Hub gear conversion.

Onan

Would it be possible for me to fit a hub gear to my charge plug? No problems with the spacing or anything like that?

MichaelW

The Plug has the adjustability, you need to match the width. This varies with different hubs. Most 8 speed have 135mm spacing. You may need a 3 speed to fit the narrower dropout spacing of the frame.

lae

^ The Plug has a steel frame so you can cold set the rear end to 135mm spacing.
It's easy enough to DIY it:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

You'll also need a clamp-on cable stop/guide (depending on which hub you go for) on the chainstay but they're easy to find on ebay.


You could always sell the Plug and get a Charge Tap. It's a very similar machine but with Shimano 8-speed hub gear and double-butted tubing (rather than plain gauge on the Plug).

Onan

frinkmakesyouthink wrote:

^ The Plug has a steel frame so you can cold set the rear end to 135mm spacing.
It's easy enough to DIY it:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

You'll also need a clamp-on cable stop/guide (depending on which hub you go for) on the chainstay but they're easy to find on ebay.


You could always sell the Plug and get a Charge Tap. It's a very similar machine but with Shimano 8-speed hub gear and double-butted tubing (rather than plain gauge on the Plug).

I was thinking about that, but I like the blue and brown on the plug, and I'd like to keep the bullhorns. Also, I don't know which would cost me more, the conversion, or the difference between what I'd get for the plug, and what the tap would cost me.

Onan

Sturmey archer do a 3-speed hub in 120mm, so that would fit.

Would there be a problem fitting a shifter on the bullhorns anyway? I think the bars are 25.4mm clamp diameter.

I get the feeling the cheaper option might be to sell the plug and buy a tap.

lae

You can get secondhand SA 3-speed hubs on ebay for about 15-20 quid. The cheapest ones are the old AW hubs which have steel casings and so weigh a little more than the modern ones, but it's not a big difference. They're bulletproof so age shouldn't dissuade you from buying one.

99% of problems with them come from the shifter. I've used hub gears for ages and my personal preference is for a band-on downtube friction shifter. I've not tried one with anything but 3-speed hubs, but I could see them working on a 4-speed if you can find one. Also, they're cheap on ebay and basically never go wrong unlike those stupid clicky thumb shifters that SA used to supply with them.

Onan

I've decided to sell the plug. Probably my other bikes too, since they got left behind in the move down south.

I'll invest the revenue in a brand new Tap.

The thread is here if anyone wants to buy my bike.

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12733051