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Bendix manual 2 speed hub

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izee2

Finally riding a big boys bike
Can anyone give some info about this hub. It came off of an Evans Colson matador. It is a Bendix 2 speed manual hub. It has a neat break lever style handlebar shifter.

Were they widly used/rare? Did other makers use them? Are these hubs any good? Would you consider using them on a bike build/restore?

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Thanks
Tom
 
Bendix began making them in 52 and continued thru 59 or 60. When the lever is pulled the hub is geared down to about a .67/1 low gear and when the lever is released again it returns to a normal 1/1 gearing. I have a couple of them. One on a 56 Tiger and one on a 53 Panther. I absolutely love them. Unlike the later Kickback two speed that shifts every time you apply the coaster brake, the manual stays in the same gear you put it in when you apply the brakes. I have rebuilt several of them. They have a simple reliable internal mechanism. There is a very precise procedure to adjust the shifting but once adjusted they will require little further attention. I have the adjustment instructions and exploded view if you need them.

Hope this helps.

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Hey Ozark, I could actually use those adjustment instructions. I haven't been able to get one I rebuilt just right; it's right there but just not quite. It might be easiest to email them; [email protected] Thanks a lot!

Mine is on a '55 Schwinn Corvette. I've seen them on that era Schwinn and Columbia bicycles pretty commonly, among others I'm sure.
 
Hey Ozark, I could actually use those adjustment instructions. I haven't been able to get one I rebuilt just right; it's right there but just not quite. It might be easiest to email them; [email protected] Thanks a lot!

Mine is on a '55 Schwinn Corvette. I've seen them on that era Schwinn and Columbia bicycles pretty commonly, among others I'm sure.

e-mail sent. It can drive you buggy unless you have the instructions. Once I found out the proper process to adjust it, it works perfectly every time.
 
Spot on, thanks! I discovered my cable had slid backward from years of tension on it, so I had to loosen the clamps and slide it forward a half inch or so so that it would be able to fully engage high gear.
 
Unless I'm confusing this with another similar hub, the off roader maniacs love this model as it's very strong and can be shifted without backpedalling.
 
I just rebuilt my first manual 2 speed and i realized that the axle can't be equal lengths on both sides or the lever will not move. I adjusted it to where it shifts now but what is the correct length that the axle should stick out on the brake arm side?

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk
 
Bendix began making them in 52 and continued thru 59 or 60. When the lever is pulled the hub is geared down to about a .67/1 low gear and when the lever is released again it returns to a normal 1/1 gearing. I have a couple of them. One on a 56 Tiger and one on a 53 Panther. I absolutely love them. Unlike the later Kickback two speed that shifts every time you apply the coaster brake, the manual stays in the same gear you put it in when you apply the brakes. I have rebuilt several of them. They have a simple reliable internal mechanism. There is a very precise procedure to adjust the shifting but once adjusted they will require little further attention. I have the adjustment instructions and exploded view if you need them.

Hope this helps.

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Hi Ozark,
I see this post has been here a while. I hope you get this message. I just got a bike with this hub and am planning to rebuild it for my son. Would you send me the adjustment directions and blowup too? My email is [email protected]. We are very excited about the bike! Thank you so much for your help!
Beth
 
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