Sturmey Archer had their own stand but the most interesting new hub they've produced wasn't on it – it was nestling quietly on the Moulton stand, who were displaying the only working prototype. The S2C is a re-imagining of the Fichtel & Sachs Torpedo Duomatic hub that Moulton have been busy reviving since they found a bunch of old stock and used them to make a 50th anniversay four speed machine with the Duomatic at one end and a Schlumpf speed drive at the other: four gears and no shifters; no cables either meant that the bike separated easily into two.
The hub is a kickshift with two speeds, simply kick back to switch between ratios. Lean further back on the pedals and you'll engage the coaster brake. It's an elegant solution that requires no cabling to the rear of the bike, so it'll fit in very well with the fixed aesthetic, and it gives you an extra ratio for accelerating and climbing the hills. Sturmey Archer are confident that they'll shift a ton of the S2C hubs and we'd tend to agree, it's going to be less than £100 and it's almost the perfect hub for those stripped back urban machines. Especially if you live somewhere hilly, like we do. Fitchel and Sachs are now SRAM, and they've definitely missed a trend here by not digging out the blueprints and reviving the duomatic themselves.
Category: Gears
More on the Moulton TSR2, belt drive, kickback, coaster brake hub
Reports suggest that the TSR2 is a prototype, but will be available in 2010, costing less than £1000.
Photos from Jack Thurston on Flickr
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Fixie-Killer: Sturmey Archer S2C | The Bike Show
The S2C is Sturmey’s modern version of the Fichtel & Sachs Torpedo Duomatic, a two-speed hub with kick-back gear change and coaster brake that dates from the 1960s. These hubs have something of a cult following and are hard, though not impossible, to come by. One of my bikes has one and it’s fantastic to ride. A little back-pedal changes the gear (from high to low, or low to high) and a big back-pedal engages the powerful brake. Unlike rim brakes, a hub brake works as well in the wet as in the dry.
Sturmey have built a new version and I believe it’s going to be a hit. Two speeds allows good acceleration from a standing start and a higher cruising gear than on a single speed bike. The kick-back gear change and coaster brake mean that there are no cable runs to the rear wheel. The result is a faster ride than a fixed wheel bike, with better braking performance, but all the simplicity of the fixed aesthetic. Sturmey will bring the hub into production early next year and the retail price is expected to be in the region of £60-£80. Ninon of Bicycle Workshop, who knows a thing or two about hub gears, thinks they’re great. Dan Farrell of Moulton & Pashley (who can claim some of the credit for getting Sturmey to develop the new hub) shares her excitement. Informed sources tell me Sturmey are anticipating huge sales of this hub: around a quarter of a million a year. And no wonder.
Moulton TSR 2 with Belt Drive Sturmey Archer S2C Hub
The Moulton Stand at the Cycle Show is currently featuring another Moulton Prototype, and another new Sturmey!
A TSR 2, with a new belt drive, Sturmey Archer S2C hub, which is a prototype 2 speed, kickback hub, with coaster brake.
Thanks to The Bike Show for the pics.
Duomatic Hubs For Sale
The Moulton Bicycle Company has a quantity of new old stock Fichtel & Sachs Duomatic hubs for sale for £75 each.
The big benefit of buying these from Moulton Bicycle Company is that they have been stripped and regreased. You can purchase Duomatic hubs from hubstripping.com or ebay, but you have to regrease the hub yourself.
Moulton Bicycle Company can be contacted at office@moultonbicycles.co.uk or +44 1225 865895. Tell them Moulton Buzz sent you!