Bob, In fact, I do own one. it is on a wheel and I have not yet built it up. Very interesting concept with the pop up gear teeth and the cam system that pushes one set of teeth up while pulling the others back. Again mine is the full rim, spoke and hub arrangement. I think it weights more than my entire Serotta Titanium bicycle complete. To accomplish the steady chainline they just sacrificed a ton of weight. Oh, and the Bendix 2 speed hubs were available on Schwinn so called Lightweight bikes in the early 60s. I have had a few of these and I believe I still have the literature on them.
Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ USA
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 29 Mar 2009 10:52:14 -0700
> From: Bob Freitas
> Subject: [CR] was 2 speed hubs now Tolkiem
> To: CLASSIC RENDEZVOUS
> Message-ID: <49CFB54E.5040606@pacbell.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; format=flowed
>
>
> Those Bendix hubs probably are off topic as I do not recall
> them having
> much to do with vintage lightweight bikes but another Automotive
> company
> Tolkeim did manufactuer a muiltigear set up which was pretty
> novel
> (especially with recent discussions of chain line)
> The Tolkeim unit had teeth which popped out from a plate
> creating
> larger and smaller gears with the chain staying in one plane. We
> had 100
> or so bikes(all 19'' lugged Japanese frames with 27'' wheels)
> built with
> these but could not get any dealers to take them, even with
> severe bike
> shortages due to Fuel crisis.
> Even Oscar Juner (American Cyclery)the denizen of our ''close
> out
> bin'' could not be persuaded to take even one at $50 Sale Price!
> Anyone
> out there have a bike with this unit , or maybe I should say
> anyone seen
> one other than me?
>
>
>
> Bob Freitas
> sunny MILL
> VALLEY,
> CA USA