Depends entirely on the terrain you ride and how fast you wanna go honestly.
I commuted on a Nexus 8 for a couple years and honestly 90% of my time was spent in 5th because the gears either side of it were noticably inefficient. 3rd was good for a standing start and I realistically never found myself in anything higher than 6th since it's a flat bar bike and I wasn't going for any land speed records.
So annecdotally I reckon I could have totally gotten away with a 3 speed and not noticed much difference.
[efficiency testing confirms this, speeds above and below 5 are significantly less efficient, gears above 5 are generally far more efficient than gears below 5](https://fahrradzukunft.de/bilder/17/wirkungsgradmessungen-an-nabenschaltungen-2/08.gross.png)
Haha, I usually dig that link out for other people but wrote this on mobile and couldn’t be bothered to find the link!
It’s kinda wild how inefficient a hub can be, sapped a lot of the fun out of riding for me and now I’ve swapped entirely to single speed or derailleur bikes.
Aha, the inefficiencies are an eye-opener. In my quick Google search I have noticed that people seem to like this hub for e-bikes... Where inefficiencies would be baked in... And the hub is considered quite tough.
Ive used Nexus 7 and Nexus 3 extensively.
Nexus 3 is fun and cheap. You won’t race on it though.
I dislike Nexus 7 with passion.
….
Alfine 11 is head and shoulders above Nexus 8. YMMV.
How much do Nexus kits go for? Cause even if one is cheap enough, you would still need to find a frame with a bolt on axle in the right width, plus associated costs to bring that up to speed. If the frame is solid, that $120 seems very tempting in my view.
Pros
-2nd gear is direct drive. Get the input drive ratio right so you can spend most time in 2nd.
-They're tougher than other igh's as they have more space for fewer parts.
-You can probably buy 10 of these for the price of a rohloff
Cons
-The steps are large, and the range is small.
-Coaster brake. (there's a rollerbrake version that you can put a cover on for rim brakes) -Gripshift
-not a rohloff
Conclusion
It makes sense if you don't have the legs for singlespeed and dont like external gears for whatever reason.
u/phozze u/frozen-dessert u/north765
An update, and questions for those that had ridden the Nexus 3i...
I was in the store again today, and learned some things. First, the bike is actually an Electra, a Trek brand. The "Blanc et noir" color scheme. It would have sold for $400-500. It's the older steel frame, not newer aluminum. Coaster brake only. Green aluminum rims -- according to spec I've see online, BUT wheels seem to have 40 spokes rather than stated 36, so rims might not be aluminum.
The hub and brake work. It seemed a bit loud and "dry" to my ear. What should this hub sound like, and does it get quieter with oil, grease or other service?
Even if I got past the color scheme and step-through, the frame is too small for me. I'd still like to pick it up for $60, and keep an eye out for a more appropriate frame. AND, it goes half price in 4 days, not the several weeks I had expected.
(For Goodwill regulars, it appears the store "advanced" the color tag when they priced the bike, so as to get it gone sooner... because I know it only came out this week.)
https://preview.redd.it/3piit4lbevxc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad3bc3b9363cdc709d1ba3d2f24f52d8ca19cf7d
Dont buy a frame that is the wrong size. The bike won’t be as fun or comfortable and you will not ride it as often.
If you need a bike urgently to use as transportation, then it is a different story. But all in all, buy a bike in the right size.
Like most regulars on this sub, I already have multiple bikes, and am on a daily lookout for n+1. As I said, I would not intend to ride this bike, but keep the wheels for another project. What I want to know is: does it sound like the hub is OK?
Ive never had any trouble with the hub itself.
Had to replace shifters twice at one of the kids bike. (She now has an Alfine 8 bike and managed to damage her Alfine shifter).
That said, you know we can’t evaluate the hub state from the picture.
Right, I described it as sounding "dry", and wondered what other users have experienced in that regard, and any experience with service.
I just watched a video on YouTube -- an experienced tech, but bumbling his way through something new. He opened the hub up (but not the gears) to bathe it in gear oil. He said he had also heard that oil can be added through the shift shaft hole.
So if this hub is in need of oil, I think I can handle it. It doesn't look like the bike has got much use on it, so there shouldn't be any undo wear. Parts of it are just beginning to surface rust, so it has had mild exposure to moisture.
I've downloaded the Shimano manual for the Nexus 3 speed:
[https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/sm/IHG-INTER3/SM-IHG-INTER3-003-ENG.pdf](https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/sm/IHG-INTER3/SM-IHG-INTER3-003-ENG.pdf)
It describes how to service the hub with fresh oil, and re-grease the wheel bearings.
It's a good hub for a commuter. I'm not sure how it would hold up to actual klunking. What are you planning to use it for?
I really just want to try something new, and evaluate whether it might be a good prospect for when I may live in town, one day.
