Recumbent - SRAM 3 speed hub durability, problems etc?

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jpooch00
10-09-10, 05:51 AM
I've been reading some blogs about long distance trike trips and some of them seem to indicate that the SRAM hubs completely fail or at least give trouble fairly often. One totally failed at 2000 miles.

Is this common, or just a fluke?

Thanks in advance,

John

VegasTriker
10-09-10, 02:31 PM
I'm on my second SACHS/SRAM hub and have about 19,000 miles on it on my Greenspeed GTO. The first one was a SACHS Spectro 7 3X8 and I replaced it after I rode this used GTO about 12,000 miles. I didn't buy the trike new so I have no idea of the actual miles (second owner said 1,000). I would have had it rebuilt if I could remember who rebuilds them for around $150. (Hint: anyone know?) The current version is the SRAM dualdrive. Greenspeed has been using the three speed hub on their trikes for over 2 decades. If the hubs were a problem for most users, GS would have long since abandoned the use of the hub. Greenspeed is a company that doesn't continue to make the same mistake time after time. That's why I wouldn't hesitate to buy another GS product. Yes, I have read about some dualdrive failures on www.bentrideronline.com. Some happened when the hub was used on a tandem. I personally know several trike riders who use the hub and nobody that I know of has had one fail. I have heard that it is possible to destroy the hub if you continue to ride when it is not properly set up with the correct tension on the gear cable but the DD comes with a gear indicator on the end of the axle that shows exactly when it is correctly tensioned. It's a complex mechanism with a lot of internal parts so an occasional failure is inevitable.
jpooch00
10-09-10, 04:23 PM
I'm on my second SACHS/SRAM hub and have about 19,000 miles on it on my Greenspeed GTO. The first one was a SACHS Spectro 7 3X8 and I replaced it after I rode this used GTO about 12,000 miles. I didn't buy the trike new so I have no idea of the actual miles (second owner said 1,000). I would have had it rebuilt if I could remember who rebuilds them for around $150. (Hint: anyone know?) The current version is the SRAM dualdrive. Greenspeed has been using the three speed hub on their trikes for over 2 decades. If the hubs were a problem for most users, GS would have long since abandoned the use of the hub. Greenspeed is a company that doesn't continue to make the same mistake time after time. That's why I wouldn't hesitate to buy another GS product. Yes, I have read about some dualdrive failures on www.bentrideronline.com. Some happened when the hub was used on a tandem. I personally know several trike riders who use the hub and nobody that I know of has had one fail. I have heard that it is possible to destroy the hub if you continue to ride when it is not properly set up with the correct tension on the gear cable but the DD comes with a gear indicator on the end of the axle that shows exactly when it is correctly tensioned. It's a complex mechanism with a lot of internal parts so an occasional failure is inevitable.

Hey VT,

Thank you VERY MUCH for the detailed response.

I was hoping that was the case because I really like the idea of having a lot of different gear ratios and also having the ability to shift into a lower gear when stationary - like when I stop and forget to shift down!

Thanks again, and ride safe,

John