Veloria

I dislike the stock Shimano 3-speed hub on one of my loop-frames and was planning to replace it with a SA 3-speed... In response to which my husband suggested that I build it up with the 3XS fixed gear hub. Has anybody tried this hub on a heavy upright bike? What do you think?

mickey85

Dunno, but Yellowjersey did put fixed gear hubs on some of their Eastman roadsters...methinks if you can deal with a singlespeed fixed on one of those, it wouldn't be a problem on the upright bike. My only concern, aesthetically, would be that it would be weird looking to have toeclips on an upright, and that would be a necessity to me, IMO.

stien

+1

And if you're going to have gears, you might as well have a freewheel (in my book).

Veloria

The gears would be for hills (I go on long trips sometimes, even on my 3-speeds, and the Lexington/Concord area is a little hilly).

I use Powergrips for foot retention. Maybe I could embroider them...

ColonelJLloyd 

With the SX3 you can.

Veloria

What?...
Do you mean that it flip-flops? Surely not?

surreal

no, it takes a HG-style cog that slides on for fixed use, but there are also english threads on the body, so you can spin a standard freewheel on there.

I say "go for it", but mostly b/c i personally am waiting for the s3x to be tested by other folks for reliability, before i build something stupid with one. Just an FYI, the steps between the gears are closer on the s3x than on the other SA hubs.

-rob

ColonelJLloyd 

It does not flip-flop. The threading is the same as that of a freewheel. You can put a SS freewheel on the hub and run it as a 3 speed. The ratios are not the same as an AW, but are still very useful. I'm considering building an SX3 wheel for my Jeunet. I just need to choose a rim.

x136 

What's interesting about the S3X is that top gear is direct drive. Mate it with a White Industries freewheel, and you've got one luxurious piece of hubbery.

Veloria

Oh it's more tempting than ever now!

NormanF

I have it on my C&V Schwinn Madison and its surprisingly lighter than the fixed gear cog I replaced it with. Operation is simple with the thumb shifter. Middle is direct, up is low and down is high. I see no reason it won't work on a loop frame bike. Its just like any other IGH except its all fixed gear.

NormanF

In direct gear, it does have a disconcerting habit of "free spin" - my LBS mechanic informed me this is normal with new cables and gears. Its take a while to stretch and get in place but if it still persists, one can adjust the cable stop to solve the issue. Apart from that it works very nicely like any other FG bike except now you have a low for the headwinds or clips and a high for the tailwinds and descents.

I like the S3X hub a lot. Its better than the rare ASC hub that couldn't really be fitted on any bike that didn't have 40 holes!

Veloria

Could you explain the free spin?

NormanF

The crank is just spinning in place and its not going forward. I found the thumb shifter has to be adjusted slightly to click the direct gear in place. This is a function of a new cable that hasn't stretched to normal yet. Once it does, it should no longer present an issue and if there is still is one the barrel can be adjusted to put it in place.

NormanF

You could run it as a normal three speed... but that defeats having a fixed gear hub in the first place. And I have enough freewheel IGHs already.

ColonelJLloyd 

^
Yes, but you have the option. Still, it's the only hub that gives you three fixed ratios.

NormanF

Good to know there's still that option.

I'm quite happy with the fixed gear setup and if Velouria gets around to having hers installed, I think she'll find out why it takes much of the work out of riding a fixed cog!

Dylansbob 

I actually did this while I was rehabbing a knee injury. I loved the sound of the trials ENO, but missed riding fixed too much.

As far as the OP's question goes, I've put fixed wheels on damn near everything I've ever owned. My personal experience is that some frames just don't work as fixed. Cruisers typically have a relaxed ST and that just always made it harder for me to shift my weight enough to do the manuevers that I needed to do riding fixed. Your milage may vary.

NormanF

That's why I like lighter frame for hubs. My S2C kickback hub is being build around one... It just seems more fun to ride a lightweight than a heavyweight cruiser. Good point though, people's MMV.

Veloria

I have built up a mixte as a fixed gear before. It was an aggressive mixte, and actually handled better as a fixed gear than it did as a geared bike. But I only did it to mess around, and sold the bicycle soon thereafter.


My fixed gear roadbike handles extremely well and I think I generally find the road bike position more suitable to the FG mode than upright positions. Mind you, I am speaking from a total of 3 bike experiences: a track bike, the mixte, and this road bike, spanning only from June of this year.


The bicycle I am thinking of fitting with the 3XC is "only" 35lb (including the Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub) and its position is not entirely bolt upright, more like the mixte. It's a somewhat aggressive, Italian loop frame. For some reason now that it's getting colder I am riding my fixed gear roadbike more, and it's made me wonder whether converting one of my upright bikes could be beneficial - They say it's better in the snow...

noglider 

I hope Sixty Fiver weighs in, because he has fixified a lot of bikes for himself. He attests that fixed is good for snow. My intuition says that upright and heavy aren't good attributes for a fixie, but I could well be wrong. And as someone said, when you're riding fixed, you really ought to have foot retention. Are you ready to put it on the Italian bike?

Andrew F has a bike with the S3X hub. I've seen it but haven't tried it. I like the concept.

The free spinning is an old Sturmey Archer bug. If you shift between 2nd and 3rd gears it happens. If it happens in 3rd gear, it means your cable is too tight; in 2nd gear, it means your cable is too loose.

This can be useful to you with the S3X, because you can hold the shifter in the in-between spot to coast.

I also agree that riding fixed is nice in the winter, because it makes you warmer. It's also a good time to work on form, because it's a bad time to work on speed or endurance.

Darn, my fixie got stolen a few weeks ago. :-(

Tom

Sixty Fiver

If it was not for the pesky nerve damage in my back I'd be riding a fixed gear through this winter but have had to convert my winter bike into a 3 speed so that I have the luxury of some lower gears and a drive that will still function at the coldest of temperatures.

The advantage to a fixed gear is the exceedingly good feedback you get when you are riding which can really improve control on less than perfect roads and the ability to modulate your speed without needing brakes which can get iced up or locked up.

You don't have to run a super tall gear and with the SX3 you have the benefit of the fixed drive and a selection of gears and if you want to turn it into a 3 speed all you need to do is add a freewheel... it is some rather brilliant engineering.

Remember that when this style of bike first appeared they were commonly equipped with fixed hubs as well as coaster brakes and 3 speed drives.

I much prefer the classic SA AW as it can be oil lubricated and a little synthetic oil will keep a three speed purring at -40C.

Andrew F

I've been riding the s3x hub on a light road bike this summer. I think it would be excellent on a loop frame. I like the control of the fixed gears and the ability to shift instead of grind up the hills. Go for it!!

noglider 

There you have it. Having heard from Sixty Fiver and Andrew F, you couldn't ask for more expertise and experience.

ColonelJLloyd 

I've really enjoyed riding fixed the last few weeks. Right now I have arc bars on my fixed gear. The grips are about 1" below saddle height. I'd like to have a slightly taller stem. I know people who ride a few hundred miles a week on fixed gears with semi-upright positions. I, too, say go for it.