3-speed fixed (bike) hub

Hey guys, just stumbled across this and thought you would be intrested.
From 'www.cyclingnews.com' (http://tinyurl.com/4la9hc)



Sturmey sets date for three-speed fixie – but will it be alone?

Sturmey Archer's S3X fixed-wheel three-speed hub will be available in
January, Sturmey's US marketing manager told BikeRadar at Interbike
today. Retail price for the hub is expected to be in the US$140-160
range.

The S3X will probably come with a multi-location shifter that can be
used as a bar end or mounted on the down tube. Unfortunately, said
Prosser, it's not possible to make it work with current brake/shift
levers, so drop-in compatibility with, say, Shimano STI units, won't
happen.

Prosser said that the final production version of the hub will be
lighter than the current prototype. It's hard to see where you save
weight in a hub gear as there's an unavoidable amount of metal needed in
the internals, and it's not like possible buyers of a three-speed fixie
hub can go buy someone else's lighter alternative.

Or can they? We haven't seen it yet, but SRAM apparently has a hub that
can be switched between fixed-wheel and freewheel operation and is
rumoured to be working on its own three-speed fixed hub.

Prosser explained some of the background to the S3X project, which was
basically by a steady stream of inquiries to Sturmey from various places
around the ‘net (including, this writer, who stopped bothering Prosser
about it when he told me that to resurrect the old ASC hub, Sturmey
would need an order of 10,000 units.)

Various people, including the late great Sheldon Brown, helped gauge
the level of interest, and Prosser hinted that if the S3X is successful,
then Sturmey will consider widening the range with, for example, a
closer-ratio version akin to the original ASC.



We are that much closer to a multi-geared uni hub


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They have been making internally geared hubs for many years. Is this a
special super cool one?


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YES this is huge theres no free wheel so it would work in unicycle
unlike the other hubs that that would just free wheel


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colin340;1125062 wrote:
YES this is huge theres no free wheel so it would work in unicycle
unlike the other hubs that that would just free wheel



I am almost absolutely certain that it would not be strong enough for
any sort of unicycle use. Unicycling puts a huge amount of torque on
the hub. Bicycles have a gear ratio that lessens the torque and the
physics of bicycle riding doesn't put as much torque on the hub.

I am excited about this development for my fixie bike. Seattle has
some hills that can make fixie riding a challenge. Even just having a
two speed shifting fixie would be nice. Just something to have a lower
gear when you get to a steep hill. The three speed fixie hub is just
extra.

It will be interesting to see what the specs are and what they specify
as allowable chainring size sproket size ratios.


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Did a bit of quick searching cause I couldn't sleep and found that it
has two underdrive gears and a 1:1 mode.

I was hoping that the design could be possibly built as a unicycle hub
(with stronger parts) but we really arn't looking for an underdrive hub.

You could set up a sort of jack shaft design with this hub sitting
above your wheel to give you a 3-speed unicycle that you shift by hand
instead of kicking the hub. The long chains would not be so elegant as
having a true geared hub but it would definitely be doable.

I think I will file this away in the things to build when I have time
and money to spare pile along with the 'GUWI'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67196) I designed. I
can picture it now, I could even do it without modifying the hub at all.

As far as bikes go I don't have a fixie yet but I know one is in my
future. Probably with a flip-flop though. maybe with some dingle
gearing, don't know what is all possible yet.


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3 speed? Fixie? This makes no sense!

If it's 3 speeds, I don't think I'd call it a fixie, coasting or not.


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sure it's a fixie, just not a single speed.


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I wonder if this hub can handle the stresses of skidding.


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Somebody built an ASC into a giraffe and took it to unicon in Guilford.
IIRC it had lot of play when you changed gear.


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Sturmey ASC hubs, or 3- or 4-speeds modified to be fixed 2- or 3-speeds
have quite a bit of slop/backlash in the gears - enough that a lot of
fixed wheel bike enthusiasts say it takes away the feel of riding fixed.
It would be a lot baggier than a Schlumpf uni hub.

@John: You could build a two-speed fixed wheel bike using a normal
fixed hub and a Schlumpf Speed Drive/Mountain Drive bottom bracket.
Probably quite heavy, but possibly no heavier than a Sturmey hub, and
better weight distribution. (Or modify a normal Sturmey 3- or 4-speed
hub (quite fiddly apparently) - or pay silly money for an original
ASC!)

Rob


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