I put tens of thousands of miles on Sturmey Archer AW hubs when I commuted in Boston. The old ones were bomb proof with a few drops of oil every now and then. They were the one hub that Boston slush winters could not kill. I wish it were flat enough out here in WA state to use one. I never tried belt drive, it wasn't a thing yet. Chain line was achieved by spacers and cog dish/flip. Have fun!
I grew up in the 60’s and always wanted a bike with a Sturmey Archer hub. Back then you found them on British bikes that as kids we called English racers. I never did get an English racer, or a Sturmey Archer hub, but I got a chance to ride them a fair bit back them, and they worked well.
Right. I have no idea why they were replaced by fragile derailleurs. I know Shimano still has some Nexus 7 to 9 speed internal hubs but it's more niche now.
The clicking "freewheel" noise is normal when pedaling. This is true on 3-speed hubs like yours as well as most of those with more gears. This is because with internally geared hubs, the gears are always engaged and driving different freewheels at different speeds, and whichever one is going faster drives the hub, while the others freewheel. However, more expensive hubs like the Shimano Alfine and higher-end Nexus models will not make freewheeling noise because they use "roller clutches" which are equivalent in function to freewheels but don't make noise due to a different design principle. Also, shifting delay is normal until you ease off the pedals to allow the internal mechanisms to move to their new positions.
@@namdarbolour9890 thanks for explaining the clicking noises. Makes sense since the easiest gear is silent but the two faster gears make the noise. I have already gotten used to hearing it and it doesn’t really bother me. Would be nice to try a higher end hub sometime to see if the roller clutches also improve the engagement delay.
You're welcome. The roller clutches won't improve gear change delay, but they will reduce the slight lag from freewheeling to driving when you start pedaling again after coasting.
@@rabalos21 This frame is a Soma B-Side and won't fit fat tires. If you are thinking about belt-driving a fat tire with this hub, make sure the belt will clear the tire. You can't really move the rear cog very much on this hub like you would be able to with a splined hub/single speed spacer kit.
I put tens of thousands of miles on Sturmey Archer AW hubs when I commuted in Boston. The old ones were bomb proof with a few drops of oil every now and then. They were the one hub that Boston slush winters could not kill. I wish it were flat enough out here in WA state to use one. I never tried belt drive, it wasn't a thing yet. Chain line was achieved by spacers and cog dish/flip. Have fun!
I grew up in the 60’s and always wanted a bike with a Sturmey Archer hub. Back then you found them on British bikes that as kids we called English racers. I never did get an English racer, or a Sturmey Archer hub, but I got a chance to ride them a fair bit back them, and they worked well.
Right. I have no idea why they were replaced by fragile derailleurs.
I know Shimano still has some Nexus 7 to 9 speed internal hubs but it's more niche now.
The clicking "freewheel" noise is normal when pedaling. This is true on 3-speed hubs like yours as well as most of those with more gears. This is because with internally geared hubs, the gears are always engaged and driving different freewheels at different speeds, and whichever one is going faster drives the hub, while the others freewheel. However, more expensive hubs like the Shimano Alfine and higher-end Nexus models will not make freewheeling noise because they use "roller clutches" which are equivalent in function to freewheels but don't make noise due to a different design principle. Also, shifting delay is normal until you ease off the pedals to allow the internal mechanisms to move to their new positions.
@@namdarbolour9890 thanks for explaining the clicking noises. Makes sense since the easiest gear is silent but the two faster gears make the noise. I have already gotten used to hearing it and it doesn’t really bother me. Would be nice to try a higher end hub sometime to see if the roller clutches also improve the engagement delay.
You're welcome. The roller clutches won't improve gear change delay, but they will reduce the slight lag from freewheeling to driving when you start pedaling again after coasting.
What bike frame do you have? Can it handle fat tires?
@@rabalos21 This frame is a Soma B-Side and won't fit fat tires. If you are thinking about belt-driving a fat tire with this hub, make sure the belt will clear the tire. You can't really move the rear cog very much on this hub like you would be able to with a splined hub/single speed spacer kit.
@ good point. Thanks for the heads up
It's great to see all these Americans realize what a dumb fad single speeds were.
@@greenefieldmann3014 I know, but I still love my single speeds!