sturmey archer 5 speed -any good for hills?

bunter
bunter Posts: 327
edited July 2010 in Commuting chat
My wife has loves the look of Pashley bikes (princess sovereign or britannia). We live in Pennine Lancashire though, and I have no experience of Sturmey Archer's modern geared hubs. The specification on the Sturmey site are all in %, which doesn't mean a lot to me. Do you think an occasional rider is going to be able to spin up a hill with one of these hubs? Anyone have experience of them?

tia

Comments

  • WesternWay
    WesternWay Posts: 564
    My Brompton has a sturmey archer 5 speed hub and it is fine for the stuff that I do. It will get me to and from home with no problem.

    Those Pashleys though look lovely but also look like they weigh a lot. I reckon that it is this that might cause more problems on the hill than the gearing...

    George
  • bunter
    bunter Posts: 327
    yes, I notice Pashley don't seem to mention the weight of their bikes on the site...
  • davis
    davis Posts: 2,506
    Doubt it.

    I went to Sheldon's Gear Calculator, and banged in my best guess for the Pashley: A Sturmey-Archer 5-speed wide-ratio w/drum brake (2009-) X-RD5-(W), XL-RD5(W) Hub, 700x35c tyres, and a 42/18T Chainring/Sprocket size.

    That gave me 39.6 Gear Inches for the low end, which, while low, isn't really that spinny for an occasional cyclist in the Penines. I suspect she'd be able to get up the hills, but I doubt she'd be spinning merrily.
    Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.
  • bunter
    bunter Posts: 327
    brilliant - thanks!
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    bunter wrote:
    yes, I notice Pashley don't seem to mention the weight of their bikes on the site...

    Not hard to find - 45lbs :shock:

    Probably almost impossible to fall off with that weight to unbalance :lol:
    Faster than a tent.......
  • UndercoverElephant
    UndercoverElephant Posts: 5,796
    Rolf F wrote:
    bunter wrote:
    yes, I notice Pashley don't seem to mention the weight of their bikes on the site...

    Not hard to find - 45lbs :shock:

    Probably almost impossible to fall off with that weight to unbalance :lol:

    Wow! 20 Kg? That's impressive!
    Sun - Rain - Snow
  • bunter
    bunter Posts: 327
    ulp, 20kg!

    I guess you wouldn't shout about it if you were pashley.

    I do like the look of the guv'nor though...

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