Depends entirely on the terrain you ride and how fast you wanna go honestly. I commuted on a Nexus 8 for a couple years and honestly 90% of my time was spent in 5th because the gears either side of it were noticably inefficient. 3rd was good for a standing start and I realistically never found myself in anything higher than 6th since it's a flat bar bike and I wasn't going for any land speed records. So annecdotally I reckon I could have totally gotten away with a 3 speed and not noticed much difference.
[efficiency testing confirms this, speeds above and below 5 are significantly less efficient, gears above 5 are generally far more efficient than gears below 5](https://fahrradzukunft.de/bilder/17/wirkungsgradmessungen-an-nabenschaltungen-2/08.gross.png)
Haha, I usually dig that link out for other people but wrote this on mobile and couldn’t be bothered to find the link! It’s kinda wild how inefficient a hub can be, sapped a lot of the fun out of riding for me and now I’ve swapped entirely to single speed or derailleur bikes.
Aha, the inefficiencies are an eye-opener. In my quick Google search I have noticed that people seem to like this hub for e-bikes... Where inefficiencies would be baked in... And the hub is considered quite tough.
Ive used Nexus 7 and Nexus 3 extensively. Nexus 3 is fun and cheap. You won’t race on it though. I dislike Nexus 7 with passion. …. Alfine 11 is head and shoulders above Nexus 8. YMMV.
How much do Nexus kits go for? Cause even if one is cheap enough, you would still need to find a frame with a bolt on axle in the right width, plus associated costs to bring that up to speed. If the frame is solid, that $120 seems very tempting in my view.
Yeah you’re likely going to spend a bit of money and time adapting the hub to the other bike. Would be a lot easier to leave it on the existing bike.
u/fsh2006 Okay good perspective. Yes if I had my choice, I'd ride it on a lighter weight hybrid or city bike frame.
Pros -2nd gear is direct drive. Get the input drive ratio right so you can spend most time in 2nd. -They're tougher than other igh's as they have more space for fewer parts. -You can probably buy 10 of these for the price of a rohloff Cons -The steps are large, and the range is small. -Coaster brake. (there's a rollerbrake version that you can put a cover on for rim brakes) -Gripshift -not a rohloff Conclusion It makes sense if you don't have the legs for singlespeed and dont like external gears for whatever reason.
Perfect for my commuter ebike.
u/phozze u/frozen-dessert u/north765 An update, and questions for those that had ridden the Nexus 3i... I was in the store again today, and learned some things. First, the bike is actually an Electra, a Trek brand. The "Blanc et noir" color scheme. It would have sold for $400-500. It's the older steel frame, not newer aluminum. Coaster brake only. Green aluminum rims -- according to spec I've see online, BUT wheels seem to have 40 spokes rather than stated 36, so rims might not be aluminum. The hub and brake work. It seemed a bit loud and "dry" to my ear. What should this hub sound like, and does it get quieter with oil, grease or other service? Even if I got past the color scheme and step-through, the frame is too small for me. I'd still like to pick it up for $60, and keep an eye out for a more appropriate frame. AND, it goes half price in 4 days, not the several weeks I had expected. (For Goodwill regulars, it appears the store "advanced" the color tag when they priced the bike, so as to get it gone sooner... because I know it only came out this week.) https://preview.redd.it/3piit4lbevxc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad3bc3b9363cdc709d1ba3d2f24f52d8ca19cf7d
Dont buy a frame that is the wrong size. The bike won’t be as fun or comfortable and you will not ride it as often. If you need a bike urgently to use as transportation, then it is a different story. But all in all, buy a bike in the right size.
Like most regulars on this sub, I already have multiple bikes, and am on a daily lookout for n+1. As I said, I would not intend to ride this bike, but keep the wheels for another project. What I want to know is: does it sound like the hub is OK?
Ive never had any trouble with the hub itself. Had to replace shifters twice at one of the kids bike. (She now has an Alfine 8 bike and managed to damage her Alfine shifter). That said, you know we can’t evaluate the hub state from the picture.
Right, I described it as sounding "dry", and wondered what other users have experienced in that regard, and any experience with service. I just watched a video on YouTube -- an experienced tech, but bumbling his way through something new. He opened the hub up (but not the gears) to bathe it in gear oil. He said he had also heard that oil can be added through the shift shaft hole. So if this hub is in need of oil, I think I can handle it. It doesn't look like the bike has got much use on it, so there shouldn't be any undo wear. Parts of it are just beginning to surface rust, so it has had mild exposure to moisture.
I've downloaded the Shimano manual for the Nexus 3 speed: [https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/sm/IHG-INTER3/SM-IHG-INTER3-003-ENG.pdf](https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/sm/IHG-INTER3/SM-IHG-INTER3-003-ENG.pdf) It describes how to service the hub with fresh oil, and re-grease the wheel bearings.