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I want to see how can I make this 3-gear bike go easier on uphill. It has an internal gear hub. I don't know much about bikes but I'm thinking if I can merely replace the hub for one with 14 gears (Rohloff Speedhub) and also, not sure, but can I change the single chainring at the cranks (front) with another one that will have two chainrings so that I get a smaller one to make uphill even easier.

PICTURE: REAR gear

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PICTURE: front gear

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  • Rohloff hubs are painfully expensive. – heltonbiker Jun 22 '12 at 22:30
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Swap the chainring on the front to a smaller chainring, or swap the chainring on the rear to a larger chainring. This is the cheapest solution, you may need another chain too to accomodate for larger chain size. You will loose speed on the top gear though ...

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    Changing out the rear cog will require a new one specific to the hub, since the cog will almost certainly be firmly affixed to a part of the hub mechanism. It will also require disassembly of the hub to some degree -- maybe minor, maybe major. – Daniel R Hicks Jun 23 '12 at 11:44
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Replacing a hub is not a "simple" procedure -- it, at a minimum, involves relacing the rear wheel, probably with different sized spokes (whose size you must accurately determine). Relacing is not beyond the abilities of a competent backyard mechanic, but is a skill that needs to be learned.

To add a second chainring you must install some sort of device to take up the chain slack. A front derailer does not do this, so either a rear derailer or some specialized device.

It would be far easier/cheaper to purchase a new (or "new to you" used) bike.

What you MIGHT be able to do is to replace your front chainring with a smaller one. Or it's vaguely possible that there is available a replacement larger sprocket for your rear hub. Of course, either of these would slow down your high gear.

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  • I believe that by "replacing the rear hub" the OP meant the rear cog/sprocket. Yes, that would make it easier if you replaced it with a cog with more teeth, but you'll also most likely need a longer chain so you'll have to add links or get a new chain along with it. – Tha Riddla Jun 22 '12 at 15:19
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    @ThaRiddla -- He's got an internal-geared hub and wants more gears. That requires replacing the actual hub. – Daniel R Hicks Jun 22 '12 at 15:37
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    I agree that it's probably easiest/cheapest to get a smaller front chainring. Otherwise, you could find out what type of hub your rear wheel has and find a replacement cog of a larger size if you can change that (which can be done in many cases). Those options are probably the cheapsest and easiest things that can be done without rebuilding your rear wheel. – Benzo Jun 22 '12 at 17:19

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