I commuted on a 3-speed bicycle for years before switching to a 7-speed. Over time, I have learned a lot about the differences between a 3-speed bike vs 7-speed bike. Here is what I found.
3-speed bike vs 7-speed: the main difference
A 3-speed bike is great for commuting to the office or school on short, flat, city roads. They are cleaner and more dependable. 7-speed bikes are better all-rounders, cheaper, and better on hills. But they should be set up professionally by a bike shop.
What is a 3-speed bike?
A 3-speed bike is a bicycle with 3 different gear ratios.
What makes it special is that the shifting mechanism is integrated into the rear hub.
There is no derailleur to move the chain between the cogs on the back wheel.
3-speeds are often found on kids’ bikes, dutch bikes, beach cruisers, or dedicated city commuters.
What are the benefits of a 3-speed bike?
Ease of maintenance
3-speed bikes are very easy to maintain in daily life. Here is all you have to do to keep it running for years and years:
- Clean all mud and debris off of the drivetrain after each ride (does not have to be perfectly clean)
- Lightly oil the chain every now and then. To do so, flip your bike on its saddle, oil the chain, and run a clean rag over the chain as you pedal the bike.
- Check the tire pressure, lights, and brakes regularly
These bikes usually shift very precisely and need not be dialed in. Most 7-speed bikes, on the other hand, need to be tweaked to shift properly.
Everything is nicely lubricated and safe from the elements for hundreds of thousands of miles.
In the end, 3-speed bikes usually last longer than 7-speed bikes.
Cleaner drivetrain
The sealed drivetrain is especially good for muddy or wet terrain. There is little danger for rust to develop on the cogs or shifting mechanism.
That results in the bike chain usually running cleaner. There is often much less black grime on 3-speed bike chains.
It can also be outfitted with a chain guard. That prevents any oil or mud to rub onto your pant legs.
The cleanliness of the drivetrain makes 3-speed bikes great for commuters – especially in an office environment.
Loaded with beginner-friendly features.
3-speed bikes can be shifted from a stop. This feature is great for beginner commuters since riding in traffic can take all of the attention at first.
An added benefit is that if the bike tips over, it’s less likely to break any shifting parts or for something to be pushed out of alignment.
If a 7-speed bike falls, the derailleur can easily break or bend. that requires a trip to the bike shop or a night of watching YourTube videos about adjusting derailleurs.
Most 3-speed bikes also have coaster brakes. Coaster brakes stop the bike by pedaling backward.
It is one of the safest brakes on the market, especially for less experienced riders.
Clean and minimalist look
Most people also appreciated the clean and minimalist look of the internal shifting system.
There are overall fewer mechanical parts visible on the bike.
Everything is neatly tucked away and looks much sharper.
upright riding position
The riding position on a 3-speed bike tends to be more relaxed.
It is very upright, which makes it easier to look around and stay aware of your surroundings and traffic. That makes them safe city bikes.
It is also a much less tiring seating position for a new rider.
The lower and faster riding position of many 7-speed bikes takes some getting used to.
Cons of a 3-speed bike
More expensive
3-speed bikes are usually more expensive than 7-speed bikes (or even 21-speed bikes).
The internal hub of a 3-speed bike is much more complicated to manufacture than a freewheel or cassette, so the initial cost is higher.
All of that may even out over time by having to pay less for maintenance in the long run.
But the financial commitment is higher in the beginning.
Service in a bike shop is usually also more expensive if there are problems with the drivetrain.
Since the hub consists of so many moving parts in tight spaces, more time is needed to service those parts.
But as we said above, a 3-speed also rarely ever needs any service at all.
Limited gears
A 3-speed has 3 gears: too-low, too high, and not quite right.
A 3-speed bike is very limited in gears since it only has three.
But the gear range is also limited to about 180% or 1.8:1.
That means that the difference between the highest gear is only 80% higher than the lowest gear.
For comparison, a 30-speed touring bike can have a gear range of about 700%.
That can be especially painful for hills or technical terrain.
They are generally fast enough for the city, but much slower than most other bikes. They are just not built for speed.
What is a 7-speed bike?
A 7-speed bike uses the standard derailleur system.
It has one chainring in the front and 7 cogs (or gears) in the back.
A derailleur is used to move the chain between speeds.
What are the benefits of a 7-speed bike?
Inexpensive
It’s counterintuitive, but a 7-speed bike is usually cheaper than a 3-speed bike.
7-speeds use simple off-the-shelf parts that are produced at scale.
There are very few custom parts on any modern 7-speed bike, which brings the price down.
More gears
7-speed bikes provide 7 steps between the lowest and highest gear.
That makes them much more versatile than a 3-speed bike, especially on smaller hills or rough terrain.
With that many more options, the gearing on these bicycles is much more likely to feel just right.
It’s a great all-around bike for commuting or Sunday rides.
In fact, one of my favorite bikes is my trusty 7-speed bike.
More gears and higher gear ranges means that 7-speeds are usually faster than 3-speed bikes.
They are still by no means fast bikes but can go surprisingly fast as I tried in this first-hand experiment.
Last but not least, many inexpensive aftermarket parts are available for upgrades and replacements and service on these bikes is comparatively cheap.
Cons
7-speed bikes take more time to maintain.
The chain needs to be cleaned much more regularly and the rear cogs need to be freed of any black grime.
The derailleur needs to be checked to make sure it shifts properly and any necessary adjustments need to be made.
Since a 7-speed bike has many more exposed parts, cleaning them takes much more time to get into all the valleys between the teeth of the rear cogs.
7-speed bikes aren’t terribly complicated to maintain, but it takes considerably more time than on a 3-speed bike if you ride a lot.
The gear range could be better.
Surprisingly, the gear range of a 7-speed bike is often not that much greater than on a 3-speed bike.
Many 7-speed bikes only have a gear range of 240% (compared to 180% on 3-speed bikes).
That is much less than most people would expect.
So against popular belief, a 7-speed bike is not like a 3-speed bike that has 2 additional low gears and 2 additional high gears slapped on top of the existing 3 gears.
It’s a different setup that just has smaller steps between a slightly larger gear range.
But to be fair, some 7-speed bikes have a gear range of 300%.
So if you pick a 7-speed bike over a 3-speed, make sure that it has a wide gear range.
3-speed bike vs 7-speed bike – Which one should you choose?
Choosing the right bike between a 3-speed bike vs 7-speed isn’t hard.
There is no right or wrong answer, but here are some guidelines:
- If low maintenance and high dependability are your priority: 3-speed
- If you have a smaller budget: 7-speed
- Beginner rider or first real bike: 3-speed
- City commutes: 3-speed or 7-speed bikes are both good. But 7-speeds are more versatile.
- Hills: 3-speed bikes and 7-speed are both not great for hills. I would go for a 10-speed bike with a much wider gear range. You may be better served by a mountain bike if you want to chase up and down hills regularly. But if you have to pick between a 3-speed bike vs 7-speed, pick the 7-speed for hills.
Only you can decide which one to get based on the points in this article.
My personal recommendation is a 3-speed bike to commute to office jobs or school on short, flat, city roads.
If you are looking for an allrounder, then a 7-speed bike is great but make to have a bike shop set it up professionally.
Most shops do that anyway (for free) if you buy directly from them.
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