Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Coaster brake wheelset.

Has anyone ever seen these nyc bikes coaster brake wheels in person? I emailed them but they won't respond to tell me how wide the rims are. That and what people say about them on this forum has given me pause but if they were the right size i might still bid on em cheap sometime on ebay.

Or does anyone know another source for these or other 700c cb wheels?

Linky:
http://www.nycbikes.com/item.php?item_id=353

Any good old shop should have quality coaster hubs lying around that I'm sure they could build up for you for the same price or less. Do you need a front/do you care about matching?

NYC bikes is generally not the best idea.

Oh, THIS again.

My friend has this wheel, and has ridden it hard without incident for the past six months in all kinds of miserable Chicago weather. NYCBikes is certainly a gamble, but this wheel arrived pretty true, and there've been no problems.

We went around to a lot of different shops, and none of them could build one for anything close to that price.

It's not nice enough to warrant finding a "matching" front wheel. Use any old thing.

Thanks for the response, what size tire will the wheel take, can you ask your friend. Also what is the spacing on it?

I would appreciate it.

Takes any 700c tire, my friend. I think he's running a 700x23 tire currently (he's always hockey-stop skidding, so it's something cheap).

I'm pretty sure the spacing's 120. He's running it on one of the Mercier track frames.

You can run 700x32 or so on the set. I had the coaster brake wheel, but ended up selling it because I never used it.

I believe I have been called out.
That wheel has held up to my regular abuse.
I am not light (~200lbs) and I take curbs all the time and even the occasional stair case on it (meet great alley cat).
no problems yet.
Heavy, but not to bad.
It is what it is.

oh, I run a 700x28 generic
and it is time to replace it... again
there are other things besided a hockey stop, like a 90 degree skid into a turn,
and my favorite, skid perpendicular into a 4 way stop, I promise every car will wave you through,... almost everytime.

Anyone around here ever use one of these (http://www.sturmey-archer.com/hubs_oh_CBS11.php)? Comments?

Isn't that what this whole thread is about?
Or are you asking about the specific brand?

About that hub, specifically. I can't find any into on it other than what's on the SA website.

Anyone around here ever use one of these (http://www.sturmey-archer.com/hubs_oh_CBS11.php)? Comments?

OLD 110 mm--need respace. SB says good things about new (Taiwan) sturmey. Of the old coaster hubs, the way to go are old french ones.

Yeah, I'm not too keen on the 110 spacing, but should be easy to deal with. There's an old junky Schwinn cruiser with a USA-made Bendix on it that's been abandonded in the apartment bike stable since I moved here. Every now and then I get an itch to find out who it belongs to and make an offer for it.

They really do need to come up with a 2 speed hub. Not the kick back either, at my lbs they say they arent a model of efficiency. Think about it, what you need is the regular gearing you favor with the option of dropping into a lower gear for a big assed hill.

That is what we need so how come with all the modern technology we have not come up with a light and efficient two speed that is easy to use?

Buyers preferences

Just have one made, I did.

hey I have one of the nyc wheels which never got used, anyone want it?

Kurremkarm - sorry we didn't get back to your e-mail. I was on vacation and it fell through the cracks. The rim is 23mm wide measured to the outside (n.b.most rims are measured to the inside). I would not use less than a 25mm tire on them - if you are looking for a maximum width I believe you will find that any 700 rim will accept a 700 tire.

I posted the following to another thread, so I'll quote myself (ego much) to answer some of the other issues discussed:

Wheels are packed the same way we receive them from distributors. Any bike shop or knowledgeable mechanic will tell you that wheels must be trued when they come out of a box, and they must be trued again in a couple of weeks after a break in period. If the wheels arrive perfect it is only by the grace of god (wheels go into the box with a final true, but shipping stress...). The big caveat about purchasing online instead of at your lbs is that you take on the responsibilities that your mechanic normally takes care of.

As to the notices about us on the forum, I believe most are like the above - if they've dealt with us they're happy with the product for the price (usually lower than all our competitors), if they have never dealt with us they feel in the know to repeat "do a search - great product bad service." I am happy to respond to specific complaints from those who have actually purchased merchandise from us. An ebay search will show that we have over 2000 positive comments to less than 20 negatives.

And finally, forgive me if it takes a while to respond to e-mails. I run not only an up and coming brand that builds our own bikes, but I have a full service shop, and obviously a mail-order business. We are sometimes swamped because I won't hire people only to lay them off when business slows - sometimes it makes us grumpy too, but we will eventually respond (hint: if you don't get an immediate response, check the listing - usually the info you need is in there).

