sturmey archer - pin won't budge
 

I just bought a Graziella tandem (pics will follow - it's incredible) with a 3 speed SA with a drum brake. The chain won't budge. I can't get the pin to move in or out. I'm assuming it's stuck in 3rd gear because I can peddle it and it seems to operate fine.

I found a guide for my hub. Do I need to break it down? Is it safe to ride in 3rd in the meantime or do you think I risk damaging it?

My first guess is that there's rust on the clutch unit, or the shaft it slides on keeping it from sliding. If indeed it is simply a frozen clutch issue (most likely if the hub sat idle for a number of years) then riding it won't hurt, and might even eventually solving the problem as circulating oil works to free the clutch.

But without knowing more, it's impossible to confirm the cause, or to offer any assurance that riding it would hurt.

If it were mine, I'd probably squirt in some fresh oil and ride it, staying close to home and being attentive to any indication of a problem.

+1 for adding a bit of oil. It may free things up. Be patient with shifting until it does.

-G

until you provide more detailed information, it is anyone's guess. Here is mine:

You may need a chain breaker ,to disassemble the chain, it's probably worn anyhow,
to let you remove the hub to work on it.

Hey y'all - thanks for the responses.

I rode it about this weekend a bit and things very quickly started to free up. After a short while it would move to second with some tugging and now it shifts into first. Things still don't seem quite as smooth as they ought to be, though.

So the question now is what oil to use. I have some triflow on hand but that seems too light (?). There's a plethora of threads on SA lubrication, but seemingly little consensus.. 20 weight motor oil? 30? transmission fluid? Phil wood? Do you guys have any favorites?

TriFlow will be too light. I use regular 5W-30 motor oil.

-G

I use Phil Wood tenacious in my 3 speed,
The older one I took the axle bearings out and greased them.
the grease in the bearings helps retain the oil too..

If the hub is made in England, SA used to warn against motor oil, and specified machine oil. The key difference is that motor oils contain detergents and other additives that were not compatible with a bonded on lubricant applied to the parts before assembly. I doubt it matters now, on a hub that old, and the detergent in motor oil might help flush out rust, so you can try a straight 20w motor oil or a 20-xx multigrade.

I use Chain-L, but obviously I get it pretty cheap, otherwise Phil's is good. Both Chain-L and Phil's have no detergents, and do have additives which help it cling to parts.

The SA hub starts in 3rd gear and as the pin (referred to as the Indicator) is pulled out the gear ration gets lower. If the wheel turn freely I doubt riding it in 3rd gear will harm anything (it might actually help) . Before you take it apart, detach the chain by loosening the long knurled adjuster and then try pulling the chain by hand while spinning the wheel; you should be coasting when you try and change gears with a SA. BTW, SA recommends a couple of teaspoons of oil after servicing the hub, otherwise it will seep all over your hub and spokes.

Lightest weight synthetic motor oil, like 5w. It gets in there. It gets out of there too, it winds up all over the place. I guess my personal advice would be to use whatever lubricant you choose sparingly.

Thanks again everyone! I'm heading out today to price shop a lil.. not sure what I'll go with yet but i know what to look for.