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Multispeed Casette on SA 3 Speed

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borgward

Finally riding a big boys bike
I have seen multi speed cassettes on Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hubs. Do they just thread onto the 3 speed hub or is machining required? I have an extra English 3 speed bike to experiment with. I am guessing that the frame would have to be modified to accommodate the extra width of the cassette, the right rear side of the frame would have to be further apart from the bikes centerline.
 
Both Classic bike websites (Lightweights and Rendezvous) have lost a lot of their database, but Lovely Bicycle blog has a hybrid drive example.

Google search is further compounded that Hybrid Drive and Gearing is now used for e-bikes.
But here's the search on The CABE:

OK, I gave CL website a little longer to respond, and my search there found this article.
 
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I was going through Cyclo catalogs yesterday and saw they had a kit. So did Brompton and Simplex.
I just took apart a early 2000s "Schwinn" with a hybrid drive rear hub and am thinking about that for a next build.
A 27 gear bike is possible with the old SA And a 64 gear is possible with the modern hybrid drive.
Gear redundancy and terminal speed as well as cables, weight and practically are the evil scientists bane.
I AM thinking of a 64 gear 531 road bike for next year's cross-state ride...
Muhaha.....
 
I have seen multi speed cassettes on Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hubs. Do they just thread onto the 3 speed hub or is machining required? I have an extra English 3 speed bike to experiment with. I am guessing that the frame would have to be modified to accommodate the extra width of the cassette, the right rear side of the frame would have to be further apart from the bikes centerline.
The 50 something and earlier Sturmey drivers have threads that will take a normal freewheel thread. They were not designed with enough axle threads to add a 5 speed freewheel though.
The more common Sturmey driver has 3 notches and I don't believe the diameter is standard to work with any cassette cogs. I've not tried them though as the driver isn't wide enough to fit 2 cogs on without one of them having an offset. There are specific parts and kits made as direct fit, but they can be hard to find.
 
Several companies made en-bloc units that would either thread onto the driver, or drop onto the driver (depending on the age of your Sturmey AW). Those are first preference. It is possible to make a crude 2-cog unit with appropriately sized cogs set back-to-back on the driver. With that cruder set up, you need to play with the spacing to get a good chain line, but something that is doable.

The complications go beyond what is on your driver though. You need to decide whether to try to run a 1/8" chain (as one would with the 1/8 Cyclo set up), or whether you are converting everything over to 3/32" (and with that comes replacing all different manner of parts on the drivetrain). Hence why purchase of the hybrid set up as a unit (en-bloc cogs, Cyclo derailleur, shifters, etc.) was the popular way to go. It's something that is trickier to piece together than just finding a couple cogs and guessing at what goes where. It's doable but you need to be ready to take it on as a bit of a project.
 
^^^. I want to test two dished cogs spaced for single speed chain clearance between them and run some kind of tensioner. After selecting your preferred front ring size, (depending on terrain) with a two cog x three planetary hub in the back and internal braking you would have some solid ranges. Keep it simple and move it cog to cog manually.
 
Some early twin chainring systems used this manual method @SKPC.
I have a friend who occasionally brings out such a machine.
I have a threaded double-cog somewhere, I think it may fit SA hubs, I will check.
 
Firstly, look for a clipring holding the sprocket on. You may have to clean it to spot threads or see the split in the clipring and the 3 notches.
If it's threaded, good luck getting the sprocket off, they tend to be fairly seized, but you can find separate drivers with no sprocket installed on eBay.
 
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