# Budget geared rear hub



## vince72 (Oct 21, 2021)

Hey Cabe. 
What would you consider as a good multi speed rear hub? On my todo list is to add a geared rear hub to my 79 spitfire. What are good budget friendly routes to look into? I would like it to also find a shifter that is period correct. Thanks for any help.

Vince


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## jimbo53 (Oct 21, 2021)

Lots of middleweight Schwinn’s of that era came with Sturmey Archer internal 3 speed hubs. You can find donor Raleigh’s easily, sometimes free on the side of the road. Some rear wheels come with 40 hole rims, so get the right hub to match your rim.


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Oct 21, 2021)

vince72 said:


> Hey Cabe.
> What would you consider as a good multi speed rear hub? On my todo list is to add a geared rear hub to my 79 spitfire. What are good budget friendly routes to look into? I would like it to also find a shifter that is period correct. Thanks for any help.
> 
> Vince



Jimbo is right any 36 hole Sturmey Archer will work even if it is off a lightweight. I have heard some not so great things about the coaster brake models but the free wheel type has long track record as a quality hub. They are dated right on the hub if you wanted to look for a '79


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## Rivnut (Oct 21, 2021)

I have a chrome (kind of dingy) S7 rim, with the SA 3 speed hub all laced up, that I'd part with.  No shifter lever or cable but the internals are free and you can feel the three elements when you move it by hand.  Only draw back is that it's dated 1959.


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## J-wagon (Oct 21, 2021)

Hi Vince, are you thinking something like the spitfire 5 route? Like rear wheel with 5-speed freewheel and derailleur/shifter setup?


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## vince72 (Oct 22, 2021)

I want more of a internal hub set up


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## vince72 (Oct 25, 2021)

Will a Sturmey Arches lace up to my s2 wheels?


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## fattyre (Oct 25, 2021)

Dose your bike have caliper brakes or is it a coaster brake?


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## vince72 (Oct 25, 2021)

coaster brake


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## fattyre (Oct 25, 2021)

vince72 said:


> coaster brake




How about a Bendix two speed kick back?   That’s a pretty simple conversion.


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## vince72 (Oct 25, 2021)

How is the gear selection on those? I have never ridden a bike with one


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## fattyre (Oct 25, 2021)

vince72 said:


> How is the gear selection on those? I have never ridden a bike with one



My opinion on my red band equipped Schwinn middleweight is that low is a little to low, but that’s me.  Personally I’m not a fan or internal hubs with planetary reductions as they have a lot of friction and can feel rough.  There’s also a learning curve as when you brake it also switches to the opposite gear.  So that takes getting use to. But it’s a lot simpler than trying to retro fit a derailleur and hand brakes and all that.  It’s generally easier to just buy a bike already equipped with a multi speed freewheel.  

Bendix also makes a manual shift version that stays in one gear even if you use the brake.  But those have the same issue to me, a pretty rough feel in low gear.


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## Rivnut (Oct 26, 2021)

vince72 said:


> Will a Sturmey Arches lace up to my s2 wheels?



I have an SA three speed laced into an S7 rim, no reason one shouldn’t go into a S2 rim. It would just require the correct length spokes.


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## vince72 (Oct 27, 2021)

Thanks guys. Il keep an eye out for the SA 3 speed and the next swap meet


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## vince72 (Nov 4, 2021)

Anyone know if a nexus hub will work with s2 hoop and spokes or is that too much of a mess?


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## J-wagon (Nov 4, 2021)

Should be able to lace up with different length spokes than current ones.


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## Billythekid (Nov 4, 2021)

Only thing I don’t like about the sa 3 speed is if the cable breaks or more likely goes out of adjustment the hub just freewheels and you bust your knees from the sudden loss of inertia. The Shimano three speed hub stays in the low gear someone had told me no experience with the Shimano though


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## vince72 (Nov 4, 2021)

The nexus seems like the route to go since it will be new and not need to be serviced or rebuilt in some time. I was thinking a shifter like this too keep the 70’s look


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