Shimano developed an internal geared “3-speed hub” in 1957. After that, it sold internal geared hubs not only in Japan but also the United States, Germany, Northern Europe and other countries across the world while making continuous improvements, including the addition of coaster brake specifications, from the 1960s to 1970s. However, as the number of countries where internal geared hubs were sold increased, unexpected problems frequently occurred due to differences in use conditions, bicycle standards and maintenance and other customs. To resolve the situation, Shimano reviewed the basic design from scratch. In the late 1970s, it released a new 3-speed hub with dramatically improved durability and maintainability achieved by adopting a push-pull cable using steel wire and improved stiffness and sealing performance due to the improved internal mechanism. The new 3-speed hub, which was completed as a result of the improvements made jointly by the development, quality control and manufacturing sections, was named “1-2-3 Change” in Japan and appeared on the market in 1981. This product was highly praised in the retail and mass markets for its ease of use and improved quality, playing a part in regaining trust in Shimano’s internal geared hubs in the market and subsequently popularizing them.