The return of the Sturmey three-speed fixed hub

John Stevenson

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/t ... turn-18328

As I mention in the story, I used to have an ASC. I am far more excited about this hub than a jaded old bike journo has any right to be.

The ASC was a brilliant commuter/winter/knockabout-bike hub.

I can see the S3X being even better. I hope they'll have solved the ASC's slippage problem - you did have to be a bit careful with it.

Pete Beer

I'd be tempted for the tourer..................

bagpusscp

With the current craze for town bikes,fixed wheel machines.It should prove a winner.The spacing will be all important.Will it fit old and modern frames?

Aidanw

Just you wait someone will invent a way to de-couple the rear wheel from the pedals allowing you to go faster than you can pedal down hills! What a great day that will be!

Spiny

Aidanw wrote:

Just you wait someone will invent a way to de-couple the rear wheel from the pedals allowing you to go faster than you can pedal down hills! What a great day that will be!

There was a commercially available 'fix/free' drive around in the 90's. Quite fancied one... anyone remember it? I think it was manufactured by a one-man-and-his-garage type enterprise.

Really excited by the new Sturmey offering. I have a friend who has one of the original
versions - he has always refused to part with it - surprise, surprise!

John Stevenson

I remember the Fix/Free though I never actually used one.

FX: Whatever it sounds like when you use Google. I like to imagine tapes whirring like a gert big computer from a cheap 70s SF movie.

Bugger me if there isn't one up on eBay right now:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HETCHINS-FIX-FREE ... 1327r14785

As recently as 2006, the inventor was looking for backers to get it going again:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_q ... _n16151196

one_bad_mofo

Is it just me being suspicious but there's only an instruction sheet shown on that ebay sale, no picture of the actual part?

NorwegianBlue

one_bad_mofo wrote:

Is it just me being suspicious but there's only an instruction sheet shown on that ebay sale, no picture of the actual part?

I've asked the seller for more pictures.

NorwegianBlue

Tried one of the originals earlier this year. I'd heard they had some free play, but I found it totally unacceptable, it felt like half an inch of free play either way at the pedals. Being charitable I wrote it off as being wear and tear, although the seller claimed it was mint.

Why was there all that slop there in the first place? I always guessed that it was because it was developed from a freewheel hub, or maybe I'm missing something. It's not like there aren't loads of compact gear systems around outside the world of cycling with no appreciable slop.

Now if they can get rid of the free play it would be a winner.

However if it is an all new product as the article seems to suggest then it seems a bit much calling it a Sturmey Archer hub. Just like it's a bit much calling the BMW nothing series a Mini.