Sturmey Archer SRF-3 Hub - Freewheel ticking instead of slow clicking in 2nd and 3rd
07-26-13, 12:10 PM
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Sturmey Archer SRC-3 Hub - Freewheel ticking instead of slow clicking in 2nd and 3rd
I built up a bike with a new Sturmey Archer SRC-3 coaster brake 3-speed hub a couple months back. Not sure that this has any bearing on the issue at hand, but I should note that the hub came with a 163mm axle, which I replaced with a 175mm axle as my rear frame spacing is 130mm. The hub came apart and went back together without any problems, making sure to follow the technical manual I got off their website to the T for disassembly and assembly. Once I had set the left side cone, there was no play at the hub, and about 1/16 inch of horizontal play at the rim.
So far the hub has worked magnificently, but the noises it makes have changed over time. When I first started using it, while pedaling, it would be silent in 1st gear, and make a slow clicking noise in 2nd and 3rd. This is normal, from what I understand of how the hub works. However, after about a month or so, the clicking noise in 2nd change to an intermittent freewheel ticking noise (same noise as when coasting), and in 3rd I can hear both the slow clicking noise and the intermittent freewheel ticking noise.
So my question is, is this normal? The hub still functions fine as far as shifting, braking and coasting goes. Is the freewheel gear turning while pedaling, and then stops momentarily when the friction between pawl and the hub increases as the pawl is pushed down by tooth on the hub? If that is the case, how does one go about remedying this?
In case it matters, I still have the shift cable adjusted to the same tension as when I started using the hub, and I should note, playing with the shift cable tension a little while still maintaining proper shifting doesn't make a difference. The cable tension is set such that in 1st gear, where the indicator chain is pulled out furthest, when I pull on the cable, the indicator chain can only move about 1/16 inch further out. The chain is completely slack in 3rd.
So far the hub has worked magnificently, but the noises it makes have changed over time. When I first started using it, while pedaling, it would be silent in 1st gear, and make a slow clicking noise in 2nd and 3rd. This is normal, from what I understand of how the hub works. However, after about a month or so, the clicking noise in 2nd change to an intermittent freewheel ticking noise (same noise as when coasting), and in 3rd I can hear both the slow clicking noise and the intermittent freewheel ticking noise.
So my question is, is this normal? The hub still functions fine as far as shifting, braking and coasting goes. Is the freewheel gear turning while pedaling, and then stops momentarily when the friction between pawl and the hub increases as the pawl is pushed down by tooth on the hub? If that is the case, how does one go about remedying this?
In case it matters, I still have the shift cable adjusted to the same tension as when I started using the hub, and I should note, playing with the shift cable tension a little while still maintaining proper shifting doesn't make a difference. The cable tension is set such that in 1st gear, where the indicator chain is pulled out furthest, when I pull on the cable, the indicator chain can only move about 1/16 inch further out. The chain is completely slack in 3rd.
Last edited by jason_h; 07-26-13 at 09:00 PM.
07-26-13, 07:37 PM
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The new generation hubs, (NIG models) have one more pawl set than the old models, so the sound is different in 3rd gear.
It is normal for the hub to be silent in first gear, unless the hub out runs your pedaling speed on a downhill, in which case you will hear the planet cage pawls ratchet as the hub outruns them.
In second gear, the hub shell is turning faster than the planetary carrier, so the pawls will ratchet as you pedal. My hearing is not acute enough to hear this ticking when I'm riding in traffic, unless I'm riding next to a structure that reflects the sound.
In third gear, you get the same pawls ratcheting as in second gear, and also the driver pawls as the ring gear outruns the driver. These pawls are significantly louder than the planetary pawls, and even my hearing, which has been dulled by 40 years of sitting in close proximity to big bore diesels can pick it up.
If your hub is working, and not making any other untoward sounds, I wouldn't worry.
Meanwhile, this might help give you a clearer look where those sounds are coming from.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UyHVWsvzQs
It is normal for the hub to be silent in first gear, unless the hub out runs your pedaling speed on a downhill, in which case you will hear the planet cage pawls ratchet as the hub outruns them.
In second gear, the hub shell is turning faster than the planetary carrier, so the pawls will ratchet as you pedal. My hearing is not acute enough to hear this ticking when I'm riding in traffic, unless I'm riding next to a structure that reflects the sound.
In third gear, you get the same pawls ratcheting as in second gear, and also the driver pawls as the ring gear outruns the driver. These pawls are significantly louder than the planetary pawls, and even my hearing, which has been dulled by 40 years of sitting in close proximity to big bore diesels can pick it up.
If your hub is working, and not making any other untoward sounds, I wouldn't worry.
Meanwhile, this might help give you a clearer look where those sounds are coming from.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UyHVWsvzQs
07-26-13, 08:56 PM
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Thanks for the reply Dan. I actually had seen that video before, thanks for posting it. FYI, I must of had my mind in a different place when I was writing my post, as the hub I have on my bike is a SRC-3, not SRF-3. I will edit my original post to clear up the confusion.
