Sturmey Archer 3 speed fixed hub has arrived.

[Toff]

Good news! - The new Sturmey Archer 3 speed fixed gear hub has arrived. Available right now from Peter Bundy Cycles.

I'm going to check one out on Monday. May even have one built up for the Fixie Century. So while everyone else is flippin and floppin their hubs with big ugly spanners, I'll be flicking a lever on my handle bar!

More info after Monday's viewing.

[T-Bone]

It's about time too!! Any idea on the price?

Not sure i'll have time to get one sorted for the fixie century though, unless he has black unmachined Deep V's and Black spokes in stock (has to match the wheels that are already on the fixie)

[weiyun]

Is that even allowed by the fixie brigade?

[T-Bone]

It's still fixed, you just have a choice of gear ratios. Still no freewheel.

[mikesbytes]

Too many gears

[weiyun]

Too many gears

+1. It'll confuse those hard core fixie riders.

[shrubb face]

I do all most 300kms a week on a fixie, yet i still manage to operate sram red.
I think it proves the rule wrong weiyun

[Toff]

I heard the price was around $250 for the hub, and all the bits to make it work, like the cables and shifters, etc.

I suspect there would be better value getting the hub as part of a built up wheelset. I will know more in a couple of days...

[Simon Llewellyn]

How does the shifting work? Does it have a lever, like normal gears or does it have to be done manually by hand like a flip flop?

One of the rules of the fixie century is no gears!!!

[weiyun]

One of the rules of the fixie century is no gears!!!

Gosh! That's really hard core for 100 miles. Scooting for that kind of distance on a bike would demand some really durable shoes. Gonna wear gum boots?

[jimmy]

Gonna wear gum boots?

Well, they'll keep you out of the hospital and infirmary...

James

[Toff]

How does the shifting work? Does it have a lever, like normal gears or does it have to be done manually by hand like a flip flop?

One of the rules of the fixie century is no gears!!!

The hub has a shifter to change gears, and a cable to where the shifter is mounted.

This hub is pure fixed. There is no coasting, but there is the option to change the development. It's not new technology. Sturmey Archer first made the ASC 3-speed fixed gear hub in the 50s.

One could argue that you gain exactly the same benefit (e.g. a lower development) by letting air out of your tyres during a ride, although to a lesser degree...

So, if the rules of the fixie century (which by the way, I've only just heard of), allow a rider to pump up their tyres during the ride, or flip flop your hub to a different gear, then there should be no problems using this hub.

[T-Bone]

I thought the only rules were, no freewheels, and must have brakes fitted.

[timyone]

mate i wont be doing any flipping and flopping, and for the century it needs to be fixed, no free wheelin. lol i havent heard the no gears rule~!

[mikesbytes]

Actually I've never seen any rules posted for a fixie century. so I'll post some.

1. If a participant decides to have a second coffee, then all participants should purchase a second coffee or the like.
2. When a photo opportunity arises, all riders must stop and provide their opinions on how the photo is best captured.
3. When eating lunch it is customary to determine who's lunch has the highest calorie count, that rider will be considered the lunch winner. Double points are awarded for the rider who obtains the most chips off the other riders.

[shrubb face]

Rule 4.

The rider who rides the whole stage in its entirety using the full carbon saddle which i have in my possession gets a free beer from each other the other riders.

[T-Bone]

I have a full carbon saddle, guess that means i'll have to move it from the road bike to the fixie!!

[mikesbytes]

I have a full carbon saddle, guess that means i'll have to move it from the road bike to the fixie!!

According to the rule, your got to use Alex C's seat to claim the beers

[T-Bone]

i didn't read it carefully enough.... so close to some free beer!

[Toff]

I will gladly trade my "No Slip System" San Marco Squadra for anyone's carbon saddle. The writing on that saddle is as good as razor blades after 20km, let alone 160km!

I will match Shrubb Face's offer, and also let them keep my saddle if anyone can ride the whole century on it.

[mikesbytes]

If I ride on 83" do I get free beers?

[T-Bone]

If I ride on 83" do I get free beers?

No

[NOOG]

If I ride on 83" do I get free beers?

You'll have to pay for your own knee reconstruction as well.

[mikesbytes]

You'll have to pay for your own knee reconstruction as well.

Spins good at 40kph

[Terry]

More info after Monday's viewing.

Eagerly awaiting review....

[Toff]

Eagerly awaiting review....

Well, I had a look at it. It's solidly constructed, and heavy, and comes with a fairly wide range of gears, not the close ratio gears the old ones had. I would have preferred close ratio gears. Oh well...

For example, to get a useful gear range out of the hub, you need a massive direct drive gear.

If you chose to install a 52 x 15 with this hub, your gears would be:

1) 93.6 gear inches
2) 70.2 gear inches (75% of direct drive)
3) 58.5 gear inches (62.5% of direct drive)

That's a huge disparity. and not one where you would actually use the direct drive gear in 99% of riding.

If I chose to install a 52 x 17 with this hub, my gears would be:

1) 82.6 gear inches
2) 62.0 gear inches
3) 51.6 gear inches

In these two examples, the number of teeth on the back cog is only different by 2 teeth, yet in the first example I end up with a top gear that I will almost never use. In the 2nd example, I end up with a bottom gear that I will almost never use.

I think that the hub may have been designed with riders who like to skid alot in mind. The rider spends most of his time in direct drive around 70 gear inches, and drops to 52 gear inches if a hill appears. This leaves the bottom gear of 43.7 gear inches to do all that skip stop rubbish. It seems to be a waste of a gear to go so low with the 3rd if you're not into using tyres as brakes.

For me this sort of spacing is just too wide, but I'm still thinking about it. I think it could be possible to set the bike up so that I could spend most of my time in the middle gear, with a setup like the 52 x 15 I gave above. That way I would have a gear to drop down into for going up steep hills, and then I could go into direct drive to stop my legs spinning out on the other side of those steep hills. Then back to the middle gear when back on the flat. This sort of riding would potentially wear the hub out though, as the internal gears would be turning all the time. The hub would probably last much longer if it could be setup so that direct drive was the gear most used.

The old ASC hubs from the 50s had direct drive as the lowest gear, and riders spent most of their time in that gear. It was only when the pace picked up that they advanced into a higher gear, and even then the increments in gearing were not big. I think this would have been more suitable for training, and even commuting if the target market had any sort of cycling leg strength...

I have been offered a trial run of the hub for the fixie century. Still thinking about whether I'm going to use it. Also, need to find out if the hub will be allowed for that one!

[T-Bone]

I'm happy for you to use it, though i'll want a little test of it!!

[mikesbytes]

Based on the above, I'd say 52*16

[orphic]

I reckon it's cheating. But that's because I like to see Toff suffer, and secretly I'm hoping he suffer more than me.

[mikesbytes]

I like to see Toff suffer

It's not a pretty sight