caotropheus

Greetings Fellas

Does anyone of you ever used a Sturmey Archer internal 8 speed hub for more agressive mountain bicycling like freeride, DH, urban, 4x or dirt jumping ?

https://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30...ils&sku=HU2206

I have a Mongoose Fireball 2005 frame and I want to build a bicycle for Urban and Dirt Jump and I would like to know how would you rate this hub.

taylor p

it says its intended use is road

dminor 

I haven't yet - - and I do mean yet. I'm dying to try one. I actually think that the one Alfred E. Bike has is the XRK8, as I don't think they made a disc-compatible S8.

If I still had my AS-X, I'd have one right now to tell you whether or not it blew up; but I got a new frame this season that takes 150mm hub spacing.

My own personal belief is that if it's being used for gravity and not subjected to outlandish torque loads that it might hold up -- as long as the axle doesn't break. How 'bout you get one, wring it out and report back to us?

caotropheus

Basically I would like to avoid a derrailleur on a jumping bicycle. The Mongoose Fireball frame has the advantage of having rear fork ends and not dropouts. This means that I can tension the chain without a tensioner and this opens the possibilities for an internal gear hub. And yes, if the axle is strong enough an internal gear hub is better for a jumping bicycle, no dough about it. I will pose the question we are discussing here to Sheldon Brown since he knows a great deal about internal geared hubs.
As an alternative to an internal gear hub I can make a single speed wheel with a Formula (BX-2210) BMX hub I have laying around.

dminor 

On the same wavelength. I was looking to avoid hanging derailleur on the rock-infested DH courses we have here.

Funny, I posed a similar question to SB a year or two ago - - except it was about the SRAM Dual-Drive. At the time it was the only disc-ready internal hub available; except it's only a three-speed. (Good thing is it has 135mm mountain spacing instead of 130 like so many). He was skeptical if it could withstand the punishment. At only a tick over $100, though, it'd be worth the experiment to try I thought.

soderbiker

anyone have a link to where these are available ..
here-->

https://www.sturmey-archer.com/hubs_8spd_XRK8.php

XRK8
Description
• 8 Speed Internal Gear Hub for use with Disc Brakes


Cheers Timo

dminor 

I found a product shot on the web recently that had a QPB (Quality Bicycle Products - - a wholesaler that a good many LBSs order from) watermark. If your LBS orders from Quality, have 'em give them a jingle and see if they actually stock it.

For web purchase, Alfred E. Bike is supposed to have it:

https://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30...ils&sku=HU2206

...for $122 including the shifter, cable and hardware. They call it an S80 in their description; but the accompanying photo is clearly of an XRK8:



(Speaking of the QBP watermark^^^)

soderbiker

@ Dminor ..

thanks a million for that .
& they ship internationally .

Im getting 1 .
See yah
Cheers T

soderbiker

update ...

I have 1 on order . as soon as i get it & i have laced it up and tested , ill let you all know what i think ..

Cheers T

dminor 

Exactly what I wanted to hear. I'm curious whether or not this little jewel is going to blow up under the rigors of mountain biking

bobbotron

I've been thinking about building up a mountain bike with one of these. Did you ever get your hub? How has it held up?

soccerun8728

What about the Rohloff Speedhub. I read their website, it can have a threaded axle and a DH chain tensioner. The chain tensioner tells me that it can be used on a DH bike. I know the one draw back is price but has any one thought about it.

streetlightpoet

It's been done, you can google it. I don't know how well they hold up but I saw one built up on a cove g-spot a few weeks ago on some site, and there is currently a mtn bike on ebay with one.

ed 

It's been done in just about every application. The only drawback besides weight is price. The only time weight is really going to be a drawback for the Rohloff is for XC. AM, DH, FR rigs won't mind gaining an extra 1/2 pound for the benefits of the Rohloff, but the XC weight weenie will gain much more than that b/c the goofy-light components that normally grace the top end XC weiner's ride would weigh about a pound less.

So, yeah...the only drawback is the price. I know that I can't afford to chuck all my XT crap, Hope Pro II's and throw down $1500 on a set of wheels with a shifter.

If I could, believe me I would...in any application. Especially freeride where you often fall off a skinny and tweak a derailleur or hanger.

My perfect setup would be more of a light AM setup like a Heckler / Pike / Rohloff / EX5.1d's, and Thomson all around.