Some SA history.
Started in England in 1902. Bankrupt and sold to Sun Race and relocated to Taiwan around 2000 or so.
English SA hubs, well there were dozens of models. The best by far was the AW. Introduced in 1939. Standard Wide range 3 speed that was put on millions or 10's of millions of 3 speed bikes sold around the world. The only flaw was the nib, Neutral inBetween (2nd and 3rd gear). Some factory engineer figured out how to fix that but the corporate heads didn't want to pay the extra 2 cents. Supposedly Columbia (USA) ordered no-nib versions as they recognized the short comings and were willing to pay the extra cost. Never seen one in person. Often called bomb proof but not really. Most trouble is caused by improper lube or heavy use when not adjusted right. I've seen some with grease injected or filled with hot parafin (aka candle wax in the USA). Parafin is something else in England.
Chipped planetary gears, broken axle keys, rusted away pawl springs from long term water infiltration. Most just need some oil and they are fine. No need to take them apart unless they are acting up.
SA let their patents lapse in the late 1950s so Styer of Austria made clones. Seen on many Styer made JC Higgins sold at Sears. Also on Schwinn lightweights and middleweights around 1958-1960 marked only as "Schwinn Approved". SA previously licensed their designs to other British companies. Those are rarely seen in the USA.
The rest of the English SA hubs have more issues. The SW hub (Silent - wide range) was a disaster. Meant to replace the AW as it was cheaper to make. The smaller pawls couldn't handle the forces. There were 7 model/versions of 3 speed hubs with coaster brakes. They never got it right. The last of the line S3C (to be confused with shimanos's SC3) has minor tweeks from year to year. By 1980, even the AW wasn't very good due to SA finding ways to make parts cheaper. Clutches stamped vs machined led to lousy shifting is just 1 example.
There are some now rare models of SA hubs that are worth quite a bit. Mostly from before the mid 1950s. If there is no date code, then it's older and probably worth more. The AW is so common, they can be bought for $10. Often the rest of the bike will come with it. They made Medium range, Narrow range, alloy shells, 3 speed fixie, drum brake, dyno hubs, both front and rear incorporated into a AW hub. 4 speed, 5 speed hubs too.
Sun Race of Taiwan, now called SunRace Sturmey Archer designed many new models. Some good, some not so good. Some were discontinued pretty quick. One issue I have is the click supressor. A thin piece of tin that gets bent out of shape all to easy. Plus part of the charm of a Sturmey Archer hub is the clicking. They engineered many new features and hub options. 2 speed kickback, 2 speed fixie, 5 speed, 8 speed, decent aluminum shells, no-nib, disc versions, band brake versions, rotary shifters that don't stick out and get ruined.
Are the Taiwan hubs better or worse? Meh, they both had/have so many models and most weren't great hubs. 100 years vs 20 years? There are surely more English hubs still being used than they ever made in Taiwan. There were/are competitors but they all have issues too. Shimano, SRAM, Sachs, Rolhoff, Nuvinci, Bendix, etc. The Sturmey Archer AW is the most iconic for all time.
Started in England in 1902. Bankrupt and sold to Sun Race and relocated to Taiwan around 2000 or so.
English SA hubs, well there were dozens of models. The best by far was the AW. Introduced in 1939. Standard Wide range 3 speed that was put on millions or 10's of millions of 3 speed bikes sold around the world. The only flaw was the nib, Neutral inBetween (2nd and 3rd gear). Some factory engineer figured out how to fix that but the corporate heads didn't want to pay the extra 2 cents. Supposedly Columbia (USA) ordered no-nib versions as they recognized the short comings and were willing to pay the extra cost. Never seen one in person. Often called bomb proof but not really. Most trouble is caused by improper lube or heavy use when not adjusted right. I've seen some with grease injected or filled with hot parafin (aka candle wax in the USA). Parafin is something else in England.
Chipped planetary gears, broken axle keys, rusted away pawl springs from long term water infiltration. Most just need some oil and they are fine. No need to take them apart unless they are acting up.
SA let their patents lapse in the late 1950s so Styer of Austria made clones. Seen on many Styer made JC Higgins sold at Sears. Also on Schwinn lightweights and middleweights around 1958-1960 marked only as "Schwinn Approved". SA previously licensed their designs to other British companies. Those are rarely seen in the USA.
The rest of the English SA hubs have more issues. The SW hub (Silent - wide range) was a disaster. Meant to replace the AW as it was cheaper to make. The smaller pawls couldn't handle the forces. There were 7 model/versions of 3 speed hubs with coaster brakes. They never got it right. The last of the line S3C (to be confused with shimanos's SC3) has minor tweeks from year to year. By 1980, even the AW wasn't very good due to SA finding ways to make parts cheaper. Clutches stamped vs machined led to lousy shifting is just 1 example.
There are some now rare models of SA hubs that are worth quite a bit. Mostly from before the mid 1950s. If there is no date code, then it's older and probably worth more. The AW is so common, they can be bought for $10. Often the rest of the bike will come with it. They made Medium range, Narrow range, alloy shells, 3 speed fixie, drum brake, dyno hubs, both front and rear incorporated into a AW hub. 4 speed, 5 speed hubs too.
Sun Race of Taiwan, now called SunRace Sturmey Archer designed many new models. Some good, some not so good. Some were discontinued pretty quick. One issue I have is the click supressor. A thin piece of tin that gets bent out of shape all to easy. Plus part of the charm of a Sturmey Archer hub is the clicking. They engineered many new features and hub options. 2 speed kickback, 2 speed fixie, 5 speed, 8 speed, decent aluminum shells, no-nib, disc versions, band brake versions, rotary shifters that don't stick out and get ruined.
Are the Taiwan hubs better or worse? Meh, they both had/have so many models and most weren't great hubs. 100 years vs 20 years? There are surely more English hubs still being used than they ever made in Taiwan. There were/are competitors but they all have issues too. Shimano, SRAM, Sachs, Rolhoff, Nuvinci, Bendix, etc. The Sturmey Archer AW is the most iconic for all time.
