Questions about a HD 3 Speed Gear Set

[bowhunter29]

Hey guys,

Some of you may remember the Luna/LR BB combo I put together a few months ago. All was well until I hit the throttle a bit harder than anticipated and the NV360 made a loud bang and no longer provided forward motion. The bike has been sitting ever since as I've explored my options of building a HD 3 speed setup or going to another IGH. There aren't any very good options for IGH's out there if you don't want to spend $1400 on a Rohloff.

As I've been researching and finding parts, I came across the beefy single speed gears that Sick Bike Parts has in up to 48T. I know they have a 5 bolt pattern for a freewheel, but is the center hole the right size so that they can be re-drilled to a 6 bolt pattern and bolted to a cog carrier like Origin8 has? If so, I could use a Hope or King hub and build my own 3-speed system...if I could get the derailler system to function with cogs that large.

Does anyone have experience with something like this? Is there an obvious problem I've overlooked? I've a very handy guy but a total noob when it comes to all things bicycle related.

thanks,
jeremy

 

[spinningmagnets]

The second gear of the common 3-speed IGH's are surprisingly robust. and even if you do break one of those also, the unlaced hubs can be found for under $99. Simply swap the guts, no need to relace to the rim (if the model is the same, of course).

Sturmey Archer makes a fat version, SX-RK3, and the Shimano Nexus 3-speed comes in many variations, for a normal width axle.

There may end up being better options for you, but...this might be a cheap way to keep you running in-between breakages? I'm working on a 10kW 2-speed, but it may take a while.