MEversbergII

Hello again.

I have an old 3 speed k-mart bike from the 70's. It's won me over to the idea of rolling with hub gears for all my future bikes, so I've been putting some work into "souping" this one up.

While I've enhanced functionality with racks and new brakes, it's still got the old Shimano 333 hub gear in it. The wheels themselves probably aren't great either. The frame's heavy steel, but I don't think I mind it so much, so I've decided that this would be worthwhile to toss a new hub into.

I've kind of considered the idea of just taking out the old hub and rebuilding the old wheel around the new, but that'd be a whole new saga - haven't even learned to true a wheel yet! So in the mean time I'm thinking what I'd be better off doing is finding at least a 26" rear wheel built around a hub (thinking 3 speed) already. I've found a few, but they all seem to have coaster brakes (in fact, almost all 3 speed hubs I bumped into seemed to have built in brakes...) so I think I should ask for guidance here instead. 3 speed is preferred to kind of preserve the original theme, but it is by no means vital. If a 5 speed's got a really good reputation, I'd be just as interested. I'm looking to avoid built in brakes, as I already have two rim brakes and much prefer being able to position pedals without having to dismount.

Basically, I'm looking for a wheel with the following:

* 26" x 1 3/8 (or there about)
* 3+ speed IGH
* No built in brakes if it can be avoided
* Nothing crazy fancy

Where should I be looking?

M.

mrrabbit 

Custom build is an option...

Several hubs to choose from - and you'll almost certainly end up with a better quality rim and spokes to boot when it's done.

=8-)

fietsbob

May come as a , shock ..
Bike Shop,... distributors carry machine built wheels ,
\alloy rim will be better than the typical steel rim on old 3 speeds.

zukahn1 

Don't know much about what you can get in Japan but both nice 26 3/8 and and modern 26 wheels are readily available in the US. I know most of the cheaper models feature the Nexus coaster hub which kinda sucks.
https://www.niagaracycle.com/search.p...ndation=250131
You can aslo look for 5 or 8 speed igh hub options wil still work basically the same but give your bike a more modern gearin with all the old shool feel. If your still want a ols school SA or Shimano hub list here in as WTB in the sales section and someone will likely have one.

techsensei

Is there something wrong with the Shimano 3-speed hub that is on the bike? If not, what do you hope to gain with a new 3-speed IGH?

I know at my co-op in Alexandria, VA, we have some used 3-speed wheels...but not necessarily in any better condition than your old hub/wheel.

MEversbergII

Never done one of those from the ground up before. I'm sure I could do it, though I'd need a truing stand and those aren't cheap. Could be an option when finances free up a bit more.

Not in any way surprising at all.

Don't know what they have in Japan either; lucky for me I'm in the U.S.! I'll follow that link. If I have to custom build, may as well go with a 5 speed at least. Could just be the hub being weird, but the way it's geared right now makes it hard to get up hills. Could also be me!

The old 333's had a reputation for being...lackluster. Specifically, they're more fragile than they should be. I hadn't really known this until I was resolved to make this my fixer up bike, though. I've ridden it a few miles already and it seems fine, but who knows how long that'll be? If I could get down to Alexandria I'd certainly take a look, but that's the disadvantage to living car-free

M.

techsensei

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," is what I say. Just because it has a reputation for failure doesn't mean it will. It works now...why not wait until it breaks down (which may be never) before throwing money at it?

rustjunkie

Given that the bike is functional but not high-quality, maybe ride it for a bit "as-is" to figure out just what you like and don't like about it.
You could then buy a bike with the features you want, or build one as a custom. Personally I like the second option: vintage frame/fork with modern components. I'm a fan of 2-speed IGH with coaster brakes, but there are options for 3, 5, 7...?
Going custom won't be inexpensive, but you'll have the bike just as you like it, and won't see another when you're out on it

cny-bikeman

I agree - just because the 333's weren't as bulletproof as Sturmeys does not mean they were terrible. I began as a wrench when 3 speeds were still quite common, and did not see all that many problems with them.

MEversbergII

Hm. Well, in that case is this one of those hubs where I can change out the rear sprocket at all?

M.

Dan Burkhart 

Sure. You can easily find cogs from 16 to 23 teeth to fit. It will have the standard 3 spline driver and snap ring. Sturmey Archer cogs are interchangeable with it.

MEversbergII

This is the 333 right?

M.

cny-bikeman

That is the hub we've been talking about - yes, they are interchangeable.

MEversbergII

Oh awesome. Then my next step will be to figure out what size I think I need and try swapping them out. Saves me a hundred or so in the near term, thanks!

M.