Am sure someone on here will know….!

My beloved old town bike is a little unhealthy at present. No, it’s not the utterly useless braking that stainless rims provide. No, it’s not the utterly useless handling. All those things are lovable foibles!

. I had got used to having only gears one and three for some time, with two being inactive (Pedals spin away and nothing happens!). Now, however, I only have gear numbers two and three, which would be fine if I was only ever riding with a tailwind and downhill. Lugging the shopping up the Col du Blackfriars on the way home can be a chore, I can tell you!

So, anyone got any ideas? Gear number one is just spinning freely with no engagement.

I await the wisdom of the HiveMind with bated breath….

Sticky pawls or worn clutch? I’d look at those first. Could just try opening up the oil port and chucking lots of oil in.

why this in the chat forum? Eh? It’s about a bike… MOD’s!

Don’t know how much you know about em but have you tried the obvious first.. cable adjustment:

http://vancruisers.ca/Members/bhughes/tech-stuff/sturmey/troubleshooting-sturmey-archer-3-speed-hubs

Col du Blackfriars

😆

It’s the Alpe de Muswell that you will have real problems on…

CFH is one of those STWers who don’t know about the other forum.

I’d be suspecting gumming up of the insides tbh. I’d open it up – partly out of sheer curiosity 🙂

Apologies for forum error!

Shall try that cable adjust later and see what happens. Will also try the oil option! (I don’t think any oil has been anywhere near the chain since the late 80s!)

Muswell Hill? That’s north of the Parks, isn’t it? Bandit country and I haven’t had my jabs. 😉

I’d open it up – partly out of sheer curiosity

I did that once. It’s not for the faint of heart…

Fascinating inside though. All sorts of planetary gears and stuff.

No, not oil on the chain, look in the middle of the hub, there’s an oil port there. Also while you’re there look for the date, it will tell you how old it is!

if anyone want one to open up, I have one I found in a hedge (no idea of the condition, but i’m doubtful it’d be great)… you just need to pay the postage (which will probably bankrupt you, due to it’s weight)

I’ll have it Zippy!

Please. I forgot to say please. 😳

Where are you?

ziggy – Member
No, not oil on the chain, look in the middle of the hub, there’s an oil port there

Yep, got that first time round, was just realising that I’ve never oiled the chain either! 🙂

Thanks, though!

There was a guy who used to strip them down to parts and make sculptures out of them, can’t find him on the web now though. If the Elfin needs parts I’ve got just about every part available. Including super rare 4 speed parts.

Sadly it’s no longer viable to rebuild them in the shop the labour is just too much, cheaper to buy a complete new internal now.

OOH I’M SOOOO EXCITED!!! 😀

Elf if you seriously want it, it’s yours, but as I say P&P (non-profit) won’t be cheap.

I is in da midlands massive btw!

Well gis yer email then and we’ll sort it! 😀

check the profile dude.

Checked it sent it! 😀

They were a fancy bit of engineering those hubs, considering that they were put on cheap and cheerful bikes.

Smashed my knees and knackers on the stem too many times due to missed or dropped gears to ever want to use one again though.

Apparently they “don’t work like that any more”.

I’ve always fancied sticking one on a rear to give me that Sheldon Brown style 63 gear thing,but then again, I’m an idiot like that.

Many years ago I tried a canal jump and failed landing in the canal bike and all at the time I was too scared to tell my parents so said nothing and hid my clothes at the bottom of the washing basket. Yes after a couple of days the smell was unbareable and I was rumbled. About 2 weeks later my trusty 3 speed bike gears started slipping and playing up, my dad agreed to have a look for me. Upon inspection we found lots of brown water inside the hub funnily. The lasting memory is of my Dad replacing all the internals one saturday afternoon whilst cursing me under his breath. He was a pretty calm guy so I guess they must be a bit fiddly considering his language. Good luck.+1 dunstick

If there’s a false neutral it’s probably one of the old hubs – must be at least 10 years or more. (Date will be stamped on it)

Most problems with hub gears are external – sticky cables or maladjustment.

My girlfriend has a 3 speed one on her vintange puch commuter. It won’t engage 1st some days and won’t engage 3rd on others, I’ve oiled it and adjusted it to no avail. I dare not open it up as I fear i will completely break it.

Don’t open it. It’s like Pandora’s Box. All manner of horrors await the unsuspecting inside a Sturmey Archer 3-Speed hub….

I was a bit scared of them until I pulled one to bits… but it worked when it was back together so my confidence was boosted. The next thing I tried was a Nexus 8 speed, which left me as a quivering wreck in the corner..! Never, ever take one of those to bits!

Sturmeys are relatively easy really.. You can screw them up by re-adjusting the cones in the wrong order though.

The next thing I tried was a Nexus 8 speed, which left me as a quivering wreck in the corner..!

I do hope you’ve had therapy! 🙁

I have a Nexus 7 which is in need of an overhaul. It lives in the bottom of my toolbox, cos I’m too frightened to open it up…

bikewhisperer – Member
…Sturmeys are relatively easy really.. You can screw them up by re-adjusting the cones in the wrong order though.

The right handle axle should protrude exactly the specified amount.

I do hope you’ve had therapy!

The bike stared at me sullenly from the corner of the garage for months, until I finally found the courage to have another go.. I’d read the manual by that time 🙂 It, and I, made a full recovery.

I’ve got a 5 speed one on my pashley tube rider, not been too impressed with it tbh as moving the shifter doesn’t have any great effect on which gear is selected, although the drum brake is pretty good, they seem to stop you pretty well without ever being able to lock them up.

When I was about 10 I opened one up (using a hammer and 6” nail on the groove in the outer casing). I still vividly recall sitting by the fire one winter’s afternoon with it in bits on an old newspaper.

I don’t recall just how much I took it to bits but I do recall cleaning it, twiddling, putting it back together and making it work.

I doubt I could do that now.

Yes the old AW 3 speeds are very easy. Unscrew the LH cone and then unscrew the body, start it with a hammer and punch, think its a 2-start RH thread. The rest is common sense, put it back how you found it etc.

Sounds to me like it either needs clean & oil, or the hair-springs that hold the 1st gear pawls in have rusted/broken. You can probably buy new ones but they’re easy to make – a 0.010″ guitar string will make SA hair-springs beyond your wildest dreams.

Just got a SA 3spd fixed and enjoying it. Hope I never have to service it! Getting it set up was very delicate operationand think I will be going through loads of chains as there seems to be quite a lot of “slop” in the system.