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polybikeuser, It does make sense.
If one could be made that keeps the weight down it would be ideal for those who do a lot of riding around town, but maybe have some long decents on the commute home where freewheel and coaster brake would make sense.The weight saving of not needing a calpier, cable and lever would be offset by additional hub weight, but if that's a net zero gain over a cable based system and it's all tidy inside the hub, not being affected by rain and crud on the road it would clearly have advantages.
You wouldn't have the advantage of different sprocket sizes on each end of a flipflop, but I never found the need for that anyway.
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Sorry, I missed the previous thread, here's a couple of pictures of one;
Like someone said in the previous thread it needs to have a 120mm spacing, not 130mm, but with 120mm spacing and a coaster brake I think this could offer something different and genuinely useful. Like someone else said in the previous thread, SRAM do know how to put their stuff together, I have SRAM Force derailleurs and shifters on my road bike and they beat anything I've tried from Shimano or Campag. On a slightly different note, I also have a frame just waiting for when Sturmey Archer finally get round to releasing the S3X, if only they'd change the name, or maybe it's intentional?
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More on BikeRadar: http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/just-in-sram-torpedo-hub-19741
I like the idea of having a fixed/free hub that you can easily switch out for the descents.
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Interesting. My boss has a sturmey ASC fixed hub. I was looking at a customers at work t'other day and noticed it has a 1/4" of play in the sprocket, which feels like you have a loose chain, so hopefully the newly awaited fixed sturmey hub and this sram concept have addressed this issue.
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Seems cool, fat, but cool. Pretty much like me :P
It would be 100% better if it was changeable on the handlebar though,
Totally.. you'd have to rig up a cable with a screw system
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What really spins me out. Is the lack of disc mounts for disc brake.
Why else would you need both fixed and free to be on the same side of the hub?This is obviously impossible on a flip/flop style hub, but would be great for anyone doing some off-roading. Fixed on the road and on easier sections of off-road. Then switch to single-speed if it gets a bit technical.
Also the OPs idea of a nice tidy coaster brake would be great.
Without coaster or disc brake options, its just adding weight and complexity to save you the effort of flipping your wheel, which seems pointless to me. Unless of course, you have roll direction specific tyres.
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What really spins me out. Is the lack of disc mounts for disc brake.
Why else would you need both fixed and free to be on the same side of the hub?Because why engineer an internal freewheel mechanism and then screw a fixed sprocket on the other side, you still have to take your wheel out. That involves using a tool!!!..
where as turning a screw in the hub only involves turning a screw with a tool...
hmmm.
Seriously though, in theory if there was a handle bar mounted lever that changed between the two it would be genius, i mean what's the problem with running a back rim brake (unless you have wooden rims)?
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Because why engineer an internal freewheel mechanism and then screw a fixed sprocket on the other side, you still have to take your wheel out. That involves using a tool!!!..
where as turning a screw in the hub only involves turning a screw with a tool...A) Is this really saving much effort for the weight penalty + complexity?
B) Should'nt folk be carrying said tool for chain adjustment anyhows?Seriously though, in theory if there was a handle bar mounted lever that changed between the two it would be genius, i mean what's the problem with running a back rim brake (unless you have wooden rims)?
TBH I agree that rim brakes on the back are a lighter, cheaper, and an adequate alternative to a disc brakes (90% of the time at least).
Just looking for a reason really...
No coaster brake;
no disc mount; and
no handlebar mounted switch.= Heavy and overly complex gimmick component
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A) Is this really saving much effort for the weight penalty + complexity?
B) Should'nt folk be carrying said tool for chain adjustment anyhows?Not if you have chain tensioners and schwalbe marathon plus tyres and/or a i'll take it to a cycle shop if i get a puncture attitude. Or the will/stupidity to fix a puncture with the wheel in the bike.
Tbh though screw-on freewheels are a chore (imo), half of them leave you two teeny dogs to remove them and on average they are a cheap replaceable component. I know white industries monty etc all make loverly 3/32 freewheels. Are they as good/reliable as an internal ratchet/pawl drive freehub?
The benefits of this hub as far as i can see..
Remove/change sprockets with a screw driver in a matter of seconds (also no probs getting 19T sprockets, seem to be in short supply atm).
Hopefully less eccentric than a screw on freewheel (less tight spot).
Swap between fixed and free without removing your wheel (clean hands). -
Oops.. double post.
