Not mine. Rear was too stiff till I let out the preload screw as far as it would go. Front end was mush but I found a stiffer spring. No complaints about the ride now. Feels about like a DF with 40 mm tyres.

But it just doesn't put a smile on my face like the R20 does. Riding positions are almost identical. Same saddle and gearing. Go figure.

Sammy,
The SA 5 speed has a wider range, 150% in top. Assuming a 15" diameter 1.5 x 16 (305) a 52t ring and a 12t cog (modified cassette cog) you would have a top gear of 97.5".

Shorter cranks would allow you to spin lower gears. I'm guessing that those Minis are best ridden seated. Short cranks are great if you want to reduce the need for standing. I almost never have to stand on my Jack Taylor, with it's 160mm TAs. Come to think of it, the Minis may have been sold with short cranks. If not, they should have been as the target market was small riders.

Except for the Mk III, spreading the rear triangle on F-Frames can be problematic.

I need to measure the cranks. I'm thinking that with the options I'm looking at, I won't have to spread the frame much, if at all. Am I right i thinking the SA 5 speed (are we talking SRF 5? The Sprinter) will actually drop into an AW housing? Or are you talking about a two chain 5 speed?

Great that there is truth in advertising! I've been lusting after the Japanese Bridgestone Moulton for some time. They run $1950 in the US, but that doesn't seem to be the Ultegra model. They weigh in at 10.6 kg...much heavier than a comperably equipped Birdy. But also a much more sexy.

Interesting. I've found myself a NOS Nexus 4, with fitting kit, roller brake and shifter, for £40, and was pretty sure that was going to be the winner, but now I've got my eye on an SA Sprinter 7 hub with a coaster brake. With the 60 tooth chainring, and a 14 tooth sprocket (which should be a possibility with this hub), I'd get the following ratios. It's not quite as high as I wanted at the top end, but it sure would get me some low range. It gets me up a little higher than the Nexus would, and down a good bit lower, with more ratios to choose from. I'm not thrilled about the coaster brake, but I can live with it. I guess it just depends how expensive it gets!

1.68 96.9
15.9 %
1.45 83.6
16.9 %
1.24 71.5
24.0 %
1.00 57.7
25.0 %
0.80 46.1
15.9 %
0.69 39.8
15.0 %
0.60 34.6

Sammy,
Sorry, I had replied to your question some time ago but I must have screwed up submitting my reply.

The 5 speeds I prefer (we have them on 8 bikes and have 4 more sitting in a drawer) are the two cable S5s with the bellcrank on the left. More efficient than the later 2 chain models. I have converted several later ones to S5 spec.

These drop right into a 3 speed shell. There is a reference in Hadland's book to not being able to insert 3 speed guts made after April 1984 into earlier shells. But I've never found anyone who knows of a reason.

The only gent I know who has a single cable 5 speed says its a bit finicky to adjust. However, if they sell them on Schwinns, someone must have found them to be user friendly.

Sammy,
Sorry, I had replied to your question some time ago but I must have screwed up submitting my reply.

The 5 speeds I prefer (we have them on 8 bikes and have 4 more sitting in a drawer) are the two cable S5s with the bellcrank on the left. More efficient than the later 2 chain models. I have converted several later ones to S5 spec.

These drop right into a 3 speed shell. There is a reference in Hadland's book to not being able to insert 3 speed guts made after April 1984 into earlier shells. But I've never found anyone who knows of a reason.

The only gent I know who has a single cable 5 speed says its a bit finicky to adjust. However, if they sell them on Schwinns, someone must have found them to be user friendly.

I have one of these on a Dahon and can't quite decide how I feel about it.
It works OK - the range is fine, and I'm happy enough about the step between gears,

but...

It seems pretty sensitive to temperature change, and it feels like I have to readjust it every hundred miles or so. Every once in a while I have a little trouble going from 2nd to 1st. It just stops, and that's my cue to re-adjust things. But I don't mind fiddling with it, not really. Seems properly English to have to mess with it every once in a while.
Even so, I prefer the 3 speed shifting on an older Schwinn I have. Even though that hub appears to have had a hard life, it snicks into gear each and every time.
If I had any sporting inclinations, I'd pick an AW over an SRF5 every day.

By the way, it looks as if Bike Tools Etc (which google) has available 3 & 5 speed hubs with drum brakes, some spaced at 120mm.

I found Bikes etc, but I couldn't find any reference to Sturmey Archer. Linky?

Let's see if this is better:

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...Sturmey-Archer

I'm sorry - I'm stupid. I looked at your post, and somehow mentally edited out the "tools". And wouldn't you know it, there is a business called Bikes etc..


Thanks you for putting me on the right track! The full range are also available in the UK, but better yet, I can get most things on eBay cheaper, including the 4 speeds, the twin chain 5 speeds, and others. I keep almost pulling the trigger on 4 speed generator hubs, for the one I'm not hot-rodding, but then I bottle out because of how short the spokes would be on the generator side, with 305 rims. I'm watching a twin chain 5 speed which may just be the choice for that particular application, however.....

Ouch. I dropped £40 on a NOS Nexus 4. That includes fitting kit, roller brake, and shifter, so it's one hell of a deal, but I then discovered a site where I can buy an SA 8 speed for less than £110! Of course, there'd be a shifter on top of that, but it's still £50 cheaper than I'd seen before. I'm stuck in a loop here. I suppose I could use the Nexus 4 for the one that I'm going to build traditional style, but I'd rather have a period SA on there. And of course, I don't have £110 for an SA8.....

Doesn't the Nexus 4 have an OLN of 130mm or something? That might be a stretch (groan).

123.5

I don't think it'll be a big deal.

Oh I had a few Moultons
I had a mini. I made a sort of tribars, from the leg of a table...it was triangular shape

but ran it standard components could get up ant hill

reved out alllll the time

I fitted Raleigh 16" mags to a stowaway. But never got round to finnishing it.
sold a couple a while ago.

oh meant

could get up any hill

Oh good. I have one with a coaster brake and that must be the difference.
It seemed a little draggy until I got about 500 miles on it then it seems OK.
Also, the grip shifter is backwards from others. Not a big deal, and I think the SA 8 speed is that way too.

It isn't a bad hub. Quiet.

Hmmmm. Since I've now assembled what I need for my R20, I'm doing the obvious thing. Instead of doing any work on that, I'm thinking about this again. Later tonight, I may become the owner of an SA8 (which would leave me wondering what to do with my Nexus 4!), and I've also definitely got a twin chain SA S5 on the way, so both these builds might be on soon......

Just bumping this thread as there is more evidence of Sturmey's reintroduction of the ASC on their blog at the moment: (Now named the 'S3X'). Still no date but evidence of prototypes can only be a good thing yes?

http://sunrace-sturmeyarcher.blogspo...r-3-speed.html

I'm new to biking but is S3X suppose to replace the cogs?

thats a cheap looking bike theyve got an expensive wheel on

are they missing the locknut on the cable?

no - it's a 3-speed hub gear - it has one visible 'cog' (sprocket) and instead of a derailleur it has a bunch of gears inside the actual hub. The reason this one is special is that once one of its three gears are engaged there is no freewheel /coasting like a fixed gear track or courier bike which is a really fun and different way to ride. This kind of hub hasn't been manufactured for about 50 years so it's quite exciting for those that don't want to pay $500 for a vintage hub.

OMG. SO excited!