dbec

So I found this 70s era coffee brown Raleigh Sports at the local Goodwill for a cool $20. Somebody obviously cared for this bike at one point. It's got a metal plaque mounted on the frame with the previous owner's name. This was my first taste of a Raleigh 3-speed. I'm struck by how comfortable it is. I'd like to make this my 'running short errands' bike. There's a bike rack right in front of my apartment building where I intend to park it. It's not very sexy looking so it's not so much of a thief magnet.

The one issue with it is that the 3rd (highest) gear slips a lot. Which is exactly the gear I would mostly like to use. What are my options here? Could it be easily converted to a single speed? What about replacing the hub? How involved is that? The LBS quoted something like $400, parts and labor, to put in a new Nexus hub. Are these things worth the investment? Thanks for any guidance.

sciencemonster

I think your best option is to tighten the cable a little bit and then ride it for another 40 years.

If your LBS didn't figure that out, then I wouldn't depend on them for much having to do with that bike.

supton

First, I'd put some oil into the hub. Look around here, but it seems that most any oil will work. Like regular motor oil. See link below about how much oil, and how often (short answer: not a lot, but often). Chain might need oiling too.

Secondly, I'd check the cable going into the hub, it could be out of adjustment.
https://sheldonbrown.com/english-3.html
Half-way down the page, "3-speed cable adjustment". Try that and see if it helps with slipage.

Grand Bois

The cable should be slack in third gear. Tightening it won't solve the problem. Loosening it may.

raleighrider75

It doesn't sound like you have to swap the hub for a Nexus unit.
1-Loosen the indicator chain to the point where there's slack in the cable(in 3rd gear).
2-Then tighten it up to just remove the slack.
3-Check to make sure the other gears work ok.
4-Enjoy your bike.
Good find.

USAZorro

$400.00?

nlerner

To find out if there's something worn internally, you could disconnect the gear cable and then take it for a ride (but tape down that loose cable so it doesn't get caught in the chainrings). It if still slips, you're faced with opening up the hub and replacing a worn clutch. If it doesn't, follow those directions above for proper cable adjustment.

Neal

graywolf

I would check and see if the hub is properly adjusted before going to such expense.

The trick with adjusting the indicator rod is to put the shift trigger in 2 or N depending on what age it is. You then adjust the cable thimble until the end of the rod, where it meets the little chain, is even with the end of the axel by looking into the hole in the nut on the axle. Check that it will go into first gear OK and that it drops into 3 no problem. (Note: my way of adjusting is on the loose end, the tight end is the shoulder of the rod. So there is about an 1/8 range of adjustment that is usable there.)

About 5ml of SAE 20 oil fills a dry hub, after that a couple of drops a week will keep it in good shape.

If you still have a problem then the hub probably needs repair, but that is unlikely as the hubs are one of the most durable mechanisms ever produced.

wahoonc

What is the date on the hub and how many spokes does it have...Those hubs are not hard to repair and parts are available for them.

Aaron

sciencemonster

Whoops, I thunk too much.

mparker326

Is your route all down hill? If I would have to give up any of my 3 speed gears it would be 3rd.

graywolf

Not only that, you could strip the parts out of the housing, and put the parts from another hub in, and would not even need to relace the wheel.

dbec

Thanks everyone for your excellent suggestions. Haven't had time but I'll tackle it this weekend.

I looked at the hub and it reads '80' and '4'. So I guess that means it was made in April of 1980 (?).

About the higher gear -- I'm used to single speeds so I guess I've just become accustomed to that. Might need to re-learn how I ride.

There is a constant 'clicking' (have no frame of reference so I don't know if it's high-pitched or not), even when pedaling. So I guess that means it's crying out for oil.

Will report my results later. Thanks again.

That is really a shame about Sheldon Brown. His writings were what got me interested in the older bikes.

aesmith

Struggling to remember, but I think the Sturmey Archer hubs used to "click" when in top gear. Same sort of noise as free-wheel ratchet, but clicking anywhere near as often.

Tony S

mikepoole

The hub should click in 2nd and 3rd, just at a different rate. The timbre of the click is what indicates the need for oil- when it's softer and muted it's fine, when it gets bright and "ticky" it probably needs a few drops...

graywolf

The ticking sounds like a freewheel, because it is a freewheel. And it should not tick when pedaling. If it is ticking all the time there is probably a broken pawl spring. A couple of years ago I found a link to where someone had posted the repair manuals for the AW hub, but I can not seem to find the link, ah Sheldon Brown had it on his site:

https://www.toehead.plus.com/stmain.htm

And from a link on that site the troubleshooting guide

https://www.hadland.me.uk/sa/safaultfind.pdf

Hope this helps,

mikepoole

??? All of my SA AW hubs tick when I pedal... not to be confused with the freewheel sound when I'm not pedaling.

raleighrider75

Same here.That's kinda the charm about them(for me anyway)I know there are a couple of SA hubs that don't but the AW isn't one of them.

Sixty Fiver

Converting the bike to a single speed would warrant replacing the rear wheel and if the SA hub is good but just maladjusted, then I would just get things properly set up and ride it for the next bazillion years.

Sheldon "we are really missing you" Brown's site has all the information you will need to do that.

bikerosity57

There's nothing wrong with it! Just adjust the adjuster so that the flat on the end of the actuator rod(has the little chain on it near the adjuster)is flush with the end of the axle visable through the hole in the barrel attached to the hub nut on the drive side while the shift lever is in the middle, or neutral position. More than likely it'll shift and work fine.

roseskunk

i put wd-40 in my hub to clean them out. sometimes the old oil needs to be loosened up... once they're running fine, replace that with oil. i have three sports and a tourist and they all work fine. raleighs rock! i put alloy rims on two of mine, makes for a better ride... they're much lighter than the original steel.

wahoonc

Paint thinner or Kerosene works too...but probably not quite as environmentally friendly

Aaron

dbec

The hub is actually an S3C model. (Sorry, I should have seen that earlier). It's got a coaster brake.

I've tried adjusting the cable but haven't had complete success. At one point it seemed like the 3rd gear was very solid, no slippage. But then it seemed to lose the middle gear. There was 1st, NEUTRAL (just spinning, no engagement) and 3rd. Or is that how these are designed to be?

I installed the Wald 'delivery' basket in the front -- the really big model. Carried a whole bunch of groceries in it. I probably look like a real kook coming down the street.

How involved would it be to swap in an AW model? I've got a front caliper brake that works OK.

mikepoole

1st/neutral/3rd usually means the cable needs to be just a little bit tighter... make sure the shifter cable is running freely through any guides so it won't get bound.

If you do swap for a non-brake model hub, it'd be a good idea to add a rear brake. Only one brake means only one problem from not being able to stop...

sciencemonster

Also make sure the cable and cable path is lubricated pretty well. A bad bend in the wire or some stickyness anywhere - one broken strand on the wire after it goes in the trigger - can make it impossible to adjust. If you can adjust it so EITHER second or third works reliably with no slipping, then it's probably the cable is damaged.