Comments on: Shimano Capreo

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 05:29:48 +0000

Still have that Capreo wheel and would consider selling? If so, I’m near you in Sammamish.

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 03:25:27 +0000

Jim,

Are you still interested in selling your used Capreo hub and cassette?

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 06:55:59 +0000

Hi Jamey,
It really depends on how much you want the top range of gears and whether you’re a spinner or masher. I’m a spinner, meaning I prefer pedaling in the higher RPMs to pedaling slower with more power per stroke. With my standard Ultegra setup, it tops out at the 97-ish gear inch range, which is fine for maintaining the main 20s on the flats. On downhills, I hit the mid 30s. I enjoy having the low-low gear for the ultra-steep hills and when I’m just tired and need to keep moving at a snail’s pace.

The Capreo worked well for me, and from what I can tell, Bike Friday keeps it adequately stocked. The charge $75, which is on par with a standard quality Shimano one, though twice what I pay for the 11-32 9-speed SRAM from Performance or eBay. The special lock-ring remover was an annoyance; even Hostel Shoppe didn’t have them in stock.

So, were it me, I’d look at using more standard parts and forgo the Capreo. (However, if you do go that route, and are interested, I will sell you my used Capreo hub and cassette so you have spares.)

Another option, if you don’t have the indexed shifting, is to use a larger front ring. My original bike had a 61T up front, but its arc wasn’t as compatible with the arc of the derailleur, leading to clunky shifty.

Jim

By: Jamey

Jamey — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 01:02:24 +0000

Jim/et al:

I am dithering. Capreo or standard?

I’m buying a BF, which I will be using mostly for commuting, and for the occasional fast group ride. The bike’s top gear with an 11-tooth cassette will be in the 96″-97″ range. A Capreo set-up would get me up into the ‘teens, say 115-6 gear inches.

Indecisice as I am, I am afraid of committing to a proprietary hub/cassette format like Capreo–don’t want to get betamaxed; not keen on buying yet another lockring tool (matter of principle, not the $11); definitely don’t want to be SOL if I decide I want or need a cassette with a lower low than 26t.

But, of course, I am equally afraid of shelling out for a performance bike like the Friday that lacks adequate top-end capability…

What’s your take on this dilemma? Assuming a 53t big chainring (18 sp), will the difference between Capreo’s 115-ish gear inches and the standard 11t cassette’s 97-ish gear inches be substantial, or would it splitting hairs, say on the order of 1-2mph? (nb: I seldom hammer 53×11 on the flats, but sometimes do going down hills).

Thank you,

-Jamey

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 05:18:58 +0000

Hi Paer, as long as your derailleurs are set up to handle the size differences in the chainrings, this should be OK on the low end, though it won’t shift as crisply.

By: Paer

Paer — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 15:28:44 +0000

Hi!

I just wonder if it would be advisable to change the lower gear cogwheels on the Capreo to e.g. 17–21–25–29 to get a gear range of approx. 26–119 inches with 20″ wheels and a double chainwheel? Personally I think the 20% steps in the low range would be OK to be able to cope with steep parts when touring, while keeping the possibility for high speed. (This set-up is planned for a Moulton NS Double Pylon)

Best regards,

Paer Jansson

By: Damon Sprague

Damon Sprague — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 03:23:27 +0000

I build 406 wheels and would be interested in building purchasing your old one. I will then locate the needed tool and toy around with this gearing on my sons 24″ mountain bike that because of the smaller wheel size, has extreamly low gearing.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 02:34:35 +0000

Hey! I found your site when I was searching on the Capreo system.I have a KHS folder I'm kitting out for touring. I was thinking of the Capreo system too but had some concern about the non-standard nature of the hub and cogs. Thanks for the straight-dope on that...sounds like something that could cause a small problem to turn into a big problem - especially in a remote area.Some other folks have suggested a Schlumpf speed-drive to bump up the gearing - any thoughts on that?http://www.ncf.ca/~af895/bike/KHS.html

By: jim

jim — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 17:51:06 +0000

I kept the braze-on, but ground down the front derailleur. See picture:
here

By: rob wendel

rob wendel — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 14:19:58 +0000

I have a bike friday that came with the same set up as your original. I too have switched to a capreo and more normal triple front chainrings.
My mechanic was unhappy about how high the front derailleur sits because of the braze-on. It seems to work, but the clearance is too high.
So, was it easy to get the braze-on ground off? I wonder if I should do?
rob

By: BelindaL

BelindaL — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 00:53:25 +0000

Coolness. Congrats on finding the right gearing. If you still have trouble with the chain jumping off into oblivion, they make these little “chain deflectors” you can get that prevent this unwanted behavior. The “dog fang” by a company called Deda is the one I have on my bike. Tom down at Issaquah Ski and Cycle sells what appears to be a better one. Spew on, brother!

By: DougW

DougW — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:34:11 +0000

Forget the cooking man, keep spewing out the bike geek goodness! :)