Sturmey Archer Cs-Rk3 3X9-Sp Disc Hub, 32H - Black - HKF3K.BCS0.E00.BX

OK, first off, the photos are the chrome version I purchased before. I haven't built up the black one yet, but they are identical except for the hub exterior color. It takes some getting used to when shifting since the internal gears require you to let off the pressure from the pedals so it can shift - as opposed to the external cassette that works like any cassette with a derailleur requiring pedaling to move the chain. My bike is now an 81-speed (3*9 rear * 3 front = 81) and practically speaking that is about 60 more than necessary. Why did I do it? Because I could. I also could have put a single chain wheel crank on the front and dispensed with the front derailleur altogether and still had a 27 speed. That would also make the handlebar less crowded. In addition, throughout the middle gear range I'm sure there are some gears that have the same gear ratio, or close enough as to be negligibly different. But in the end I have a super high and a super low gear and it's fun. The internal gearing works exactly the same as the old Sturmey-Archer 3-speeds I remember as a kid, and are still around. I don't think an index shifter will work with it, so I got a SRAM twist-grip friction shifter and it works just fine. I used the twist grip to save some room on the handlebar since I still have the other 3-speed shifter on that same side. I still had to buy a longer set of flat bars for everything to fit comfortably. I broke the new 3-speed brake/shifter that was a matching set with the 9-speed for the other side. it wasn't defective, I just failed to notice the clashing of it and the twist grip housing and forced it too much. As a result, I put the old one back on and you can see my un-matched shifters. I bought a new matching 3-speed brake/shifter but have yet to install it. The other thing to remember is since this has internal gears the axle is bolted - no quick release. For me that actually is a good thing because I also use this bike to pull a child carrier and I can loosen the nut opposite the gear side (which is where the carrier must connect anyway) and the bolt on the other side keeps the axle in position. Unlike a quick release axle that requires the skewer to be completely removed so it will pass through the carrier connector that fits over the end of the axle. It's a little harder to line up the wheel with the carrier hanging there in that case, so with the bolted axle that is not a worry. However, if you get a flat on the rear you must un-do the coupler of the cable for the internal gears to get the wheel off. If installed properly, you will need two pair of plyers to un-do it. You also need a wrench for the axle nuts. Then of course, you need to re-adjust the three-speed coupler once you put it all back together. The bottom line there is to remember to carry enough tools with you to fix a flat. Now I haven't talked about the ins and outs of getting this to a working level like wheel building, routing of the gear cables, and other items, but those are things to address if you are thinking of outfitting your bike with this. I had a great time getting my bike up and running with this, converting it from a 21-speed, and look forward to installing the other one on my tandem.

I wanted an IGH that works with new XT Mountain components and that's just what I got!Before building the hub into a wheel I mounted a new Shimano XT M771-10 (11 to 34 tooth) Cassette to make sure it would fit.Coupled with M-780 rear derailleur and M-780 triple crank up front = 90 Speed drivetrain for my custom hybrid Giant XTC (a 69er).Everything fits together and travels the entire cassette range smoothly.It may seem like overkill to add the SA CS-SK3 to the XT 30 Speed mountain setup.Here's why I did it: I get a 10-speed gear ratio shift using the 24-32-42 XT chain rings.This effectively gives me 5 chain rings - one for underdrive and one for overdrive.The low gears add 6 lower steps for grinding out long upgrades while the overdrive adds to pavement speed potential.Sturmey Archer was contacted by guys on mountain bike forum a year or so back and the rep said these are totally good for mountain drive trains. After more prodding he refused to budge and said they can take whatever you throw at it in the 11-34 rear teeth range with any road or mountain chain ring, even a 22, etc.SA should advertise that this accepts some 10 speed cassettes - this was the deciding factor in my purchase.

Just what I was looking for.