[CR]Re: Sturmey Archer questions

(Example: Framebuilders:Jack Taylor)

In-Reply-To: <CATFOODwr2UAaTzvb5Y0000018f@catfood.nt.phred.org>
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2001 11:09:50 -0700
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org, <twar@hotmail.com>
From: "Monkeyman" <monkey37@bluemarble.net>
Subject: [CR]Re: Sturmey Archer questions

>-I would also like to know about the integrity of the Sturmey-Archer alloy
>shelled hubs compared to the steel versions. I have heard that they had a
>problem "blowing up". Does anyone have some experience/opinions here? I am
>going to use a SA hub on a rider and want to make sure I use a durable hub.
>Thanks for any info.

If by "blowing up" you mean spoke flanges ripping out, yes they do. Actually the real problem is that wheels built today are much tighter than those of the past. I had a '55 alloy shell that had been built up 4 or 5 times with no problems but I've always been careful about spoke tension. The S-A flanges are thin and softer than you would expect and I've seen a few of the flanges rip on NOS alloy shelled hubs. I've built @5,000 wheels so I have little use for a tensiometer anymore so I can't tell you how tight to make the wheel, but if you can find someone who has built a lot of older wheels that would be better. I would also use green loctite after the build is finished so your spokes don't work their way loose. This is the only problem I've ever heard about the alloy shelled S-A 3-speeds, as Hilary stated the 4-speeds are another matter.

Since you're in Olympia, Washington I would recommend a trip to Seattle and Val at The Bikesmith in Wallingford for all the S-A info you can swallow.

enjoy, Brandon"monkey'S-A freakboy'man"Ives

Brandon and Mitzi's-- "Wurld uv Wunder" http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~capybara/

Monkeyman's on going bicycle part garage sale http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~mkirklan/salepage/garage.html

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