If and How to Upgrade Tern Verge P9 from Cassette to Rear Hub?

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dee_el_gee

New Member
Hi all,

I own a Tern Verge P9 which I've had for quite a few years (spec here: https://www.ternbicycles.com/my/bikes/471/verge-p9#specs). Recently I managed to wreck the rear rim and need to replace it.

It has a 9 speed rear cassette on it, which apparently is quite rare for a 20" wheel.

It seems that getting hold of replacements is no mean feat, and from all my research over the past week or so I've landed on 2 options:

1) replace relatively like-for-like with a set of https://buy.ternbicycles.com/products/kinetix-pro-x-deep-dish-wheelset and put the old cassette on them

2) get a replacement with an internal hub available here: https://www.taylor-wheels.com/taylo...eel-double-wall-rim-shimano-inter-8-hub-black

My preference would be to go with option 2) as this would also reduce the maintenance on the gears, something I've struggled. However, from what I've read, going from a rear cassette to an internal hub isn't straight forward, and this is somewhat exacerbated by the fact the Tern Verge P9 frame has vertical dropouts on the rear which doesn't play nicely with the Nexus 8 hub unless you fit a chain tensioner (reference: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/nexus-mech.html#vertical).

So my question is: Has anyone attempted to do something like option 2 before? And if so, although I'm up for a challenge, I'm far from the most knowledgeable bike owner so should I go with option 1) or option 2) in order to fix my problem?

This is my first time posting on the forum, so apologies if I've made any glaring mistakes. I'm also relatively wet behind the ears when it comes to bikes generally, so it's quite likely I'll ask a lot of stupid questions, and misunderstand things. So thanks in advance to anyone willing to shed any light on my query!
 

Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
Apologies for not answering your 'exam question', but . . .
A quick read of your post suggests you have discarded the option of replacing just the damaged rim by relacing your working hub onto a new rim. Or have you exhausted efforts to find a new rim?
http://foldingbike.biz/All-DAHON-TERN-and-BICKERTON-SPARES/Rims/Dahon/Tern-20-Rims
Why? Your LBS would be able to do this quite easily and competently, maybe using the current spokes.
 
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Deleted member 23692

Guest
The nexus hub is 135mm wide and the pro-x one/current wheels are only 130mm wide so you may need to widen the rear end to accommodate it.

I'm not sure if that's possible on your particular frame, but I'll point it out and let others advise on that. :unsure:

Other than that it is doable as I've fitted a hub gear to a frame that it wasn't intended for, however I did need to fit a new cable stop on the chainstay to make the cable run work - your's amy not depending on how your's is now.... and fit a separate chain tensioner as you've already noted
 
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chriscross1966

Über Member
Location
Swindon
Might be easier to use a Sturmey hub. You will almost certainly need a chain tensioner if you have vertical dropouts. Have you looked at Shimano Capreo offerings?
 
OP
OP
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dee_el_gee

New Member
Thanks for the replies, @Ajax Bay, @Ffoeg and @chriscross1966!

@Ajax Bay yeah, sorry for the essay! Replacement parts for old Tern seem to be particularly difficult to come by. I did see foldingbike.biz but other than them there's nothing about, and they don't offer complete wheels, it's just the rims (I'd rather have complete wheels to just save me from breaking more stuff / having to go to more suppliers for more parts) - most of which don't seem to be for 9 speed hubs, and various other caveats that make me shy away due to my limited knowledge on the subject.

@Ffoeg yep, I read about the issue with spacing, though when I measured my frame it appeared to be closer to 136mm. But it was a rough check, I wasn't trying too hard at that point. I'll take a closer look when I'm not rushing out the door. Thanks for the heads up on that one. I take it that even just a couple of mm difference is a significant problem?

@chriscross1966 I took a brief look at Shimano Capreo, but, as mentioned, I'm very green to all this so I'm not really sure what I'm looking at. The guys at Taylor confirmed I'd need a chain tensioner. Is that a lot of work to fit? Or quite straightforward?

Thanks again!
 

chriscross1966

Über Member
Location
Swindon
Not reall an expe
Thanks for the replies, @Ajax Bay, @Ffoeg and @chriscross1966!

@Ajax Bay yeah, sorry for the essay! Replacement parts for old Tern seem to be particularly difficult to come by. I did see foldingbike.biz but other than them there's nothing about, and they don't offer complete wheels, it's just the rims (I'd rather have complete wheels to just save me from breaking more stuff / having to go to more suppliers for more parts) - most of which don't seem to be for 9 speed hubs, and various other caveats that make me shy away due to my limited knowledge on the subject.

@Ffoeg yep, I read about the issue with spacing, though when I measured my frame it appeared to be closer to 136mm. But it was a rough check, I wasn't trying too hard at that point. I'll take a closer look when I'm not rushing out the door. Thanks for the heads up on that one. I take it that even just a couple of mm difference is a significant problem?

@chriscross1966 I took a brief look at Shimano Capreo, but, as mentioned, I'm very green to all this so I'm not really sure what I'm looking at. The guys at Taylor confirmed I'd need a chain tensioner. Is that a lot of work to fit? Or quite straightforward?

Thanks again!
Not really an expert on Tern, bar noting they're spares support is awful. Chain tensioners come in many types, one is bound to fit somehow..
 
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