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I know white industries monty etc all make loverly 3/32 freewheels. Are they as good/reliable as an internal ratchet/pawl drive freehub?
Been thinking alot about this, as I am building a ss off roader.
1) Buy nice expensive hub and screw-on free wheel. If the freewheel mechanism goes just buy a new one. If your feeling rich get a White ind with lots of engagments.
2) Buy nice expensive free-hub (Hope Pro II SS/Trials). Chop and change sprockets at will. The internal ratchet/pawl drive is unlikely to fail anyhow, and has lots of engagments.
I'm pretty much 100% sold on option 2.
Any thoughts?
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seems kind of stupid. it's targeting the trend and not the real riders. the people who want fixed when it's cool, but easy enough so they can ride free when no one is looking.
that is pure assumption. i think it's good idea and worth exploring. i won't be buying one though.
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Been thinking alot about this, as I am building a ss off roader.
1) Buy nice expensive hub and screw-on free wheel. If the freewheel mechanism goes just buy a new one. If your feeling rich get a White ind with lots of engagments.
2) Buy nice expensive free-hub (Hope Pro II SS/Trials). Chop and change sprockets at will. The internal ratchet/pawl drive is unlikely to fail anyhow, and has lots of engagments.
I'm pretty much 100% sold on option 2.
Any thoughts?
If you are going down the free-hub route, then i know there not cheap, but the Chris King rear ring drive system is an (almost) instant pick-up and can bear loads up to 800 lb/ft of torque. Iv been running one on my atb for about 1500 miles without a slip or groan. They make a s/s specific hub as well. They don't freewheel as "free" as some, but as long as you lube with their own grease they run sweet.
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Kings are wank Mr Badger, not designed for massive torques which is why they fuck up when used in trials, and when they skip they skip a full rotation, they're expensive as fuck and don't last long, i've seen a king seriously fuck up internally after about a year of light trials use. Plus other times, where they just die. Only had bad experiences with them.
They're overpriced pieces of shit.
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Kings are wank Mr Badger, not designed for massive torques which is why they fuck up when used in trials, and when they skip they skip a full rotation, they're expensive as fuck and don't last long, i've seen a king seriously fuck up internally after about a year of light trials use. Plus other times, where they just die. Only had bad experiences with them.
They're overpriced pieces of shit.
This makes for great reading, considering the cost more than I'm budgeting for my entire wheelset.
Hope it is then.
Made in England FTW
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This makes for great reading, considering the cost more than I'm budgeting for my entire wheelset.
Hope it is then.
Made in England FTW
Goddammit Smallfurry, do the Norwegian military services know that you are the mole in their midst??
You're top-notch mate. :))
Good to know the UK cycling industry has a Norwegian fan. Though I think Finland have fallen deeply out of love with us. :((
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About
New SRAM Torpedo Fixed/Free Hub
Posted by
At Interbike SRAM showed a new hub that (miraculously?) switches from being fixed to freewheeling with just a few magical turns of an oh so simple screw in one side of the axle. Is this genius? Well I fear maybe not, but it so easily could have been!
The downside of this hub as I see it is that it's likely to be considerably more expensive than a simple flip/flop hub, from what I read it weighs about half a kilo more than a flip/flop hub and it'll have rather more complicated, so more vulnerable to breakage internals.
The thing is they've resurrected the Torpedo name that used to be used for their hubs with internal gears and coaster brakes, so why didn't they fit this with a coaster brake?
I've got a vague idea of how a coaster brake works, but am never going to explain it as well as Sheldon, so here's his explanation;
"Though there are differences in detail, all coaster brakes are fundamentally similar. Different manufacturers use different names for some of the parts, I'll try to use terminology as generic as possible:
So if you started out with a standard coaster hub and had some kind of block/jam that when you tightened the screw (in the axle) forced the brake cone against the driver you'd presumeabley both disable the coater brake and the freewheeling of the hub, making it fixed. Loosen the screw, releasing the brake cone and you've got your coaster brake and freewheel back.
This also now has a clear advantage over a flip/flop hub in that you have a rear brake when in freewheel/coaster mode that you disable when you don't need it in fixed mode. Is it that I'm just a little mad, or does this make sublime sense? So why didn't they do it this way and how, maybe, do we convince them to see the light? Or has everyone stopped reading by now, because they thought it was pointless from the beginning?
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