nilanjan

I just bought a 1961 Raleigh Sports. The tires are old and should be replaced. How hard is it to take the rear wheel off? I don't know much about the S-A 3-speed hub and whether taking the wheel off is a big deal. Any tips would be appreciated.

Retro Grouch 

Just disconnect the shift cable, unbolt it and it should come right off. You may have to wiggle the tire past the brake pads.

When you go to put everything back together, make sure that your shifter is in "N". If you look carefully at the right end of the rear axle, you will see a little round window in the bolt. You can see the end of the rod that does the actual shifting through that window. The shifting rod has a shoulder near it's end. Tighten the shift cable until the shoulder exactly lines up with the end of the axle, tighten the little lock nut and you'll be good to go.

Good luck.

nilanjan

Thank you, that is very helpful.

mswantak

I may be wrong, but Retrogrouch's instructions sound like they're for a Shimano 3-speed rather than a Sturmey-Archer. None of my S-As (late '60s to early '70s) have the window and 'N' setup. On mine, you put the shifter in high gear, so the shifter cable is slack, before unscrewing the cable attachment. Leave the locknut in position as a reminder. Next loosen the cylindrical sleeve on the axle a few turns so the axle nut has room to loosen. Once both axle nuts are loose, you'll have to spread the rear forks a bit (just with your fingers -- it doesn't take much) to release the axle -- it won't just drop out.