Paul Patzkowsky writes:
> I recall that in the early 70's I had a conversion for a SA hub
> that allowed you to put a multi-cog freewheel onto the hub.
[snip]
> And by the way can anyone refresh my memory as to who made that
> conversion kit?
Cyclo made one, perhaps others did too. You could also make your own, by threading any narrow-enough multiple freewheel on and using any rear derailleur you liked. For most SA hubs this meant finding a threaded driver from an older hub to replace the more common three-spline driver. And unless your hub already had the longer axle you had to swap that out too.
Narrow-enough freewheel usually meant 3-speed, though a 4-speed for derailleur chain could be squeezed in with some care. I believe Sheldon Brown once made a very-many-gears bike with a 6-or-so cog freewheel on an S-5 hub, but this took some unusual steps. Search his web page if you want details, I'm pretty sure it's described there.
The Cyclo conversion gave you a three-block that was made for 1/8" chain, so you didn't have to go to one of those new-fangled 3/32" derailleur chains. The Cyclo block also went on the 3-spline driver so you didn't have to hunt down a threaded driver, though they're not that rare.
Mark Bulgier
Seattle, Wa
USA