Murray Missile 

Need an HSH 490 brake shoe set for a Sturmey Archer SCR3 IGH hub, haven't had any luck on the usual online sources. The brakes are pretty much non-functional, this is on a 2010 Schwinn Town & Country adult trike and fortunately the front V-brake works fairly well but I'm going to upgrade the front pads. I've read that weak brakes were a common complaint on early versions if this hub that used a band brake, the later ones use a shoe setup which is a direct replacement for the band and the shoes work "better". Anyone have any ideas where I could get a set of shoes?

dsbrantjr

A search on "sturmey-archer brake shoes" comes up with this as the first hit: https://www.dutchbikebits.com/sturme...hub-brake-pads

The page also states: Sturmey Archer hub brakes are extremely reliable and long lasting. It takes a lot of time to wear out the brake pads, so first check that the brakes are set-up correctly. https://blog.dutchbikebits.com/2010/1...fficiency.html

Dan Burkhart 

The best source for Sturmey Archer parts https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/sturmey-archer/

Murray Missile 

Thanks, unfortunately they don't have it either. Fortunately I bought the trike super cheap and it's in excellent condition except for the weak rear brake. Since the wife has expressed interest in it I may just buy a new TS-RC5 5 speed trike hub kit for it, it's a straight swap for mine and would have the upgraded brakes.

Gresp15C

I've found that parts become hard to find if it's not an AW hub. I hope you find what you need! Sometimes you luck out on eBay.

Murray Missile 

Yes, those sets are all over the place, unfortunately those aren't the right brakes for my hub, not even close. Despite their advertising claims this particular hub seems to be known for having less than stellar brakes. I searched the Sturmey-Archer (SunRace) site to see if the hubs that use the brakes in the link were available for trikes as the brakes appear to be quite a bit larger than the TS-RC series but it I can't find where they have ever been offered in the trike configuration. I have half talked myself out of the rear hub swap to a 5 speed, I don't think it would ever see enough usage to justify the expense. Since the front brakes are 80% of the braking force I'll focus on upgrading the front V-brake pads for now and keep checking for the brake shoes for the TS-RC3 hub.

Hoopdriver

Cycle Babac in Montreal show them on their website. It may be that your LBS could special order from QBP or another retailer. Also, you could email the Info@sunraceusa.comfor alternate vendors. The SCR3 is a coaster brake hub and in my experience you will never achieve more than barely adequate braking from them, especially on something as heavy as a trike. It may be that this "shoe" replacement will result in some improvement, but I wonder if you would be satisfied. Not many other cost effective options for rear brakes on these trikes.

Good luck. I hope you can resolve this

Dan Burkhart 

I have a dealer account with Babac, and that part shows out of stock. Babac has been getting more and more useless as a source for SA parts as has my other North American source, United Bicycle supply. United has not restocked any SA parts in years. I think both these suppliers are emptying their warehouses.
To the OP. I can call Babac tomorrow and see if they have any on order. They sell only to dealers, so you cannot buy direct.

Murray Missile 

It's official, my wife has staked her claim on it.

Yeah, I'm not expecting much but any improvement would be good. Fortunately my wife's other bikes all have hand brakes and she's used to relying on the front more than the rear.
If it's not too much trouble that would be great. I got this cheap enough that even if I had known getting brake parts for the hub was going to be difficult I still would have bought it.

tcs

My, the SCR3 is a rare model, isn't it? Or perhaps the inquiry concerns an S-RC3? If so, buy a new one and swap out the internals. That's what one would do if it were a Shimano IGH and nobody would think there was an issue.

Murray Missile 

Well, as they say "Dyslexia fun can be"........ plus, I never could keep that whole "C before R except after S" thing straight.

Actually it is a (T)S-RC3 for a trike so if I bought a new one I wouldn't have to swap out the internals, I'd just pull the old one out and drop the new one in but for just a bit more I could upgrade it to a (T)S-RC5, also a straight swap out. Not sure why anybody would think this was an issue, you lost me on that one.

TS-RC5

If it turns out she's going to use it a lot I may do just that. Right now it's just a novelty, I was going to flip it but her Grandmother had a trike when she spent her Summers on their farm and she rode it a lot, as soon as I brought it home she laid claim to it. It's not often she so enthusiastically approves of one of my bicycle, or in this case tricycle, acquisitions.

Dan Burkhart 

I just spoke with the folks at Babac. They said they are expecting a Sturmey Archer shipment at the end of September, but they never know till it gets there what has been shipped and what has been back ordered.

Murray Missile 

Thank you, I'm hoping the rear brake works better for my wife. She's 100 lbs. lighter than me so it should.