassle than other types, because they won't rub on the rim and they are pretty much enclosed. You do however need to pull harder on the brake - but this can actually be good on the road, you get smoother braking.

The CRX City is $300 cheaper. It's got 700c wheels so it'd probably roll a bit better on road and be a bit quicker, and it has linear pull brakes like an MTB. Probably not much fun off road.

Haven't seen the Avanti at all.

[AUbicycles]

For the poll you have to add answers for people who "don't know" (like me)... but which are good for participating. I would have ticked, "don't know".

Cheers
Christopher

[Hotdog]

I'd be interested in hearing people's opinions with these bikes too. I love the Nexus Inter-8 gears on my Carrera Subway 8 (rigid MTB frame, 26x1.6 road tyres, roller hub brakes) but have been looking for a slightly faster bike for my commute, and these hub-geared flat bar road bikes look pretty good on paper. I've seen an Avanti Blade 8 parked up where I work, but not spotted the owner yet to quiz him/her about it. The Giant CRX City seems a pretty good fit for my needs too.

[flyingant]

I have the CRX City and love it. (see avtar) Good value for money as far as I can see. The frame has the attatchment points for mounting racks etc which I don't think the others do??

Orbea also have a flat bar roadie with the nexus8 which also features the dynamo hub.

In other words, for people who don't have hills to tackle, these internal geared hubs are just perfect for commuters.

Don't see your point here Sogood The lowest gear is good for any hill I've encountered, but yes, I admit it wont climb a tree

[Hotdog]

The Avanti Blade 8 also has rack attachment points, the one I've seen has a rear rack and panniers.

The Orbea Derio (seem to be the one you mean, flyingant?) has the lower grade 8R20 hub rather than the 8R25 premium part (better seals and bearings, allegedly better reliability and efficiency), which seems a bit disappointing given that bike isn't that cheap. Which version does the Giant CRX City use? The Avanti Blade 8 seems to have the 8R25 (I've spotted the tell-tale red stripe).

[flyingant]

Hotdog, the CRX has the 8R25 as did the Orbea I saw but not sure what it was called.
Like I said, the Giant is good value for money. Actually, a salesman at one of the bikeshops I visited that didn't sell Giant said that I wouldn't find better value for money.
I didn't look at the Avanti but it seems much the same in spec as the CRX.

[Hotdog]

Thanks for that, flyingant. Seems the Giant, Avanti and Orbea all have very similar specs. I think the Giant is the best looking bike of the three, though.

Time to start saving...

[flyingant]

What are the strengths & weaknesses of the following nexus 8 speed hub bikes? Value for money? Quality? Suitability for my purposes?

I think the only weakness that a reasonable person could find in the Nexus 8 is that it only has 8 gears. I don't find this a problem as I only ever used the middle chainring on my old 21spd (ie 7spds) so I've gained one. The fact that you can change heaps quicker is a huge bonus when climbing. If you where keen, you could put a double chainring on the front and have 16spds or get the Rohloff Speedhub 14 Spd (but you'd have to morgage your house )

[Bnej]

I think the only weakness that a reasonable person could find in the Nexus 8 is that it only has 8 gears. I don't find this a problem as I only ever used the middle chainring on my old 21spd (ie 7spds) so I've gained one. The fact that you can change heaps quicker is a huge bonus when climbing. If you where keen, you could put a double chainring on the front and have 16spds or get the Rohloff Speedhub 14 Spd (but you'd have to morgage your house )

The gaps between gears are bigger, so you've gained more range than that. If you wanted a double chainring you'd need to fit a front deraileur and also an idler or uncabled rear deraileur to keep the chain tension. Better option would be a Shlumpf Dual-drive in the bottom bracket, then it's a one-hand and one-foot shift - but that's like $700.

Disadvantages: They're heavier, you don't get as much total range, the gaps are bigger so changes aren't as smooth, there's an efficiency disadvantage so you wouldn't take it racing...

S500 definitely has rack attachment points, I have one fitted.

There's also the Trek S300, which is cheaper with 700c wheels, 7 speed Nexus and a V-brake on the front instead of the hub brake.

[flyingant]

Ok, apart from those 'reasonable disadvantages'

[heavymetal]

I've looked at internal hub gears, but decided against them as they all interfere with my ability to pull a BOB trailer.

I would have ticked I don't know in the poll as well.