# i-Motion 3 - who has one?



## r1Gel (Jan 14, 2004)

Or has at least tried it?

Are they even out yet?

I''ve just gone SS on my commuter, but just found out that the i-Motion 3 has a disc version (versus Nexus 3 which does not), and was thinking it would be pretty cool to have 3 gears for the commuter: a middle for most of the time; an overdrive for the flats and downhills, and an underdrive(?) for upslopes.

I've been lusting after the Alfine, but for my SS MTB/commuter, I don't think I'll be needing all 8 gears of it. Three gears seems to be just right.


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## oasismfg (Oct 27, 2008)

I have one on my '05 Hardrock Pro (my commuter and trail bike). I was interested in doing the 29r ss thing, so I decided to play with my bike a bit before taking the plunge. I put a 29 in front with a rigid carbon fork, and put a single cog in back. One speed is supposed to make a better biker out of you, right? Maybe so, if for example you are racing and you choose your gears for a particular course. But if you're using your bike for commuting like you and I, one gear is just not practical, not when you need to get to work, not in traffic. So the next step was the I-motion 3 Disk. It's pretty cool. Strong, relatively light weight for an igh, and inexpensive.

I have been running it for 4 months now. It has brought back the usefulness of my bike many times over, and I still have the simplicity of a single chain line - which I like a lot. Words can not express how much I dislike derailleurs, a little water, a little sand, and they turn into coffee grinders. I have mine geared 36 - 18, which is a low as SRAM recommends. My reasons are 1) I do not have a long distance to commute, and 2) My weekend rides are in the mountains and I have some long grades to climb. That said, I'm probably asking more of the gearing setup than I should. Either that or I still need to become a better biker. But sometimes I miss not having lower gears for those long climbs. My uphill treks usually end up becoming a bike push for several miles after I tire of mashing (no excuse, but I'm not as young as I used to be). And I sometimes miss not having a higher gear or two for faster road work. If I were only using my bike to commute, I would put about a 42 in front or a 15 in back and it would be fine.

For my purposes, I'm starting to look at the I-motion 9. So if you're interested in my hub and/or wheel, I might part with it. I must have a couple hundred miles on it by now, it's laced to a Mavic EX 729 Disk with virtually no dish to it. Silly strong.

Pm me if interested.

JW


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## Schmucker (Aug 23, 2007)

Shimano does have a disc version of their 3spd out now though.


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## oasismfg (Oct 27, 2008)

Do you have any info on the Shimano? Part #?

Thanks,
JW


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## forwardcomponents (Dec 2, 2008)

oasismfg said:


> Do you have any info on the Shimano? Part #?
> 
> Thanks,
> JW


The Shimano part no is SG 3D55. You have to order the shifter separately.

See this thread. http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=508390


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## oasismfg (Oct 27, 2008)

Thank you!


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