Hub gears sans freewheel

SimonAH

Hi guys (and of course you wonderful fragrant gals),

I'm getting ambitious on my 'bike for life' build.

I want to build a bike for all (road) uses which means stiff, light and titanium. Problem is I also like this track stuff and want to spec a frame that I can flip twixt road and pine.

Ergo, obviously, high BB but also fixed(able). But also cake-and-eat-it I want to ride with gears (not on the track of course, you silly)

Now, anyone know if the freewheel section of an Alfine or a Rholoff is external to the gizzards or internal? Could I ride fixed with hub gears (given a little engineering of course). Would it shift if fixed? Is this all a mad dream?

I'm too used to this 'keep dem legs a spinnin' stuff to want a freewheel, but if I go mile munching then dammit some gears would be pretty handy - there has to be a way, there just must!

Oh yeah, she's going to be belt too - although the track wheelset will be chain. Complexity is the mother of invention

nicklouse

Sturmy Archer 3 speed fixed hub?

dhope

The Sturmey is the only one I've heard of...

t4tomo

Indeed you can definately get a fixed version of the good old Sturmey Archer 3 speed as I've been researching old Sturmey archer stuff to fix up an old Puch I bought for the Mrs. Plenty of people to selling old school SA stuff too, just google/ look on ebay. Plus its pretty bombproof stuff, far more reliable than this new fangled derailleur stuff.

MichaelW

The freewheeling action of all hub gears is internal.
The Sturmey Archer fixed gear 3 speed (S3X) sounds like your cup of tea.

Rohloff disc hubs can be run with a 4 bolt chainring as a sprocket.

EKE_38BPM

The S3X sounded perfect, until I read this.
To sum the article up:

Pros:
Gears for a fixie!

Cons:
Price (~£150)
Weight (1kg+)
Feel (feels like a slack chain)
Ratios (a 72" top gear results in 54" 2nd gear and 45" 1st gear)

Seems like it kinda destroys the simplicity and feel of fixies but a great idea though.

edit:
Why couldn't you fiddle with the ratios so that 2nd gear becomes around the 72" mark (for general riding on the flat) with 1st somewhere around 55" and 3rd around 80".
Still be heavy, pricey and feel a bit wrong though.

nicklouse

the only other option is a Dingle.

http://surlybikes.com/parts/dingle_cog/

t4tomo

EKE_38BPM wrote:

The S3X sounded perfect, until I read this.
To sum the article up:

Pros:
Gears for a fixie!

Cons:
Price (~£150)
Weight (1kg+)
Feel (feels like a slack chain)
Ratios (a 72" top gear results in 54" 2nd gear and 45" 1st gear)

Seems like it kinda destroys the simplicity and feel of fixies but a great idea though.

edit:
Why couldn't you fiddle with the ratios so that 2nd gear becomes around the 72" mark (for general riding on the flat) with 1st somewhere around 55" and 3rd around 80".
Still be heavy, pricey and feel a bit wrong though.

Of course you can change the ratio's just use a bigger ring up front if you can't alter the rear sprocket.

Re the other Cons - I'd rather have an extra kilo and be peddling up hill on 55" than 72" and you might be able to find a used one to do something about the price.

Or get a standard freewheel 3 speed which go pretty cheap on ebay, that way you can freewheel down hills!

Seriously what is so special about fixed vs hub gears. You still have the low maintenance and simplicity aspect, plus the ability to stop pedalling.

EKE_38BPM

t4tomo wrote:

Of course you can change the ratio's just use a bigger ring up front if you can't alter the rear sprocket.

Re the other Cons - I'd rather have an extra kilo and be peddling up hill on 55" than 72" and you might be able to find a used one to do something about the price.

Still leaves the problem of feel though. That is one of the selling points of a fixie and if that is lost, its pretty pointless.

I'd have to give one a go before I pass judgement.

dhope

t4tomo wrote:

Seriously what is so special about fixed vs hub gears. You still have the low maintenance and simplicity aspect, plus the ability to stop pedalling.

Simon wanted to be able to use it on the track -> No brakes allowed -> Fixed gear.

t4tomo

Good point and well argued dhope - forgot about that from the opening post, no brakes and a freewheel might cause some alarm at the track.

EKE_38BPM

t4tomo wrote:

Good point and well argued dhope - forgot about that from the opening post, no brakes and a freewheel might cause some alarm at the track.

Not just on the track!

t4tomo

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Not just on the track!

see above

dhope wrote:

on the track -> No brakes allowed

As far as I'm aware, you're allowed to use brakes everywhere else was kinda my point

t4tomo

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/gill.html

apparently you can convert the old 3 speed hubs to fixed 2 speed or similar - see the links on the attached links - look like you need to be vaguely technical to do it mind. A second hand SA 3 speed hub is pretty cheap to pick up.

dhope

t4tomo wrote:

look like you need to be vaguely technical

Think you just made up Simon's mind to try it