Sturmey Archer?
 

i ordered a sturmey-archer 2spd coaster brake hub ... my "idea" :foo: is to use it on my fixed because im getting olderrr and i ride more flat than hills ... i could have gone SS but i herbally deducted that the 2spd auto coaster set up would be a practical & permanent way to ride ... my thinking & ordering took place around 2AM so i am seeking affirmation (or chastisement :() ... i have never ridden a SA but i have seen 1 in a bike shop >>> i invite any manner of comment or CRITICISM because i made this decision without any 1st hand knowledge or consultation with a bike mech

It's a very good idea.

Some people will tell you hub gears are "heavy". They forget how heavy a derailleur mech and a rear block are.

Some people will refer to the friction losses in the planetary gears, forgetting that a derailleur chain is seldom running straight from chainring to sprocket.

A hub gear is simple, clean and low maintenance.

I don't specifically know about the 2 speed version. I do know that the usual 3 speed has direct drive for the middle gear. Top gear is direct drive plus 33% and bottom gear is direct drive less 25%.

The point is that one ratio is direct drive with no friction losses in the gears, and one goes through the gear train with a small amount of friction loss.

A keen cyclist with a 3 speed sets up the middle gear at their preferred "single speed ratio" and saves the high gear for downhill or downwind, and the low gear for up hill and up wind. It's like 3 single speeds in one.

With this principle in mind, you can set up your 2 speed so that you have "normal ratio" plus a low gear, or "normal ratio" plus a high gear. Whether you prefer to have that extra option on the ups or on the down is up to you.

As for the coaster brake, aided and abetted by a conventional front brake, you will have a very relaxing and enjoyable ride.

A small part of me is jealous. I cannot afford another bike (2 bikes, 4 unicycles, 1 ultimate wheel, 1 motorbike, 2 boats, 2 kayaks in the garage already) but I'd like another hub geared bike.

Enjoy, and ignore the critics — most of whom have never ridden one.

Sounds like it should be just the thing. I think the SA has a normal and step-up gear, so you might need a smaller chainring to get a pair of ratios that you're happy with. I've got a SA 3 speed coaster on my winter bike.

I think it is a great idea and look forward to future posts when you've had the chance to test it for yourself.

I would still run a front brake. Front brakes are very efficient and will supplement the braking of the rear hub. And, although it likely will never happen, should something go wrong with the rear brake, you can still safely stop your bike.

Always have a front brake. The front brake does most of the work. When you brake hard, your weight is thrown onto the front wheel (more grip) and off the back wheel (less grip). On a good surface, the front brake is your friend. On a bad surface (ice, loose gravel, mud) or for slowing smoothly in traffic, the back brake is your friend.

i run a front brake on my fixed and will surely keep it to begin with

I've had one of these wheels(non hub brake version) for about 10-12 years. Used it a lot to tour around Japan.
Most of the time I have the usual fixed/non fixed flip flop hub. If I know I will have a lot of hills on it goes.
Works great, one day I intend to strip it down and service but I keep kicking that can down the street.
Regarding gearing. I used to have a 39 tooth chain ring with an 18 tooth cog. This gave me a climbing gear of about 58 gear inches and a flat gear of about 80. I still had to get off and push a few times (quite a few times in the Alps) but quite workable.
I have just bought a 21 tooth cog for my next trip as it will be very hilly.
If you have any questions please let me know.

SA are amazing wether its just the coaster break or the multi speed set ups. im not sure why coasters get a bad rap. it beats having break lines on your rims and a clean look. but i also am not skidding nor racing into traffic. I have only had to repair one and Ive been using coaster breaks for a long while. toss a gucci freewheel on it and call it a day.

the weight is noticeable in the rear but im not a w weight weenie nor afraid to caryy 20-3lbs a few flights of stairs or what ever.

^^^ wheel almost finished :)

I have a SA 2spd on my Felt Cruiser.
Its great having a second gear. The only downside is everytime I tap the foot brake it switches gear.
If it had hand brakes the problem would be moot but then the cables would take away from the clean lines.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ea77165864.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1f10138ad7.jpg

^^^^ i gonna keep my front brake until i get the hang of traffic riding BUT that's 1 clean look :thumb:

I'm looking forward to how this turns out for you, jack pot

I bought a SRAM Automatix 2-speed hub in the summer of 2019 intending to build a wheel for my 1-speed bike that I bought only a couple months prior to that. The whole intention with that 1-speed bike was to make it a 2-speed almost immediately.

Here I am a year later and I like riding the single speed so much that I haven't even ordered the rim and spokes to go with the Automatix. I'm starting to think of saving it for my other bike with the Nexus 8 IGH for a backup when that one wears out. Or I should just buy a third bike, so I can finally have a 2-speed to go with my 1-speed and 8-speed.

