school me on shifting hubs

[twistedmentality]

ok im new to this side of bikes,but iam very enthusiastic about it. i see some talking about the hubs that shift. ive seen em for sale but im unsure how they work besides the KB style.. do the others work using a cable or is it centrifugal force ?

also can you get them with the wheel ? i dont want to lace up a hub.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

ok im new to this side of bikes,but iam very enthusiastic about it. i see some talking about the hubs that shift. ive seen em for sale but im unsure how they work besides the KB style.. do the others work using a cable or is it centrifugal force ?

also can you get them with the wheel ? i dont want to lace up a hub.

I know you can get them in a wheel, might cost a bit more for shipping but you can, as far as how they work most are operated by a cable that goes through the drive side of the axle

 

[udallcustombikes]

The majority you see are 3,5, or 7 speed cable operated. The names you will usually see on these are Sturmey Archer, Shimano, and Nexus (a Shimano product).
There are also "kickback" style 2 speeds such as the Bendix Automatic, Sturmey-Archer's new SA-2, or the Sachs Duomatic. These are operated by moving the pedals backwards, like applying a coaster brake but not as far, to alternate between the high and low gears.

The only true automatic that I know of is the Sachs Automatic. These operate off of the centrifugal forces of the hub and I can only assume some sort of voodoo. I have never riden or even seen one of these in person but they are out there.

Hope that helps.

 

[Rooski]

Some good info at http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/geared-hubs-vs-derailleur/

 

[twistedmentality]

thanks guys, my bike defiantly needs some sort of multispeed hub. i like the kickback idea but rather have the full auto.

 

[udallcustombikes]

Here is some info on the automatic
http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/fs-torpedo-automatic/

 

[twistedmentality]

now just to find one...

 

[scrumblero]

the new S/A kickbacks are sweet! I'm running one on my "get around" bike and love it.

it doesn't have A low gear tho.. its an overdrive hub so its 1:1 and 1:1.35 or something.. :roll:

 

[Wildcat]

My favorite so far are my Sachs 3 speed hubs, very smooth shifting and decent coaster brake. My Shimano and SA hubs aren't nearly as good when it comes to stopping. The new 2 speed ratios are normal and high, but you can put a smaller sprocket on the cranks and make it low and normal, maybe a 36 tooth drive sprocket.

 

[twistedmentality]

yea my normal rite now is good for everything but going up hills.so i would need something with a low gear or change the sprocket.

 

[M.Martian]

The only true automatic that I know of is the Sachs Automatic. These operate off of the centrifugal forces of the hub and I can only assume some sort of voodoo. I have never riden or even seen one of these in person but they are out there.

Yup, voodoo about covers how they work. I still haven't learned to predict when mine will or will not shift. I need to adjust the cones on mine but don't have the type of wrench for it yet. Gonna have to draw one up on the computer and punch it out at work.

that is a great article on the Torpedo hubs. I had to go and download all the breakdowns on it along with the 55 images showing a complete teardown. :mrgreen:

From what that guy said, they seem to be fairly uncommon and were not used for too many years.

 

[icyuod2]

My favorite so far are my Sachs 3 speed hubs, very smooth shifting and decent coaster brake. My Shimano and SA hubs aren't nearly as good when it comes to stopping. The new 2 speed ratios are normal and high, but you can put a smaller sprocket on the cranks and make it low and normal, maybe a 36 tooth drive sprocket.

have they been serviced?
my sturmey coaster hubs about the quickest stopping coaster brake i've come across to date.

 

[Wildcat]

The hubs are good, it's the amount of braking surface that makes the difference. My Bendix yellow band 2 speed has the best brakes, but that's because it operates off the lower gear, you get a lot more leverage. I don't know if the new SA ones are the same way. The 3 speeds all have a smaller brake surface than a one speed hub, so none are really that great. Of course, I'm over 200lbs, so I need good brakes.