wmh9680

Hi, this is my 1st post so here we go. I recently came across a 1986 Sears Free Spirit ladies bike that I am refurbing for my wife (it was here Aunt's and sat in the basement for ??? years). I have adjusted the gears and it is shifting great. Originally when I got it it wouldn't shift at all. I flushed it over and over with WD40 and then with T9 spray to clean out the hub. It shifts great but makes kind of a squeaking door noise when riding in rhythm with the wheel turning and when I manually turn the wheel backwards when it is on the stand. Also when turning the wheel backwards the pedals go backwards also (is that normal)? I am now putting 3 in 1 - 20 weight oil in it to lube the hub good. What could the noise be or is it normal? The bike had a lot of rust which is 99% gone now thanks to WD40 and white vinegar and she looks great. We are new to riding with about 1+ months riding time and my wife has put about 300 miles on the bike. I tried posting a pic but I have to post 10 times I guess before I can do that. Thanks, Mike

Iride01 

When you turn the rear wheel backwards the pedals will turn. Think about it. It's the opposite reaction to force being put on the pedals.... sort of, in my contorted way of thinking.

What kind of brakes? Initially my thought for squeaking noise is just the rim being slightly out of true and rubbing the brake pad ever so slightly. If you have a safe place to ride with little to no brakes, you could open them up all the way with the adjuster or loosen the cable holdfast and cautiously ride it a bit.

On a bike that old being put back into service, I'd want to clean and repack all the wheel bearings and bottom bracket. Is that a one-piece crank?

My local bike shops are cheaper many times than what I value my time for. So for the servicing and adjusting of bike things that don't require component replacement, you might check what they charge in your area and let them deal with it. Besides, if your wheel does need truing, someone familiar with that should do it, as that is something that can look right even when done wrong.

You can just write the URL link to your pic in the plain text of your post. Maybe remove the https:// and if the spam filters give you trouble still then change the "." to a " dot ". If you need a site to host it on, I think you can even go out to the Gallery page here and create your own album and upload to that to get a URL for it.

wmh9680

This is a Sturmey Archer 3 speed gear hub with the gears and coaster brake inside the rear hub. I went to the local shop and he thought since it sat for so long maybe the coaster brake was not totally freed up and said to put oil in it now (after cleaning it out with wd40 and t9 sprays for quite a while) to see if it helps. The tire is not rubbing anywhere and as close as I can tell the noise is coming from the gear hub not the crank but my hearing is not that good but that's what the shop thought also. The shop hopes to run a class this fall on rebuilding these old Sturmey Archer gear hubs and I hope to go. Thanks, Mike

Iride01 

Well if you consider yourself up for DIY and tinkering with things, then SheldonBrown had a lot of stuff about Sturmey-Archer.

Here is the main page on Sturmey-Archer.... https://www.sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer.html

This is specifically about the 3 speeds.... https://www.sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer_3-spd.html

Spend some time going to the links and reading, there are some bits and pieces of useful and sometimes just different ways to look at something that make one go "hmm" or suddenly gel some thought you might have been struggling with.

wmh9680

Thanks, I've literally been all over his pages. Incredible amount of information but haven't found an answer to my noise problem but I will keep looking. The guy at the bike shop used to work in Europe and is very familiar with these hubs and says Sheldon Brown is his hero. Thanks again, Mike

Bill Kapaun

You probably flushed out the grease from the wheel BEARINGS.
You might watch- Notice the grease gun?

Thomas15

Taking one of there hubs apart is not for the faint of heart.

Having said that I have been looking for one to experiment on.

wmh9680

Yeah, I wondered about flushing the grease out but since it wouldn't do anything at all I knew I had to try and that's what everyone I talked to said to try. I might take it apart this winter, there are alot off good videos out there (RJ the Bike Guy and Willie Daum and many others. Again the shop by me may run a class on these old 3 speed hubs. Thanks, Mike

wmh9680

Wife and I were out for a 15 mile ride this afternoon and last nite I put 3 in 1 20 wgt oil in and today it was a lot quieter most of the time, I will add more tonight and we shall see tomorrow. Thanks, Mike

well biked

FWIW, your 1986 three-speed Free Spirit was likely built by Puch/Austro Daimler Bicycles, for Sears.

