Bicycle Mechanics - Internal Hub Advice

So, first time poster, hope this is okay location:

I have a Raleigh folding bike which happens to have an internal rear hub. It's been working great for some time but I got stuck in the rain the other day and the bike got really soaked. Since then the hub has been performing badly, chain skips a lot, shifting doesn't happen quickly, or sometimes not at all. All kinds of problems.

My guess is an internal hub is complicated enough that I shouldn't start messing with it. But I don't really want to pay a fortune to a bike shop to check this out. But my googling has brought me very little in terms of how to fix an internal hub....

A few questions:

1) Should I just suck it up and take it to a shop?
2) Is there a pretty basic - "typical things that go wrong" with internal hubs website I'm not finding that might help?

Thanks!!!

Welcome to the forum.

It would help to know the make and model of your hub.

yes, just take it to a shop

Internal geared hubs are generally very well sealed against water and they run in a bath of lubricant. They are typically very robust and trouble-free. The hub itself would be the last item I would suspect.

Your symptoms are those of slow or incomplete shifting. I would suggest that you check your shifter, shift cable and pulley (if fitted) for free and smooth movement. If they are lacking in lubricant or clogged with road grit a cleaning and lubrication may get things going again.

20:1 all it needs is a minor adjustment. SA hubs of your vintage are just about bombproof. Follow a few simple steps and you should be rolling within 5 minutes.

In case rain was a factor, lean the bike over and dribble one or two drops onto the indicator chain and let it run down into the hub. Then look into the small window in the side of the right axle nut extension, and locate the shoulder on the rod (end of the chain). Shift to 2nd gear and adjust the cable/chain connector until the end of the rod lines up perfectly with the axle. (see diagram here (http://sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer/adj.html)).

You may also need to work the rod in and out to make sure that whatever rust that might be binding it is rubbed off and the rod moves freely. The easiest way to do this is to get the wheel spinning then work it back and forth by pulling the cable.

SturmeyArcher AW3 ?, might just need oil in it and adjustment.. but bike shop can see what I cannot.

you can learn much about AW3 hubs if you look, they've been out for many decades.
company founded in 1909

Internal geared hubs are generally very well sealed against water and they run in a bath of lubricant. They are typically very robust and trouble-free. The hub itself would be the last item I would suspect.

Your symptoms are those of slow or incomplete shifting. I would suggest that you check your shifter, shift cable and pulley (if fitted) for free and smooth movement. If they are lacking in lubricant or clogged with road grit a cleaning and lubrication may get things going again.

I second this! If the hub worked lousy before the rain and even worse after, I would suspect the hub. If it worked well before the rain, the hub is the last thing that I would suspect.

-G

Thanks a million for the help! As suggested, the hub was perfectly fine, the problem was all in the cable. Super easy to fix, rolling fine now.

Ultimately, this little viddy was the key:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-IHIuSbRhY

yeah, i think so,you can learn much about AW3 hubs if you look, they've been out for many decades.thanks youhttp://www.okhealthy.com/youjie/images/6.gif