Bicycle Mechanics - Madness or genius?

Ok, so I'm sitting on a Sturmey-Archer AW that I salvaged off a beat up old Raleigh Sport. I have a mad scheme to build a mountain bike wheel out of it but I have a few questions: it looks like my selection of 40 hole rims is pretty limited. Sun claims to make the Rhynolite in 40 hole, but I can't find anyone who stocks it online. Obviously I need to talk to my LBS but can anyone confirm that it's actually in their catalog for this year?

Secondly, am I completely lunatic for thinking about this? Will I just nuke the hub the first time out? I know it's space 110mm, but the axle seems to be about 150mm and this would be going into an old Bridgestone, so it's only a 130mm frame. The dropouts seem to be about 5mm thick, leaving 5mm on either side for nuts to thread onto. I haven't actually test fitted because my mtb is so gross with water, snow, salt, grease, and sand right now that I don't want to touch anything.

Pardon me if this is a silly lazy question. This is a coaster brake right? If so and pardon my drunken self, can't you just use some washers or what have you to even up the wheel? Oh and if you want an old Schwinn world tour frame and fork with some very fused on Campy cranks then it's yours.

I just made a 3-speed road bike out of an old Puch 10-speed, and it worked GREAT. I love that bike. I used CR18, which I believe are available in both 622 and 5-ninety-whatever. I don't know, however, if the 26" version can be gotten in 40-hole drilling. You might be able to swap your 40 for a 36?

Also, why would the hub get nuked? If your worried, use a big sprocket and a big chainring...

Also--the rhynolite 40h is not in J&B, but what is?

No, no coaster brake. Also, this is a salvaged hub so I don't think I'd be able to swap my 40 for a 36 hole hub. Sun claims the CR-18 is double walled, Harris Cyclery claims the 40 hole is single. In any case, if they make the CR-18 in 26" 40 hole, I would expec the Rhynolite would be likewise...

As far as destroying the hub, my concern is the stress placed on the planetary engagement and whether I'm just asking to mangle the guts. And for that matter whether I'm looking to wreak some havoc on the external cog threads. I think it had a 20t cog which would match nicely with the 40t ring up front. Give me a nice road gear, decent XC gear, and a real low climbing gear.

Contact a tandem specialty dealer like Tandems East or Mt. Airy Bicycle as they will have 40 hole rims. I know for a fact the Sun Rhynolite is available in 40 hole as I have them on our tandem.

Doc

You can also look for FIR rims, they are used for tandems and come in 40 hole as well.

Those old hubs can take a pounding, I have seen a bunch with 30 years on them, altho this was not offroad use. you are most likely to break an axle, the gears will hold up Ok as long as you keep lube in the shell.

You may want to do your spacing on the non drive side. I think that much spacering on the "shift" side will cause some problems. I am rattleing it around in my head, that has a chain shift mech on it? You might be able to move that out 10-15mm and still have shift room. Tough to say with out seeing it.

Why don't you swing by Harris? At least some of the guys are really up on their stuff and might be interested in your project. THey were able to help me build a wheel up from a Sturmey-Archer hub using a mountain bike rim. I don't remember how many holes, or what kind of rim though, sorry.

Yeah, there are a few places that deal with old 3-speed stuff around here. I haven't stopped by a bike shop because I'm home tonight and finally got around to cleaning the damn thing off. It had literally 1/8" to 1/4" of grease and grime covering every surface. As far as I can tell the previous owner just kind of drizzled motor oil over everything in the drivetrain to try and keep it all running smoothly. On the plus side, it seems to be well preserved, at least externally.

And yeah, Rev, it's got a chain shift ('indicator' SA calls it) but I may not have a lot of choice about spacers as if I don't space it evenly I think I won't have enough axle on either side of the dropouts to engage a nut. Hmmm... I'll have to give the axle thing some thought since it's already got a couple strikes against it since it's hollow and squared off along the axis. I'd hate spend $45+ just to take it out and trash the hub. I could also build it into a 700c rim...

That Bridgestone is steel, you could compromise and squeeze down the frame a bit and space the hub a bit. Go five each side and meet in the middle. I think the frame will be more forgiving than the hub.

Probably, but it also runs a flip-flop fixed/free hub that's 135mm and I only have one frame for the both. :)

In that case spread the Bridge to 135, find another frame, like the 700 wheel size you mentioned and fit the Sturmey to that. A Road framed three speed would be pretty cool and big gear spread of a three would be handy over a single, just pick the right chain ring for your middle rear gear and you would get a decent high and low.

Madness...defnitely madness!

there's some velocity deep v's drilled 40h on ebay right now...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=36144&item=7137460152&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

there's some velocity deep v's drilled 40h on ebay right now...

Don't you DARE bid on those - I'm high bidder! <G>

:lol:

Don't worry, my plans are too unformulated at this point to commit to buying some rims.

Lol 6 days left...

Contact alex@mtbtandems.com. He's in Georgia, and stocks Rhynolites in 40 hole drillings. Tell him Brian from Australia sent you, and I sorted out my crank problems.