Originally Posted by
crackerdog
I had the same thought about the shifter and tried it without touching it but it didn't help. I can't go a block before it slips. I'll check out the SA Facebook page. Thanks everyone, I guess it is just another manufacturer with no sense of decency. I'll never get another product from Sturmey Archer.
Oh come on. Apparently there was a change of ownership at Sturmey Archer and this hub was the worst of the old lot. Also, I hate to say it, but what do you expect from a discount bike like a Downtube? They have lots of little problems and reject hubs is just one of them (is there any other brand of bike which was equipped with this particular model of hub?). Also, while I'm sorry yours is bad, from the responses in this thread it seems most are not like yours.
I'm also pretty sure that the Mini does not have a unified rear triangle. If true then I'd say the problem is the Downtube frame more than the hub (although the sensitivity of this particular hub doesn't help). If you lock out the suspension as some have done then I bet the hub will improve a lot.
Originally Posted by
chagzuki
About axle slippage (apologies if this is patronizingly obvious): When I got back into cycling a few years back Datako on the Dahon forums explained to me that I ought to tighten both bolts simultaneously to, I guess, distribute pressure evenly. . . I can't remember if it was his advice or me just figuring out the obvious, that the hub needs to be secured whilst the bike is on the ground, not suspended from a stand, i.e. the frame has to bear weight down on the axle as it would whilst riding, otherwise a jolt whilst riding will likely move the axle slightly and tension will be lost. I find it a PITA trying to secure hub gear wheels with the bike standing up, making sure alignment and chain tension is correct. . . it's fiddly.
+1 Good advice. Chain tug helps with the fiddlyness.