cbr2702

Where would I look to find (new or used) 40 spoke hubs? Ideally with both internal gearing and a coaster brake? The ideal for me would be a 40 spoke kickback hub.

rhenning

Almost all "English Racers" in the 1960s came with 40 spoke rear hubs. These were Sturmey Archer AW 3 speeds or also used the coaster version. With kick back Bendix hubs your choices are 28 and 36 spokes. Roger

wahoonc

I would not particularly want an old style Sturmey Archer coaster brake hub. The new SA coaster brake hubs appear to only come in 36 holes. Any particular reason for wanting the 40 hole?

Aaron

cbr2702

Well, I have a 28 inch roadster (32 spoke back, 40 spoke front) with westwood rims and rod brakes. I would like to add a coaster brake (wet weather) and some gears. So I was thinking of keeping the rear rim and replacing only the rear hub. If 36 spokes is a much more common number, maybe it makes more sense to buy a new rim, hub, and spokes. That way I can also keep my rear wheel as a spare. Looking around, the only place I see to buy new 28 inch rims of any sort is:

https://www.cyclesofyesteryear.com/cy.../sparepart.htm

And they have 36 spoke rims (for building a wheel with). They also have 28 inch westwood wheelsets with internal gearing, but none with brakes as well. The main problem is they're in the UK and I'm in Boston MA, so I would think shipping would be expensive. Is there a good place to look for these rims or wheels in the US?

Charles Wahl

40-hole S-A hubs are auctioned on eBay regularly; you'll probably have a bit of a wait for one with coaster brake too. But what you need is the shell, and the innards don't care what number of spokes.

cbr2702

Is there somewhere to look to see what innards will fit in what shells? Will coaster innards fit in non-coaster shells?

cbr2702

One hub I'm looking at on ebay is a TCW hub. I've heard people say they're terrible and dangerous because the braking is through the gears, making for bad braking in high gear and no braking if in the dead spot between gears. If I'm considering a TCW as the third brake for a bike with front and rear rod brakes, this seems much less worrysome, though, than when people make a bike with just a coaster brake. Are there other reasons to fear TCWs? Are the gears less reliable than the AWs? Would a "in wet weather, keep the bike in first gear so the coaster is functional and strong, otherwise ignore the coaster and use the rod brakes" strategy make sense (and be safe)?

cbr2702

(Sorry to be asking so much, but I keep thinking of things)

Would another option be to use rod activated hub brakes instead of a coaster? Are the rod styles (location, how far they move when you pull the lever) standardized between hub brakes and rim brakes? If that's an option then I could also consider putting a brake on the front hub instead of the rear.

kpug505

I have a TCW. It sucks......It's grabby for lack of a better word. Doesn't have good modulation. I too use it as a secondary brake. The dangerous part IMO is that if it is somehow in between gears you've got no brakes. Not so much the leverage of the brake in different gears.
Just plain junk. Do not get one!

You mentioned hub brakes...An old AB 3 speed out back with a standard drum up front is an option. I know I've seen them rod operated but I can't tell ya if the lever action is the same. I'd be most concerned with finding the proper linkage....

AngeloDolce

"Is there somewhere to look to see what innards will fit in what shells? Will coaster innards fit in non-coaster shells?"

(1) Coaster innards don't usually fit in non-coaster shells - the coaster shell has a braking surface for the brake shoes or bands. The non-coaster shells are usually thinner and not built as a braking surfact.

What hub do you have now? Is it an AW or something similar?
In this case, you can use other (non-coaster) Sturmey gears (FW, S5), but not braking hubs.

I have seen rod operated hub brakes (performance is still not great); the linkages are on the side of the fork to the hub, they are different from the rim stirrup brakes.

cbr2702

The hub I have now is a single speed freewheeler, doesn't have either of the properties I want.

Yesterday I thought I had found someone selling 28 inch wheels just like I wanted (3 speed sram torpedo with coaster brake, stainless steel wheels with westwood rims) for a good price. It looked fine, but when I started putting it on and tried to reuse my tire I found it was size 622 and I wanted size 635. Looking online, it appears that "28 inch rim" has at least two separate meanings. Bother.

So the question now is, if I buy a new tube and tire for the 622 and put it on the rear (with a 635 in front) will it be ok? It sounds like the slant should be small, but maybe do some stuff to the weight distribution? Or should I look into returning it?

cbr2702

I just got an email from the people I bought the new wheel from, about the two size wheel question:

"Every motorcycle ever built has two different size wheels. This is not a problem."

So maybe I should just get a 622 tire and ride the bike like that.

cbr2702

I think I'm going to start a different thread; talking about wheel size is not at all what this thread started off talking about.

EDIT: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/477763-28-inches-635-622-a.html

frameteam2003

Get a tandem hub(40 hole) with an Aria drum on the left side and a 5 speed block on the right and add a derailer!--go for a 9 speed cassett!! Think out side the can.