I want it now damn it...Is there any potential way of getting a group by going of fellow enthusiasts?

Its about time they put this thing on the market. We deserve it. They have exploited the Sturmey name long enough. Its time to give back to the community.

We need to test these units under real world conditions. I propose a group buy on the following conditions...

Installation will be as directed by the company. We buy the units at cost plus actual shipping charges.

A three month user summary is given by all users with a specific deadline.

A six month follow up summary is given by another deadline.

A yearly review of the product and its reliability is provided. (Hubs will be sent back to SA for quality control evaluation and a credit will be issued for a new hub at cost)

Users pay the suggested retail cost of the hub shifter mechanism.

The maximum number of users should be 150...There needs to be casual riders, hardcore riders, curb jumpers etc...

This hub is needed to fill the void for hardcore fixed riders. Its been too long. Stop teasing us you jerks! Give us the damn hub!

I'm in if this goes anywhere...

I'm ready to contribute myself as well.

How can you have a fixed hub that's three speeds, defeats the whole purpose of a SS fixed gear.

It's been done...

it's impossible to have a 3 spd ss fg.

but op isnt talking of anything single speed, so your point isn't related to this topic at all now is it?

No, it's quite possible. Sturmey-Archer made a 3-speed (internally geared) fixed gear hub for many decades. It went out of production back in the 1950s, but with the recent interest in fixed gear riding, they've decided to re-introduce it.

Take out the "SS" part, and the math works. 3 speeds, all fixed gear. Really easy to imagine...

I bid one up to the $350 mark on ebay 5 - 6 years ago, sold for a few bucks more then I could afford at the time.

certainly you missed the "ss" part in the original question I was responding to. Consider the "3 speed" and "single speed" refer to something not equal, therefore it's impossible to have a 3 speed single speed fixed gear. Ok?

I believe the SA 3spd fixed was popular among British time trialists. I'd volunteer to test it under those conditions.

You volunteer to become a British time trialist?

To answer the OP's question, S-A says they are shooting for a March release.

Correct, it's very close to launch. I hope i have enough cash to pick one up before they all get bought up.

Indubitably, old bean.

In response to the OP, I don't understand why SA would need to go to this kind of trouble. Plenty of people are lined up to buy these hubs at retail, and those users will provide plenty of feedback if anything goes wrong. And really, hubs at cost with feedback deadlines? Is someone going to enforce this somehow?

defeating the purpose is exactly the point.










they're kinda cool, if youre into that sort of thing

I won the santa cruz wildcat (a yearly mixed terrain race thrown by the bike church down there) fixed gear category last year on the red bike, 3 speed fixed is a totally different animal than regular fixed, with its own pros and cons. super fun, but wont supplant a regular fixed gear. its just different.

I'm not in the market for one right now, but in the future I'd definitely like to build a bike with one. 54/13 gearing with a couple lower gears so the big gear isn't such torture at slower speeds is a very delightful idea.

im running 52x18 on my ASC, though I understand the S3X has different reductions. Mine gives me roughly 78, 70 and 58 gear inche.

Any advice for trying this? I got an old 3-speed Schwinn out of the garbage and I'm very interested in making it fixed.

The ASC is/was built as a fixed hub. Sheldon has details on how to convert a freewheel SA hub to fixed, but it's rather involved. As in I can't imagine it's remotely time/cost-effective to convert an existing hub now that SA is producing them.

I put in a back order for the 120mm version in black, backup in silver. The projected market date is sometime next month. The S3X will be cool!

Add a free wheel switch and I am so down.

Here you go ... Igleheart at NAHBS. The hub has not been officially released, yet. This one shipped direct from Sun Race / Sturmey Archer to the builder, specifically for the show.

Is that a hollowtech thingie lockring? Doesn't look like anything I've ever seen besides outboard bearings.

I LIKE IT! And here I was thinking it would remain vaporware. Looks like the production model will be out on the market soon.