Engaging the IGH!

The cables arrived the other day and I finally got a chance to install it on the 3x7 internal gear hub. Thinking I was saving a ton of money by buying the $2.99 5' cables, I was disappointed to later realize that a special cable cutter is required. This runs $30!

After some heavy searching, I finally found an alternative that's slightly more competitive in price.

Spin Doctor sells a version of the cable cutter. It also cuts the cable housing. I learned the hard way that regular cable cutters don't work. Those only work for brake cables which apparently are woven differently than shift cables which are tougher. This puppy still ran me $20 which I still think is way overpriced. At least it's not a Felco which costs $94! Yeah, close to $100 for a stupid cable cutter. Can't believe people actually buy those things.

After about 2.5 hours, I finally got the thing installed. I was chatting w/my friend on the phone while doing it, so the time went by fairly quickly. It took me about 3 tries before I finally got it working correctly. I'm glad I spent the 15 min to locate exactly where I want the shifter. I opted for the left handlebar since the right side one is already occupied with the computer, brake and rear derailleur shifter.

I popped the trike onto the new roller trainer and it worked wonders. I can't see any other way I could ride the trike stationary in a garage.

I'm finally getting the full range of gears! See the reinserted GI chart below:


Review to follow once I get a chance to take this on the road.