If it wasn't for my wife being against me having a third bike taking up garage space, it would probably have already been a done deal. :o

^^^^ in the interim i've been riding a new nature boy SS:thumb: now to the SA > finished the wheel & got it mounted on my steamroller. the 2 gears is really strange because you can't help but inadvertently shifting. the coaster brake is a little tricky to feather because you may be changing gears when you start to peddle again. im used to fixed. right now im having regrets on bloating my steamroller with weight & an extra gear :(. unless my mind changes in the next 30 days im going to un STURMEY ARCHER it. i have to add that i had forgotten how easy it feels to SS and the new all city frame is great. the 2 speeded surly just seems lacking in everything but that's what happens when you make decisions at 2AM

Good feed back. Seems like a coaster brake with a kick back hub wouldn't be my choice either.

Maybe use a kickback hub, but without coaster brake? Use rim brakes instead? Or, just a front rim brake?

My SRAM doesn't have a coaster brake, and the bike I wanted to put it on doesn't have a rear rim brake already in place. I was thinking of going without a rear brake on it, but like you said riding single speed sure is easy (depending on gearing, of course.)

Maybe all this makes more sense on laid back cruisers because the rider is in less of a position to stand up to pedal? Hmmmm.

you might be on to how to best use a SA. years on a fixed creates a lot of hard to brake:lol: habits. BUT that SS nature boy is kinda addictive

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7e2d400630.jpg

jack pot.....I felt the same way about my SA 2spd but got used to the "system". Hand brakes could solve the problem and since you have one (front) use it and save the coaster brake for when you need more braking power.

I've been trying to figure out a way to get a front disc brake on my bike but don't think there is an easy solution......

A front brake is vastly better stopping than a rear coaster brake (physics)
and S-A makes a drum brake hub that will last generations.. pretty clean look ..

I have been using mine for 35 years..
They also make a 3 speed coaster , but its cable shifted..


any how..
gear the chain drive ratio so you start in 1, then kick up to the other once you are going..
I had a Bendix 2 speed coaster brake Schwinn in the 50s Skid kicking the coaster too hard was not good for it.






..

I'm going to take a serious look at the SA front hub brake kit.
The part alone is $100CDN Here's hoping the cost to get one installed is reasonable ie. new spokes, brake lever/cable & housing, installation.

Ever consider the Sturmey S3X? It's not perfect, but it does give 3 different fixed gear ratios. I got complete wheelset from bike island for 199 shipped. The internals is the old school unit and problematic shifter, but a quick email to SA customer service and a few days later and they sent a new shifter and internals no charge. I probably have 1500 miles, all trouble free on the setup on a few diff bikes. Ugly as sin, but does give 2 very useable gears and one kind of usable gear. It is heavy, but reliable when setup properly. I'm 230 and I've had no issues at all. Looking for a fitting quality 80s/90s road frame to give it it's forever home. I feel that era might provide a platform that will play nicer with the wheelset.

https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1708


I considered the 2 speed for clean lines, but the versatility that added brakes provide superceded the asthetics.


Excuse lack of bar tape, I'm notoriously indecisive AND cheap.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...be1310fff0.jpg

3 speeds Fixed? No pawls, just shifting and the cranks are forever linked to the hub (through the chain), backward or forward?

Man, the more IGH options I see, the more I think I'll never go back to a derailleur. :)

After reading through this thread , I got out my two speed kickback wheelsets to give them another try .
I ordered these a couple of years ago .
I was disappointed right off in them as I expected Sturmey Archer and received KT2 hubs . After a little research , I read that KT makes some of Shimano hubs . That made me feel a little better .
I mounted one set up On my Electra C1 and gave It a test ride . It was so odd , Something , I hadn’t experienced before . The way it shifted , I couldn’t get use to it and pulled them and stored them away . I thought , no way would I ever get use to the way it felt .
Today , I got out a set , mounted some Maxxis Hookworms 26x2.5” tires and put them back on one of my Electra C1’s .
This time , I have a front brake on my C1 .
I’m glad I gave them another try . As long as I remember to not pedal backwards Until I want to shift , I have no probLem riding my C1 with the two speed . It works great .
It gives me a cruising gear like a low geared single speed , but a second speed for a little more downhill speed . I just have to plan my shifts .
You have to think while riding , something that’s not necessary when riding single speed . You do lose a little something with the 2 speed , but gain a little something too .
I’m keeping a two speed on my C1 for now and will be riding it some more getting use to it .
So, don’t be too quick to give up on the two speed hubs . Just takes a little getting use too .
The silver looks good on the Matt Bark .
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ee10d81fd.jpeg

My Coaster Brake 29r, not a Sturmey Archer hub but a Shimano CB-e100. Works great.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...afbd07412e.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0f75d7092c.jpg

Sturmey-archer 2spd is a speed single. Transfer with a free run (run-out). Sturmey S3X is a fixed transmission. SS and Fixed Gear are different planets.

If you like the gearing of a S3X, it can be run with a freewheel no problem. It adds some flexibility in the fact it can be run as SS or fixed.