Originally Posted by
Andrew R Stewart
"Maintenance free" just means disposable
Any mechanical device can and does wear. With most all the CB hubs I've dealt with there's no real adjustability of how much cog rotation is required before the brake engages. The cog/ring ratio does effect this but that's a constant. So as surfaces wear it takes more cog rotation to bring together the internal parts. Additionally if the surfaces that rub/roll against each other are not lubed then both greater wear and less easy function will follow.
Does SRAM offer servicing instructions? Seems to me that a tear down, cleaning and relubing on reassembly would be a good thing to do. Andy
Thanks for your responses, alcjphil and AndrewRStewart. Although Sram claims the hub is permanently lubed and maintenance - free, they did publish disassembly and lubing instructions. Maybe I should take that as a hint. I think Shimano recommends relubing every 5000 miles for the Nexus 3. The Sram rep I spoke to today was not familiar with the hub, but aware of the recall issued for it this year (brake malfunction). Sram stopped making hubs, so no more parts or feedback from them. This hub doesn't seem to have the greatest rep for longevity, but is very efficient, quiet, lightweight, shifts great and allows for super easy wheel changes. I guess you can't have it all.