DahonDude

Hello!

I've recently bought a secondhand Dahon Vitesse with Sturmey-Archer X-RF5 hub gears.

The gear cable was damaged when I bought it and upon replacement I don't seem to be able to select 4th gear.

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem.

I think I've done my homework before posting, and came here because this site gets the most hits for the Sturmey-Archer X-RF5 gears.

The official Sturmey-Archer adjustment method is based on eyeballing the position of the indicator rod.

Sheldon Brown has a couple of pages on Sturmey-Archer, and he more or less seems to say to just adjust it by feel. The hub is in top gear with no cable tension, the twist-grip selects lower gears by pulling the cable taut. Sheldon Brown says there should be some wiggle room at each end.

I can easily find an adjustment where all other gears can be selected, but it seems to jump 4th gear - 4th position on the twist-grip feels the same as 5th, and then I can select 3rd, 2nd and 1st just fine.

I cycled about 5 miles on the bike recently, tweaking the gear-cable using the twist-grip's adjustor, and just can't seem to get better results than that.

but I'm wondering if mine needs to be stripped down and repaired.

I can find two cycle shops in the UK which advertise Sturmey-Archer repairs, Colwood Wheel Works and Bikez Tube but neither of them are very close to me. Yet I'm reluctant to ride the bike right now, lest I cause damage to it.

I appreciate any suggestions.

forresto2

could it be the shifter?

Dan Burkhart 

Is there a 'w" at the end of the model number on the hub shell? The internals are somewhat different between the XRF5 and the XRF5 (w). I have found shifting adjustment on the w models(sliding key type) to be somewhat more finicky than the previous (ball lock type.)
Specifically, I have found that sometimes, it's necessary to tweak the adjustment slightly off the indicator alignment to get all gears to engage.
Another issue with the w models is that some of the early production units had sliding keys that were not properly hardened, and were known to mushroom with hard usage. This mushrooming can interfere with the engagement of the key with the sun gears.
This can only be determined by a complete teardown and inspection of the internal assembly.

DahonDude

I don't see how. I had the shifter apart to replace the cable, but it seems to click in the appropriate 5 spots.

I'm not sure where to look.

Where it is marked most obviously it says only XRF-5.

On the rear sprocket it says Sturmey-Archer, then a bit further round it says 1/2X1/8 then a bit further round it says 13T.

I guess I would have to remove the sprocket to see if there's any model numbers beneath that?

I can't see any numbers on the other side.

It looks like Dahon sold this model between about 2005 and 2007. I'd guess that'd make it an early model?

I've tried adjusring the cable tension half a turn, then a full turn, then two turns and back the other way. Nothing I do finds it.

I take it that, as an amateur, I shouldn't attempt the teardown? I don't really have a workshop here, or even a kitchen table.




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fietsbob

Dan the guy !
only thing I can add is; You can download PDF of Manuals from the S-A company website..

good luck..

Moe Zhoost

Have you looked at the position of the indicator rod? The colored band should be even with the end of the axle when you are in second gear. The indicator rod can be checked by removing that black plastic cable cover on the rear wheel. If the color band is not where it should be, you can adjust it fairly simply. See these instructions.

Dan Burkhart 

From your photos, and the time frame you mentioned, I'm 100% certain you have the ball lock type, not the w model.
I suggest removing the indicator and dripping some light machine oil in there. No more than an eye dropper full.
Then re install the indicator and work it in and out with the hub laying on it's left side. This will lubricate the pin and the locking balls and possibly resolve your issue.
Here is a video showing the inner workings of your hub.It may help give you confidence to go exploring.

DahonDude

I'm not sure how much an eye dropper full is - I removed the spindle and dripped a few drops of 3-in-1 oil down its length, not more than 1ml or 2ml (a teaspoon is 5ml).

I guess I didn't read your instructions properly, because initially I moved the indicator up and down without screwing it in, then screwed it back in and it was only later I realised you meant to move it up and down having installed it properly.

I left the bike on its left side overnight, operating the full travel of the gears a few times periodically, but today it's still not selecting 4th.

I'm wondering if I should try a little more oil, with the bike on its side and operating the mechanism again, or whether I need to take it to a specialist to get serviced.

Watching that video is no way enough to give me the confidence to try stripping the hub. I'd end up with a mass of cogs and springs I wouldn't know how to put back together.

(Sorry for not updating the thread - I've been a bit busy and didn't get time to try this until this week.)

geepeetee

Hi

I've just joined the forum. I have the same hub and a similar problem although comparing the ratios I am getting to what the spec says I don't have 2nd gear. I bought the hub used and have never got it right.

For info I have had a couple of other problems over the past year, they have been slipping under load in 5th gear. This was caused by one of the two sun gears worn where the ball lock mechanism locks the sun to the axle (sun gear replaced - £10). This week changing from 4th to 5th was a lower gear (like 5th was actually 3rd). I took it apart and the circlip which holds the planet cage in place had moved about 8mm. I repositioned the circlip and put hub back together but it did it again. I've ordered a new circlip which will hopefully do the trick.

Regards

Gary

dweenk

Regular 3- in - 1 is a vegetable oil and not the right oil for a hub. Motor oil would be better.

Mr IGH

Save yourself the time and effort, have a Shimano Nexus/Alfine 8 installed before you really start hating your bike. The SA 5-speed is trash, after 5-6 versions it's clear SA will never get it right....

DahonDude

Helpful suggestion, mate. I'm gonna go buy a secondhand bike for £150, then spend as much again on a new hub and having a wheel built?

Selling this one and replacing it with another secondhand bike, with a better hub, might be a possibility, but not until I've got this fixed.

edelay

Hi DahonDude.

Are you saying that with the previous damaged cabled, that the bike was able to shift into all gears including 4th?

If so, I wonder if there is a problem with the cable housing? Perhaps cleaning, lubing or even replacing it might work.

DahonDude

Not at all - sorry for the confusion.

The bike was stuck in 5th with the damaged cable, and I was unable to change gear at all.

After replacing the cable, I can select any gear except 4th.

Going to have a go at dismantling the hub this week, I think. I'm a bit apprehensive about it, but don't see that I have much of a choice.

Breitie

Hi all, I started a thread (have lost sight of it now) about a similar problem, namely not being able to get the shifting correct on a 5spd Sturmey Archer hub, no matter what I tried, and was give excellent advice by a couple of helpful members. However, none of that solved the problem until, taaa raaaa! in desperation I lay the bike on its side and dribbled a good helping of that wonderful stuff, WD40, into the axle. Would you believe it: problem solved. For the first time in more than a year my gear hub is working perfectly. Cheers!

Dan Burkhart 

Awesome. You should find that it improves with use. That has been my experience with these hubs anyway.