will a sturmey archer 3 speed hub hold up to motored biking?

[Humsuckler]

i cant afford to shell out over sixty bucks for a new back wheel, and i happen to have an old wheel with a sturmey archer aw hub on it that i could put togeather cheaper and probley even get the gears working.

if your using one of these hubs, let me know how they hold up.

[lennyharp]

they break easily because of lots of small fragile parts that are not reliable for most cyclists. Spooky Tooth is selling them for $50.00.

[joewlms3]

well that sucks to hear
i got the three speed on my bike planning to run the shift kit through it
i guess if it explodes ill save up for the nuvinci


hope it lasts a little while

[Humsuckler]

for the record on this post, im not looking to run the engine to the sturmeys drive sprocket, my only concern is the constant high speed freewheeling perhaps disentegrating things. if its always oiled up i dont think ill have a problem? i definitly wouldnt run a shift kit through one, i think it would gernade

[2door]

Humsuckler,
The old S.A. hub should server you just fine. The engine puts no stress or strain on the bike hub. Unless of course you plan to run a shift kit. The motor torque is only applied to the spokes, rim and tire.
Tom

[Humsuckler]

awesome. thanks alot 2door thats pretty much all i need to hear

[azbill]

I watched Roland from spookytooth grenade his jack-shaft driven 3spd hub at this years deathrace...
they don't hold up to the torque of these little engines

[joewlms3]

that really is bad news for me

[FileStyle]

Originally Posted by azbill

I watched Roland from spookytooth grenade his jack-shaft driven 3spd hub at this years deathrace...
they don't hold up to the torque of these little engines

so lets say your running a 3 speed occ rear hub, do you think that wil hold? I would like to plan a chopper build and was wondering about that!

[Humsuckler]

the truth is, planetary 3 speeds are designed for pedal power, arguably (and i will argue it) you can put more pressure with your two feet on pedals than the small 5hp engine can however, leg power is spiky, and not constant.

if you baby the 3 speed, and be mindful to shift the gears with zero load it may hold up, but common sence says that it wont, and shouldnt.

now, if you use a regular clamshell and leave the 3 speed to your legs you shouldnt have a problem so long as the spokes are all good to go and you oil the hub with gear oil every second day.

moving parts wear out, and moving parts break when you overstress them, there is a middle ground tho.