SRAM 3-speed hub now a 2-speed
 

The SRAM 3-speed hub on the Dahon Curve D3 (unlike the Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub on my cruiser) has no adjustment indicator. When hooking the shifter cable back up (after changing a flat or doing adjustments), there's really no way of knowing when the tension is correctly adjusted; one has to guess, ride the bike, then guess again.

I've found that I can't get all three speeds back on the hub; it's either adjusted so gears 1 and 2 are the same, or 2 and 3; I can't find the correct tension to access all three speeds.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is there perhaps something wrong beyond amateurish adjustments? My shop was able to fix the problem once, but I'm not certain how they did it; their explanations are along the line of "just get the tension right."

I don't have any way to measure tension in the cable. I set mine so that the 2->1 shift pulls the cable as far out as it will go just as the #1 shift position clicks into place. This takes maybe 3~4 seconds and I don't have to guess/ride the bike/adjust/ride the bike to get it where it works.

Here's what SRAM sez:

Adjustment
*Place the shifter in gear position "3". Move the crank to check that the gear is engaged.
*To make the adjustment, the cable must be taut in third gear to be able to transfer a shift movement directly to the hub.
*Push locating sleeve onto the small pull rod until the control cable is taut. Make sure that you don't pull the indicator chain out of the return pulley.

Check:
*Placed shifter in gear position "1" while moving the crank.
*Setting too loose: In gear position "1" the tension chain can be pulled out of the return pulley by hand.
*Setting too tight: It is difficult to place the shift lever in gear position "1".
*If required, readjust the shift mechanism (in third gear).

Fun fact: The SRAM T3 is the most popular IGH in the world.

@tcs, thanks, but I was hoping for something more than this. I'll post this to the mechanics forum.