Sturme-Archer Demo piece

[FrankCrank]

Gonna give a shout out, if I may, to that other SA gem of engineering - the humble trigger shifter.
Think its been around as long as the AW hub, and seems to be just as bomb proof

 

[Chris S]

while at the same time seemingly making a much stronger hub. It is surprising how few K series hubs have survived relative to the AW.

The AW replaced the K series in 1938 and remained in production in unmodified form until 2000. A modified AW is still made today.

 

[rogerzilla]

Gonna give a shout out, if I may, to that other SA gem of engineering - the humble trigger shifter.
Think its been around as long as the AW hub, and seems to be just as bomb proof

Sunrace SA keep trying to reinvent the wheel with new types of shifter but the trigger has always been best as it flicks across the false neutral(s) with little risk of sticking on one. The S3X bar-end shifter was stupid given the hub's two false neutrals...on a fixed gear. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[EltonFrog]

The twist grip changer, what dark lord of evil thought that was a good idea?

 

[Paulus]

The twist grip changer, what dark lord of evil thought that was a good idea?

I had a twist grip on my first 'proper' bike in the sixties. It was fine unless honking up a hill, out of the saddle, when it would move from 1st to 2nd with the pressure put upon it from the movement of my hand.

 

[newfhouse]

This is the only three speed shifter you want.

 

[chris667]

The AW replaced the K series in 1938 and remained in production in unmodified form until 2000. A modified AW is still made today.

Yes, but it was still a very popular hub. For the number produced it seems surprising that there aren't more left.

 

[rogerzilla]

This is the only three speed shifter you want.

View attachment 707259

Mk2 T-shifter FTW.

 

[FrankCrank]

This is the only three speed shifter you want.

View attachment 707259

I think the mods ought to ban images of such lethal weapons.

 

[GuyBoden]

This seems like an interesting winter project, but what frame O.L.D is needed for a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub?

Sheldon Brown
https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/153608-axle-spacing-sturmey-archer-aw.html
"Most Sturmey-Archer hub installations are around 114 mm spacing.

The axles generally came in either short (5 3/4") or long (6 1/4") sizes. The longer size will generally work on a 120 mm frame, just add enough spacer washers to fill up the space.

Beyond 120, with typical 6 mm thick dropouts, it gets pretty dodgy.

If you don't already have them, you should pick up a pair of the HMW494 axle washers designed to fit the wider dropout slots."

 

[rogerzilla]

I think the modern AW can be had with a 175mm axle for 135mm spacing.

Basically, you need 10mm outside each dropout for the washers and nuts. This is a bare minimum, so use a torque wrench and try 20Nm. If the wheel creeps, try 25Nm, but no more.

I have a 5 3/4" axled AM in a nominal 120mm spacing but I cheated and made the OLD 118mm. Been running it like that for 15 years.

I have two 6 1/4" axled AMs. They are vanishingly rare, but much more versatile.

 

[chris667]

This is a bare minimum, so use a torque wrench and try 20Nm. If the wheel creeps, try 25Nm, but no more.

Chaintugs make things so much easier. A friend gave me a pair after I got fed up with stripping another axle. Brilliant!

 

[Chris S]

Chaintugs make things so much easier. A friend gave me a pair after I got fed up with stripping another axle. Brilliant!

But most bikes with SA hubs have dropouts like this

 

[chris667]

But most bikes with SA hubs have dropouts like this

View attachment 707473

You need a pair like this

 

[KoffMixtures]

What fascinates me about them is how they came up with the design in the first place, no pooters in those days.

The ancient Greeks were familiar with epicyclic gears and used them in their astronomical devices. See....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism
Barely had pencil and paper back then, never mind slide rules or computers.