Bates and sturmey archer 4 speed hub

Hi
Ive built up this 1946 Bates BAR with a 3sp hub , i want a 4sp close or medium ratio hub, Is this a good idea does any one have info of what these hubs are like reliability wise as the ones ive seen for sale are from the 1950s

Go for an early as poss alloy bodied fm hub just avoid the later ones in my experience

Batechins":33g9gm81 said:

Hi
Ive built up this 1946 Bates BAR with a 3sp hub , i want a 4sp close or medium ratio hub, Is this a good idea does any one have info of what these hubs are Demenageurs pas cher like reliability wise as the ones ive seen for sale are from the 1950s

Click to expand...

Lucky you! you can built something like that, it's impressive!
Thanks!

Batechins":q42mc8s6 said:

Hi
Ive built up this 1946 Bates BAR with a 3sp hub , i want a 4sp close or medium ratio hub, Is this a good idea does any one have info of what these hubs are like reliability wise as the ones ive seen for sale are from the 1950s

Click to expand...

The 3 speed AM (medium ratio), possibly what you have is one of the sweetest running and trouble free hubs. I have 1950s bicycles with both AM and 4 speed FM (medium ratio alloy bodied) hubs.

You can often experience issues with the 4 speed in engaging the low (1st) gear, however this because of wear: so you should get the hub rebuilt and the worn components (usually the engagement pawl) replaced - i have a friend who is a well-known expert on S/A hubs and he's done both of mine.

The alloy casings can fail quite dramatically (according to some old-timer friends of mine), and to be fair an S/A hub is not light so the alloy shell makes little difference in weight terms - might give you bragging rights though !

Either way I'd go for the FM not the FC.

Rk,

Re:

Like this maybe with shifter and probably wing nuts if needed. 40 hole.

Re:

I’ve just looked at prices on ebay. Wow shifters almost as much as hubs.

Don't discount the FW. The ratios are reasonably close together and it's much more reliable than the FM. Don't get a 4-speed hub that's been rebuilt by anyone unless it's guaranteed - these only work if the spring set inside the hub is matched, and mixing springs from early and late hubs means you can't get 2nd gear.

Talking of servicing, check this thread out;
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=385976&hilit=Sturmey+archer+service


Great service and my 4 speed feels like new.