An ad for some 116mm OLD, SA S2Cs has appeared on Ebay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/304766626452
These look to be complete in the box, with axle nuts and a 22 tooth sprocket. The price is quite a bit more than they were going for when available at online bike retailers, about $110 with tax and shipping.
I considered a lot of possibilities for my Shelby Hiawatha,
- The old Bendix Aviation two speed could be had cheap, but the MS-46 axle end actuator, the cable and the bar mounted shifter were all going to cost me again what the hub did, if I could find them.
- A Bendix automatic was a known entity. I can probably find a Yellow Band for about $110, and a Red Band might be a few bucks less, but spare parts seem to be a bit scarce, especially the brake disc set for the Red. The Bendix automatics (kickback) are limited to the 18 tooth sprocket that is not interchangeable.
- I've only read good things about the Sachs Duomatic. Haven't seen one for sale with 36 holes, but when I do, I bet it will be over $200.
- A Sachs Torpedo Driegang, 3 speed is a lot easier to find, but again I see issues with the small parts. The chain & rod, the cable seem likely to be broken or missing from Ebay offerings, and the shifter will probably cost as much as the hub.
- A Sturmey Archer S3C or AWC ( I'm leery of the TCW), 3 speed would be an economical solution. These seem relatively available, and supplies of small parts are good, (provided my assumption that these use the same shifter parts as AW hubs is correct?) I could mount the shifter under the seat for a clean handlebar, if I custom terminate a shorty cable.
- A Shimano 333 coaster brake three speed is an option, but these don't have a great reputation for durability, and would be low on my list.
The Sturmey Archer S2C has interchangeable sprockets, and there will be no need for finagling shifter cables. Having been manufactured presumably within the last decade, perhaps spare parts will even be obtainable. The only thing about it I consider a negative is that it uses the gears for high, rather than low. Low is direct and High is 138%.
An S2C is on its way to me here in Chicago from the Ebay seller above.
Yes, all Sachs and most SRAM kickback hubs take these standard sprockets, same as Shimano Nexus does. If you want i can make a custom skiptooth sprocket like that for you, but that won't be easy. The skiptooth cog is thicker then the regular one, so it would have to be thinner inside and thicker outside. Would need to be fabricated in a few steps, including laser cutting and machining on a lathe.
Thanks for the info on the Sachs and SRAM sprockets. I appreciate your offer, but I don't want to get into custom made parts. I found this vendor on Ebay who is dealing in exactly what you described.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/383857862062
My Shelby Hiawatha 26 x 2.125 (559) balloon tire arrived with a prewar snowflake skiptooth chainwheel with 26 teeth and a 10 tooth rear. I'll go through some gear - inch ratio calculations. This is mainly for myself, posting it here lets me find the info again. If this interests or benefits others, that's great. I'm riding in Chicago, northwest side. It's mainly flat, with an occasional hill. My commute schedule seems to mean I always have a head wind. Not sure if this is meteorological or imaginary.
For a baseline, I'll use the 3 speed lightweight I was commuting on last year. That had 26x1-3/8 (590) tires, 1/2 pitch chain, a 48 tooth chainwheel and a 19 tooth sprocket on an AW hub.
3 speed 48 / 19 SA AW 48.1 low 65.5 mid 87.3 high ( High is ocasionally useable, one tooth more in the rear might be better overall. )
I think most 3 speeds were factory equipped with 18 tooth rear sprockets. That's what was on my Sportsman before I switched to the 19.
48 / 18 SA AW 51.8 low 69.1 mid 92.1 high ( low was OK, mid was fine, but high was almost never usefull)
Existing Shelby 26 / 10 S.T. 67.4 gear inches ( Steep, but manageable, I stand on pedals for hills)
26 / 11 S.T. SA S2C 61.3 low 84.6 high
26 / 12 S.T. SA S2C 56.2 low 77.6 high
Rather than stay with the skiptooth, which is going to be a problem when I need to add links, it seems much wiser to change the Hiawatha to use 1/2" pitch chain. I'm going to get a 48 tooth sunburst chainwheel, which I believe was what was on the bike from the factory.
48 / 22 SA S2C 56.6 low 78.1 high (Worth a try, but I suspect I'll be shopping for a 24t sprocket)
48 / 24 SA S2C 51.9 low 71.6 high
If anyone is interested in learning more about "Gear Inches" as a way of calculating ratios on bikes, or any of the other methods for doing this, I recommend Sheldon Brown's site, although there appears to be a server issue at the moment:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html
