| Accessories | Bicycles | Parts | Specials | Tools |
|---|
| For internal details, Click here for the ASC Technical Page |
|---|
One of the rarest and most interesting bicycle components ever made is the Sturmey-Archer ASC hub. At the time it was made, in the early 1950s, sporting cyclists in Britain were very heavily into time trialing (partly because that was the only form of racing that was legal on the public roads!) The most common event was the 25 mile time trial, and many, if not most, of the top riders rode fixed-gear bicycles. Derailer gearing was not looked on with favor by most British cyclists until the 1960's, so most multi-speed bicycles in Britain were equipped with Sturmey-Archer 3- or 4-speed internal-geared hubs.
Reportedly, SunRace/Sturmey-Archer is considering doing a new production run of the ASC 3-speed fixed-gear hub, or an updated version of it. Given SunRace's track record with Sturmey-Archer, I would expect a new version to be more reliable than the original. They're not certain about how much demand there might be for it though. If this is something that would be of possible interest to you, let them know by sending an email to them using the link below:
The British cycling world was sharply divided between the fans of the fixed gear and the partisans of multi-speeds. The ASC hub was an attempt to bridge this gap, by providing the benefit of variable gears, without giving up the pleasures of the fixed gear.
The ASC was a true fixed-gear, in that coasting was impossible...the pedals would turn whenever the bicycle was in motion. However, it gave three different ratios: direct drive; 90% and 75%.
In addition to being targetted at time trialists, the ASC was also marketed as the ideal gear for winter training...and there's much to be said for this claim. A fixed gear is well known to give superior control on slippery surfaces, but a single speed can be a bit of a burden on a cyclist laden with heavy winter clothing.
| Accessories | Bicycles | Parts | Specials | Tools |
|---|