FIXRIDAH

Hello all, I'm a retired messenger and live in the country now, In the process of building my self a new fixie, Its preety hilly where I currently live so a 3 speed fix hub sounds Ideal for around here...However I'm wondering if s3x is strong enough to withstand an alleycat race application (bunny hop or skid stops, curbs, pot holes and other street hazards)? Has anybody tryed it on the street with no breaks yet? Thanx alot, fixridah.....

HandsomeRyan

Where do you live "in the country" where folks are organizing brakeless alley cat races?!

mihlbach

This thread smells like troll BO to me.

ADSR

No break street use? Probably, but to be safe you should use a brake.

filtersweep

As ridiculous as this is for a "first post" it is a legitimate question, if you think about it. How are the internals all locked up? And how rugged is said locking mechanism. I don't know the mechanicals here, but what if it suddenly starts freewheeling?

PedallingATX

OP--there is only one way to find out. take one for the team! wear a helmet, tho

elTwitcho

I wouldn't trust something that complex to take a prolonged beating like you describe, but that's more my prejudice than anything. I don't think we'll know until people have been using them for a good while

jtgotsjets

Who knows if this will turn out to be true for the s3x, but the classic AW hub is one of the most bomb-proof pieces of equipment ever. There's a reason English 3-speeds last for-ev-er.

Just sayin....

elTwitcho

3 speeds last forever if they're used properly. If you're the kind of person who insists on shifting while putting heavy load on the pedals, you'll trash the hub internals pretty quickly. That's why I think this hub could go either way as far as reliability is concerned

FIXRIDAH

WOW!! Quiet a response for my first thread! U guys really know how to make somebody feel at home! LOL...so...lets start from the top...around here its just alot of hills so I would like a 3 speed fix ...as far as fix gear alley cats they are in any major city ....just a short drive away...second of all I havent heard a comment about my troll B.O. since I have stopped messengering (hey I invented a word )LOL>>> And to all of u that find the Idea of racing with no breaks redicoulous...try making a living without breaks for 6 years and we will talk about racing...man, all I wanted is some tech info and instead run into bunch of weekend warrior ego! I bet I can smoke anyone of u boys going down Park in friday rush hour traffic! Dont soil ur spandex! To u ur bikes are shiny toys...to me it was a tool that I used to do a job at times over 16 hors a day...(the pay sucked!)...so...Has any one with a real set of cohones tryed S3X? To everybody who responded to my thread civilly, thank you.....
Ever used ur bike to run from cops?.....Try it, Its fUN!!!

mrvile

cnnrmccloskey

Well that certainly sounded like some troll ego, while I was reading a review of the hub the reviewers pointed out that they were advised against skid stops which makes me think there could be some fault they were not able to work around. That said the reviewers did point out they did skids without trouble. Ride with a brake for a while, you don't even have to use it (I don't use mine but I still have it) if your happy with the results loose the brake worst comes to worst the wheel will start freewheeling at an inopportune moment which will pretty much just be like breaking your chain brakeless, if you have been "making a living without breaks for 6 years " you can deal with any problems that arise? Right?

FIXRIDAH

yeah cnnr...I should be able to handle the hub breaking...but a build up wheel is $ 350 and I dont feel like throwing money away...Just triyng to be an educated consumer...as far as the troll ego, I was just keeping up with the general tone of the conversation...

elTwitcho

Yes, you are totally the only courrier to ever use this site, and unluckily for us, once you stopped racing they stopped doing alleycats and so you are the only person here who's ever raced, and ever will race in an alleycat.


For someone complaining about ego, you ought to check yourself before responding dude. My 2 cents

mihlbach

6 years with no breaks?...thats crazy talk, fixridah dude. I usually take a short break at least every twenty or thirty miles.
You still smell like troll to me. If you think the response to this thread is rude...fear not, it gets a lot worse.

FIXRIDAH

Whatewer....its like dealing with a bunch of kids.....forget about me, talk about the hub!

FIXRIDAH

P.S... They stopped doing alleycats? Nahaaa! and if I am not the first messenger u guys met why did everyone freaked at my question?! It made perfect sence to me...?

JacoKierkegaard

I'm feeling less troll, more wannabe Internet badass.

FIXRIDAH

Yeah, sure , its ok and really of little importance to me...what is of importance to me is how much punishment the S3X is able to take...before I blow $ 350 on a wheel....so if anyone has any real input.....?

ADSR

Blah blah blah, troll.

teedoff087

..

ADSR

...

the_don

Did everyone spend a few days in the Tarckbike forum and now are really *****y and sarcastic??

MIN 

I broke my s3x hub on my third ride. I was out on a hilly ride and stood up to climb on a 15% grade. the gear slipped and i was lucky to not damage the family jewels on the top tube. it was shifting perfectly for the preceding 40 miles prior to the climb so the issue here is not adjustment, which often rendered an early demise for sturmey archer AW hubs of yore.

i suspect the reason why 3-sp IGHs (e.g the sturmey archer AW hubs) lasted so long is that they used tall gearing and were used with 3-speed cruiser bars, neither of which allows big torque into the hub. i was using road drops and climbing a huge hill.

maybe i got unluckly with my s3x specimin or perhaps i should have used the bike as a city bike instead - as per the original intent of the hub. however it is clear that this hub is not for the sporting rider or tourer.

i took a look at detailed ACS hub exploded-view diagrams on sheldon brown's site. i used that as the basis for the s3x breakdown. it's mechanically very similar to the ACS (out of production since the 70s, or thereabouts.) the indicator spindle which shifts the driver pinion is 2mm thick. that should be an indication that skid stops and and to a lesser degree, backpedalling is not acceptable use for the s3x.

i am going back to non-internally geared hubs. if you consider yourself a strong rider or if the mechanical drag is an issue, you are better off sticking to a fixed or derailleur gearing.

FIXRIDAH

Thank you soo much, finally after page of B.S. a response I was looking for...I decided to go with a reg track hub...Thank you MIN...I am glad it wasnt a complete waist of time for me to post on here...