Hi. Can someone advise? My brompton 3 speed gear indicator chain doesn't 'tighten' on its thread. It just rotates but never gets to a point where it stops. It still grips inside the gear hub as I can pull the gear spring with it but my gear lever isn't functioning as it should. The hub sits in the highest gear (3) and I can't use gear 1 or 2 while riding. Is it just the chain indicator thread that's gone or do I need to replace something in the gear hub? I've never taken the gear hub apart but thinking I might need to. Any advice?

Benjas, don't run off just yet; I'm sure a knowledgeable and civilized person will respond soon with some helpful information.

I’m not entirely sure I understand your description.
A common 3-speed design is to have a chain coming out of the wheel axle.
Inside the axle the chain is connected to a pin with a threaded end.
If you disconnect the shifter cable you should be able to screw the pin in or out by turning the chain
This part should not simply keep turning.
If turned clockwise the thread should pretty soon bottom out. If turned counter-clockwise, the pin should fairly soon disengage.
If it does turn freely w/o doing anything else, something is wrong inside.

You might have misunderstood how the coupling between the outer end of the chain and the shifter cable works.
The ones that looks like a black plastic sheath with a small metal ”button” at the chain end aren’t meant to thread on, they ratchet.
If you want to tighten the shifter cable, depress the button and slide the plastic sheath further down the rod at the outer end of the chain.
If your out of adjustment room at that end, you need to shorten the cable. There might be a cable clamp screw at the forward end of the plastic sheath.

Oh, and try to use the brand of the HUB instead of the brand of the bike. Brompton most likely have used different make & models of hubs over the years.

If you have this connector on the chain coming out of the hub, you have an SRAM 3-speed hub. https://postimg.org/image/oseo1due3/ SRAM ceased production of hubs in early 2017 and parts are becoming much harder to obtain. Check the threads on the end of the rod. If they are stripped, buy another rod. You can still get them from this store https://clevercycles.com/catalogsear...hain+indicator. If the problem is within the hub, you are in a much more difficult situation. You might have stripped the part that connects to the rod and that would require disassembling the hub. When I had a 3X8 SRAM dual-drive hub fail I tried finding a place to replace the bearing retainers inside it. I was quoted the cost of a new hub to simply replace two bearing sets by a shop that specializes in hub repair in Washington state. BTW, SRAM has always sucked when it comes to replacement parts. Even a major bike shop I once worked in was unable to pry the parts out of the SRAM distributor for an entire year of trying.

being a chain connecting the shaft , inside ene hub that pulls the heat selector from 3rd, to second to first.. Only rotating when disconnected..

and the threaded shaft that fine tunes the shifting... lets talk about Rust -dirt -corrosion of the barrel nut attached to the cable ,

the smaller ring nut kees it in adjustment, once its reached.. connected . the chain wont rotate..


Unable to write and describe whats happening , as a mechanic at a bike shop ..

we can figure things out easier when we can see it in person in front of us..



Bring it by a shop..





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