Hilary Stone wrote:
>Sturmey Archer's hubs in the 1940s and 1950s used two types of sprocket -
>screw-on mostly on their basic AW and AB, FWs, etc and a 12 spline sprocket
>on their upmarket hubs FM, FC, ASC, AC etc. This was also used on their
>pre-war 2-speed fixed hubs TF, TFB, T and TC, and the 3-speed KS and KSW
>hubs. The familiar 3 spline sprockets were fitted from 1957 onwards right
>across the range of hubs. But the pre-war hubs can only use the 12 spline
>pattern - this isn't strictly true as the 3-spline sprockets can be
>modifified just a little with a Dremel and fit on the 12 spline drivers.
>Post war hubs can have their drivers changed for later 3 spline drivers and
>that is a very simple operation.
I have occasionally seen the 12 spline type on very old hubs, but I believe the changeover to the 3-spline type happened well before 1957. Indeed, my '52 ASC uses a 3-splined sprocket, and I've seen lots of late 40's hubs with these. I've paid attention to this for a long time, as I used to be diligently hunting for the older threaded drivers for use with hybrid gearing (I've gotten as many as 7 sprockets onto S-A hubs this way.)
Pre-war S-A hubs are extremely rare in the U.S. British bikes were mostly unknown here until returninv veterans started bringing them home aftwer WWII
Sheldon "Hercules Stuck With Threaded Drivers Long After S-A Ditched
Them" Brown
Newtonville, Massachusetts
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