Internal geared hub - 8 speed conversion

In this video I detail how I converted my daughters Early Rider Belter 20 from using an internal 3 speed hub to an external 8 speed drive train.
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[@BruceChastain]

We did our first ride yesterday, it was about a 8km ride with a few small hill. She did great with it and was even shifting the gears without issue. She was mostly in the 4 and 5th gear. I think overall maybe it's geared a bit lower then needed. Perhaps a 30t front chainring would have been better, currently it's a 28t. Also I think a 11-30 in the rear will be perfect.

[@TheNow_Now]

Ah the blue tape on the rim, I know what wheel building video you watched!!

[@BruceChastain]

yep :)

[@fergusonto-2032]

Good job Bruce , I think I could become a decent bike mechanic just by watching your videos , lol , thanks .

[@BruceChastain]

thanks! but remember I'm no pro, just a hobbyist.

[@yardsalecycles]

I really like the internal geared hubs because of their simplicity but I hate how havy they usually are

[@BruceChastain]

I want to like them, I do think they are good, but I was just annoyed that I couldn't really figure-out how to fix it. Maybe most folks don't service them at home, maybe it's more a send it off or buy a new one thing.

[@smith4686]

I was looking for how to change my derailer into internal hub and your video showed up. 😅 My mtb is really headache to maintain so i ordered a canyon commuter 5. It has belt drive with 8 speed hub

[@BruceChastain]

haha nice!

[@joshuabuilds3051]

Holy hell that cage is flicking stones as you climb. Cycling is the biggest case of leading a horse to water but you can't make them want to ride a bike. But as we all know nicer bikes that don't break and perform well make the sport enjoyable. Even with no frame of reference you'll make her want to ride more on the new bike that climbs everything and always has another gear to go, compared to a 3 speed belt drive. But if all else fails and she hates riding, some other kid will have a sick new bike for a good deal. Btw smaller wheels are way more rigid and stronger than bigger wheels. They're usually just tensioned and balanced for the use case of toddlers, and fall apart under any real load.

[@BruceChastain]

yeah all true. But she already likes to ride and rides a lot. I guess I didn't say it in the video but she's been riding the bike with the 3 speed for a bit more then a year already before it broke.