Jobst Brandt wrote:
> ...SA three
> speed hubs were jinxed from the start by the ability to jump out of
> top gear into forward free wheeling under heavy load. The design of
> the driver "clutch" (cross) with right angle faces driving floating
> round pins with right circular shafts tilts them to an exiting angle
> that fails even with new parts and especially if the clutch is worn.
>
> Don't sprint on these hubs. Of course instead of modifying the
> design, users who went over the bars from this were told they had
> improperly adjusted the shift linkage. It's products like these that
> deserve to vanish from the market but I lament the good design
> features going down the drain with it.
Jobst has a very unusual riding style. He is a very strong, fast
rider who prefers to push higher gears than most cyclsits do. The
Sturmey-Archer hubs are not a good choice for his riding style.
Generally it is a Bad Idea to stand up while pedaling on a Sturmey
Archer hub...but that's what gears are for, to make it so you don't
need to stand up!
However it is a mistake to over-generalize from this. I've ridden
thousands of miles on these hubs and never experienced this failure
mode, since I don't generally stand up to pedal, and don't climb/sprint
in top gear.
The classic AW hub is an astonishingly reliable device, one of the most
trouble-free, low-maintenance bicycle gear systems ever marketed.
Most problems (not Jobst's issue though) with these hubs reslt from
improper installation (loose axle nuts, missing axle washers) and/or
incorrect cable adjustment.
http://sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer/aw.html
Sheldon "Not For Everyone" Brown
+--------------------------------------------------+
| If you find yourself standing to accelerate, |
| on level ground, it is a sign that your gear |
| is too high, or that your saddle is too low. |
| See:
http://sheldonbrown.com/standing.html |
+--------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
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