I wish all those riding fixed and single-speed fun and safety - and, get ready for the barrage - use a front brake! It's not only the law in most states, it's the responsible thing to do. The face you save may be your own, but it's more important to save the life and limbs of those you share the street with - you don't have a right to choose for them. Save the brakeless traditional approach for the oval where your fellow riders have a chance to choose.

Best Regards

Will Wood
owner, NYCBikes/spokes&strings

Sorry, a couple more things... most cb's and old style internal gear hubs are spaced 110mm - a quick trick to space to 135 is to flip the axle nuts to use as additional locknuts with the serated side pointing out - then get another pair of axle nuts to tighten the wheel into place, correct spacing/tight grip.

We also offer affordable 3 speed hubs, and have a 2 speed in the works. Enjoy.

rgds
will

will wood? any relation?

I just built my own using a shimano hub and old rim I had laying around served me well for a few months until I went fixed and is now just laying around waiting for me to do something with it. I put it up on the trade thread but didnt get any responses.

The SA CB hub looks suspiciously like a generic Asian CB hub. Probably made with the same design as damn near every other Asian CB hub these days from Shimano, KT, etc.

WOW, NYCbikes is posting now! Hey, NYCbikes! The frame that I bought from you (before I knew anything about bikes) is trash! TRASH!!! You suck!!!

Haha.

Shecky- There ya go brother, sometimes looks aren't decieving. Cross manufacturing is part of the industry, and Shimano like all the others practice it, having others who are tooled for the job do the job for them. That doesn't mean that they are all crap, just that they appear to be equivalent (though hear it again, you would be foolish if you weigh over eighty pounds to ride one without a front brake).

Genericbikedude- I'm sorry you didn't like our frame. If you'd be more specific it'd be helpful for us and others reading this. Why didn't you like it? I'm more than happy to hear why - it's helpful to the design process. Forgive me if I ask your name though, I would hate to take constructive criticism from someone who hadn't purchased a frame from us and had never ridden one - you can see how that wouldn't be helpful.

rgds
will

Thanks for the reply, NYC bikeguy. So I'm guessing i could run a 35 mm wide tire on those rims, would that seem reasonable?

Hey,
If you still have the NYC coaster-brake wheel, what would you want for it?
Blake

Yeah a 35mm will be no problem with the wheel (your frame...?), have fun.

are there any high quality coaster brake hubs in production?

High quality as in CampytitaniumcarbonfiberPhilWoods? No.
High quality as in will last pretty much forever with occasional maintenance? Yes.

Honestly, older Bendix and such are better than the current ones made by Shimano, if you can find them, but the current ones work just fine.

There's not really anything wrong, AFAIK, with the Shimano Nexus line. I think all of them are either 3, 7, or 8 speed, though...others are making coasters, but at widely varying quality levels (quality being a complex function of durability, mass, etc.)

The Nexus line is all internally geared multi speed, but Shimano also makes the E-Type, which is a traditional single speed coaster. That is what I have on my Steamroller.

Personally, I like the E hub better than the 3 speed Nexus I have on one of my cruisers. The Nexus feels like something is flexing inside it when I brake hard.

are there any high quality coaster brake hubs in production?


AFAIK, the only coaster brake hub in production that might qualify as "high quality" is the Velosteel (http://www.velosteel.cz/).

They are physically much nicer looking assemblies, a copy of a old Sachs design. However, they weigh about a half pound more than comparable Shimano/KT CB hubs. And they don't actually stop any better. Theoretically, they should roll freer, as the internal construction uses retracting brake shoes and a roller clutch. In use, the difference is negligible. They are also very difficult to get a hold of.

I use both the Shimano/KT CB hub and the Velosteel, and I'd say the Shimano/KT CB hub is perfectly sufficient. These hubs are extremely mature technology, making them functional, ubiquitous, cheap, cosmetically adequate. And absolutely nothing more.

If you could find a Velosteel hub, it'll make a interesting conversation piece. But the Shimano/KT CB hub will work out just as well.

Is anyone in the US importing Velosteel hubs?

Last time I checked into it there was no way easy way to purchase one.

Hey,
If you still have the NYC coaster-brake wheel, what would you want for it?
Blake

I still have mine if that dosent work out for you.