2. Gear System
What type of terrain do you want to cover and with which type of gears?
If you do most of your riding in the city or in a region without steep hills internal-gear hubs are the right choice. Hub gears are enclosed, making them especially maintenance-free. They have built-in coaster brakes and easy-to-use twist shifters.
If you want to ride at higher speeds or be able to climb steeper slopes with even lower “mountain gears”, then you need a gear system with more gear ratios and a wider gear range. This is what derailleur gears offer. Another advantage: These gear systems can be shifted under heavy pedal pressure.
The table below shows the gear ranges for all gear systems available from Patria. The number on the left side of each white bar specifies the distance travelled in metres per crank revolution in first gear, the lowest “uphill” gear. The number on the right is the distance travelled in the highest “speed” gear.
All gear systems, be it hub or derailleur, cover the middle, yellow range quite well. This range corresponds to mild or moderate slopes and downhill stretches. For hilly or mountainous terrain a gear system should have ratios under 2.20 m per crank revolution (red range). For riding at speeds of more than about 25 km/h you’ll need gear ratios over 7.00 m (green range).
