Originally Posted by
augustao
It does. The drivetrain is more efficient in direct drive because there's no friction loss from the planetary gears.
I've been riding various SA hubs for years and while my brain knows that direct is the most efficient, my legs can't feel any difference. I'll be gearing mine so that 2nd is the same as my SS, leaving 3rd as a downhill gear. It's been 32 years since I last owned a fixed gear bike so I'm not going to spinning 150+ rpm down the hills. My S3X will be going into a 1976 Paramount track bike.