WoodlandHills
10 kW
I just received the new SA heavy-duty 5-speed hub in the mail. It is the functional equivalent of my current Shimano Nexus 3 with a 1st and 5th gear added on at the same 25% spacing. Both the SA and the Shimano have a direct drive middle gear: 3rd for the SA and 2nd for the Nexus so I plan on starting off with the same rear sprocket. I really wanted a lower crawling gear as well as more speed than the Nexus so this should be a good beginning.
The big problem, in my case, was finding an appropriate rim. The hub is only available in a 36 hole drilling and 36 hole Fatbike rims are like hens teeth. I almost bought a used Mongoose just for the 100mm rims, but a tip from mtbr.com led me to a Weinmann DHL80 double wall rim. It won't match the front, since it has no holes, but I really don't care as long as it works and it will be easier to go tubeless.
The rim is in transit and as soon as I get the new 5-speed hub on the bike I will post here with the result.
BTW, this is a new design than the old 5-speed model, that one was a closer ratio hub with a direct drive 1st gear, so it was ill suited to ebike usage. This new wide ratio rotary hub is built for heavy duty service and I hope will be suited for a BBSHD. Certainly the Nexus 3 was a great match: it just needed more gears and this Sturmey-Archer has them!
The big problem, in my case, was finding an appropriate rim. The hub is only available in a 36 hole drilling and 36 hole Fatbike rims are like hens teeth. I almost bought a used Mongoose just for the 100mm rims, but a tip from mtbr.com led me to a Weinmann DHL80 double wall rim. It won't match the front, since it has no holes, but I really don't care as long as it works and it will be easier to go tubeless.
The rim is in transit and as soon as I get the new 5-speed hub on the bike I will post here with the result.
BTW, this is a new design than the old 5-speed model, that one was a closer ratio hub with a direct drive 1st gear, so it was ill suited to ebike usage. This new wide ratio rotary hub is built for heavy duty service and I hope will be suited for a BBSHD. Certainly the Nexus 3 was a great match: it just needed more gears and this Sturmey-Archer has them!