Andrew R Stewart 

Lot's of good intentions but poor choices going on here. T9 is a wax not a cleaner. WD40 is more a cleaner then a lube. 3in1 oil might be vegie oil based (red can and a lousey lube). And the one I didn't expect, Bill's reference to grease in a hub meant to be oil lubed (without ant further detail).

I agree that the noise could be from the hub's bearings being flushed of any lube but since these were oiled, not greased, at the factory I doubt any grease was there to be flushed out. However these hubs do have a lot of parts that contact/slide against other parts. So the noise might be from in the hub. But the rest of the drivetrain is also old and it's lube is likely dried out. Like the chain or the BB bearing.

If I had this bike in hand it would be simple to separate the various components (remove the chain) and then spin the wheel and cranks as well as have a better ability to check out the chain. Having said that it would be the best path to just take the entire bike apart, clean out old lube (and rust as best can) and reassemble with fresh lubes and proper adjustments. Any rubber parts (tires and brake pads) likely are well dried out too. Fresh rubber will make a significant difference in the bike's ride.

Last bit is that the SA SC3 hub is well known for it's touchy gear adjustment and rather ineffective brake ability. To fit both features into the same space as one usually occupies alone means that both functions are being handled by internals that are about 1/2 as large. Back in the day we did a lot of SC3 overhauls and replaced the brake bands in the futile attempt to get good stopping power. Andy

wmh9680

Thanks, good to know

Bill Kapaun

I don't know squat about these, but the video shows grease being applied to the wheel bearing races. The "cover" photo of the video shows a little "hand" grease gun being used to apply grease to a bearing race. I just assumed that was 1 of 2 places where grease was used instead of oil.

Andrew R Stewart 

Bill- I though twice about singling you out, hence my addition of no extra details. What vids show and what is the manufacture's intention can be different. And you know what? Both can be OK sometimes but with detailed explanation.

All of the SA, Schwinn, Sutherlands (and others) service manuals say to avoid grease in the internals of SA hubs. Most say something like 10 drops of oil annually added through the oil cap is enough to keep up with lube weep out. Like freewheels, SA hubs have had weak pawl springs and lots of sliding/contact surface. Greases can be too thick to allow all to work as they should is the grease is really thick or the temps too cold.

But many, like myself, have used a light weight grease to lube only the bearing areas. That "only the bearing areas" was the detail I was hoping to read in your post. Again sorry to sound down on your post. Andy

wmh9680

Yeah, I agree. I have watched ALOT of videos about all the different Sturmey Archer hubs and from what I remember is they say to pack the bearings with grease only when refurbing, don't use grease on the other parts. I probably have over done it with wd40 and T9 because the bike maybe sat for I don't know--20 years maybe. We went for another 15 mile ride this afternoon and again it was very quiet for most of the trip and made a little noise towards the end of the trip. I'm very happy she is shifting great because when I got her she wouldn't/couldn't shift at all. Thanks, Mike

Bill Kapaun

No problem-
You always give good advice and I do learn from you.
I do think the OP needs to "clean" the innards sooner than later and use something heavier than 20 wt. oil. I'm not even sure if the OP's 3 in 1 oil is designed for other than sleeve bearings?
I envision lots of little rust particles & other crud inside slowing eating away parts.
The fact it starts getting noisy again within a relatively scant few miles.....

Dan Burkhart 

I would agree that the performance of Sturmey Archer coaster brakes is generally underwhelming. Pre NIG models also suffered from the variable mechanical advantage over the coaster brake. In first and second gear, the torque to the brake was amplified through the gear train, but in third gear, that advantage is lost because the clutch engages directly with the planet carrier.
NIG models keep the mechanical advantage in all gears, which helps some.

wmh9680

Well my wife has riddin the bike for about 45 miles in 3 days and the hub has been quiet and purring like a kitten. Sooooo Happy. Thanks everyone. Mike