Cycling UK Forum

Hi all,

anybody heard on the grapevine yet when the new Sturmey' hub will be available?

(Have tried searching', but the most recent news seems to be from late last November).

Cheers!

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogI ... 9809878602

Sadly the way they've made direct drive the top gear, and also made the ratios pretty wide, spoils it for me.

Now, this **is** exciting.
Never really experimented with fixed gear, but this might push me over.

Well for myself, the ratios are fine, pretty much perfect in fact so long as the top gear (3rd, direct drive), can be about 72/73".

But then, my usual terrain is only easy rolling East Anglia. Lucky in that respect (though I often long for the hills of the West Country!).

As long as Sturmey' can make it reliable, or rather "robust" (that favourite and overused word of the politicians!), then it should sell O.K.

But if Sturmey' are currently saying it will be out around March, then I suspect it will be more like May.

Any news? It's June already! I want my hub!

Maybe those pesky Somalian pirates have nicked' the ship?

i've emailed all the usual suspects, and received one promising reply. i've copied it below.

from = http://oldbiketrader.co.uk/

> Thank you for your enquiry. Yes its on its way I saw
> a prototype at the Cycle show last year at the
> Sturmey Stand at Earls Court, SA are a bit tight
> lipped about its release date, but I have a standing
> order with my supplier for 10 when they finally
> arrive.
> Have put you in my order book.
> Regards Derek.

email him, and get your name on the list i guess is all that you can do?

I understood some countries were getting it before others.

Methinks I'll speak to Derek too. Maybe the first one's have gone to bespoke builders.Expensive/trendy fixed gear chappies,Condor,Rivendell and the like.

Just checked the Sunrace S/A site again. But unless I'm being even thicker than usual,I can't find what OLN sizes it'll be in. Or rather for my case,the overall length of the axle.

Mind you,it could be some months yet. Santa,are you listening?

pioneer wrote: unless I'm being even thicker than usual,I can't find what OLN sizes it'll be in. Or rather for my case,the overall length of the axle.

here it is - page 58

Thanks Hubbers, found it. 120 and 130 mil.That's good news.Now all we need is when it'll get here from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Anyone know a price? More than £100 and they're milking it. £200 and you might as well have an ASC with nicer ratios (provided you can find the special shifter, or modify one to suit).

The Sturmey' chap on the stand at the last Cycle show reckoned it would be about £130.00,including the shifter and all fittings. Personally,by the time it comes out,I think it will be more like £150.00.

You could argue that this expensive compared to other hubs (including other's in the Sturmey' range),but I suppose as this will be the only new fixed-gear hub on the market and they know it is eagerley awaited by the city trendies' and dedicated fixed-gear fans, they can charge pretty much what they like.

Myself,I'd like one,but I'll wait until the reliability is proven.

Their 8-speed used to suffer from busted gear rings until they got the manufacturing sorted. Mind you, there's a precedent for this - look at the FM or the notorious SW.

There are some (IMHO) poor design choices on the S3X. The wide ratios, the choice of only (inefficiently small) 12T or 13T sprockets*, having direct drive as the highest gear and the sprocket fitting itself, which is incompatible with other SA three speeds. Maybe the 3-spline design doesn't like torque reversal, and of course the old threaded driver (I use one) needed to be removed from the hub to change sprockets. SA's own 12-spline design, with a natty LH threaded lockring, was rather nice but died out in the 1960s.

*maybe you can get bigger ones from a different manufacturer - I really hope the 13T maximum isn't to limit the torque on the internals, because that would imply it's not very robust at all