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Hub Gear Notes

Library

  1. What Is an Internal Gear Hub?

    What sits inside the rear hub of a gear-hub bike, how it changes gears without a visible derailleur, and what to check before you buy one.

  2. Hub Gears Versus Derailleur Gears: The Mechanical Differences

    How shifting, gear spacing, chain path and exposure to dirt differ between an internal gear hub and a derailleur system.

  3. How Planetary Gearing Works Inside a Hub

    How a sealed hub gets several gear ratios from sun, planet and ring gears, with no chain movement at all.

  4. Hub Gears With a Mid-Drive Motor

    Whether a mid-drive e-bike motor and an internal gear hub can work together, and what makers and Wikipedia say about the pairing.

  5. Shifting a Hub Gear on an E-Bike: What the Sources Say

    What a maker page and Wikipedia say about hub gear shifters and about changing gear under pedal pressure. Follow your own hub and motor manuals.

  6. Gear Ratio Range Explained

    What gear range and the number of speeds on a hub mean in plain terms, with figures published for a few hubs.

  7. Hub Gear Oil and Service Intervals

    Whether a sealed gear hub needs oil or servicing, and what a maker's page and Wikipedia say about oil changes and wear checks.

  8. Shifter Cables and Adjustment Marks

    What the cable, indexing and alignment features on a hub gear are, and why makers send you to their manual for setup.