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Daily Commuting Tip - The Maintenance Free Bike?
Posted: 13th October 2009 | Eddie Allen
More: Daily Commuting Tips Archive
Your commuting bike should be all about getting you from A to B with as little fuss as possible. You shouldn't have to prep it like an F1 car before every ride, and it shouldn't need to be treated like a thoroughbred racehorse at the end. Your carbon road bike might get you to work ultra quick, but she's fickle and high maintenance. What you want in a purist commuting bike is simplicity. If you're building a bespoke commuter bike, consider the following options.
Hub Gears
Above: Sturmey Archer's 3 Speed hub, in this case a fixed version
Internal hub gear systems such as Sturmey Archer or Shimano Nexus/Alfine have all the gearing inside the hub casing, protected from road grime and potential damage.
Single Speed
If you're fairly fit and your commute isn't mega hilly, go for a single speed drivetrain. Just like a hub geared system, your drivetrain is less susceptible to damage and will stay cleaner (for some unexplained reason). It will also last longer due to the chain maintaining a constant line and due to it's simplicity, will cost less to replace when it does wear out. A gearing of around 66" (equivalent to around 39 x 16 teeth) is ideal for around town usage. You can convert any derailleur geared bike to single speed using a conversion kit (costing around 15 quid) or specific single speed commuter bikes are now widely available.
Fixed Wheel
Above: The pared down purism of the fixed wheel
This has all the simplicity benefits of single speed, but takes things one step further by removing the freewheel. The fixed wheel is the bicycle in its purest form and addicts speak of an unconscious primal connection with the bike and road, which is hard to achieve anywhere else. You'll need a frame with horizontal dropouts and a specific rear wheel (or a White Industries Eno hub) to run fixed wheel, so it's not a quick and easy conversion. Pre-built fixed wheel commuter bikes are flooding the market starting from around £400, featuring pared down minimalist styling and tough cromo steel frames.
Belt Drive
Above: Belt Drive - the oil free solution, seen here teamed with Sturmey Archer's prototype, cable-free, 2-speed 'kickback' change coaster brake hub, the S2C (a lot a information to take in there I know, especially for such a simple looking device)
Also appearing on the market is the belt drive system, using a toothed belt instead of a chain to drive the rear wheel. The belt is very similar in construction to the kind used for car engine timing belts, which last for around 60,000 miles of heavy maintenance free duty, so should be the ultimate in low maintenance cycling. Belt drive is only compatible with hub gear, singlespeed and fixed applications at present and is pretty rare at the moment, but there's a movement out there.
Shaft Drive
Even more maintenance free (and rare) is the shaft drive, chainless system. Like belt drive, this borrows from the automotive industry, and uses a geared shaft to link the cranks to the rear wheel. This again is only compatible with hub gears and single speed, but promises the ultimate in clean and maintenance free bicycling.
Hub Brakes
Above: Hub brakes work in all weather conditions and require virtually no maintenance
Just like gears, there are completely-sealed-from-the-elements braking systems out there that will give literally years of maintenance free stopping. Shimano, SRAM and Sturmey Archer offer maintenance free drum or roller brakes which will work consistently in all weathers with very little adjustment.
Enclosed Chains
If belt drive or shaft drive is a bit niche for you, take a look at Dutch town bikes and roadster bikes of old and you'll see completely enclosed chains, protected by a full chainguard. Not only do they keep the users' clothing clean, enclosed chain guards keep water and road dirt off the chain, meaning that it will only need oiling once in a blue moon. Plus, as the chain is enclosed, you can use a heavy ‘wet' oil (even motor oil will do) and not worry about the chain picking up dirt.
Slime Tubes and Kevlar Tyres
If you want to spend more time riding and less time at the roadside swearing, you want puncture proofing. You want tyres with a Kevlar (or similar) puncture resistant layer. These will resist all manner of potential intrusions from glass, nails, thorns, ballistic missiles, etc. As a second line of defence, use Slime Tubes, which are heavy duty inner tubes filled with a self healing slime which seals small punctures almost instantly. In combination, these two measures will virtually eliminate flat tyres.
Mudguards
Above: Mudguards save your clothes and the bike's running gear
Bikes with mudguards stay cleaner, meaning your chainrings and headset will last way longer than on a non-mudguard equipped bike.
Single Front Chainring Gear Setup
If you don't fancy singlespeed or hub gears, a single front chainring derailleur equipped bike is a good middle ground. On an average commute you won't need the gearing range provided by a double or triple front ring setup, meaning you can lose that unnecessary complication and weight.
The Ultimate Low Maintenance Bike?
There are few bikes that combine the features listed above into one package. The closest on the market at present is Viva's beautiful Mille Miglia, which has internal roller brakes, 7 speed Shimano hub gear, shaft drive, full mudguards and Schwalbe's bulletproof but fast rolling Big Apple tyres. www.vivabikes.com
More: Daily Commuting Tips Archive
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