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Sturmey Archer shifter won't stay in 1st.

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Sturmey Archer shifter won't stay in 1st.

Old 09-20-18, 03:05 AM
  #1  
Wozza2014
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Sturmey Archer shifter won't stay in 1st.

Hi.

My Sturmey Archer shifter won't stay in 1st gear. I've tried altering the pin position in the thread with some cable adjustment but to no avail.

Is there anything else I can adjust?
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Old 09-20-18, 05:42 AM
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cny-bikeman
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Which model of SA hub (pics might help)? Do you mean the shift lever won't stay in the 1st position or the hub won't stay in 1st gear? What do you mean by "pin position in the thread"? We need clarity in order to assist.
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Old 09-20-18, 10:25 AM
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3 speed ? is at highest cable tension in 1st, if no cable at all, default is 3rd, High..

so cable may be slipping somewhere..
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Old 09-20-18, 10:33 AM
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Things may well have changed, but the old rule on adjusting the cable tension on 3-speeds was to place the bike in 2nd gear, then sight through the hole in the screw-on cylinder the cable runs into at the hub. When the cable is properly adjusted, the end of the rod that runs into the hub and shifts the gear should be flush with the end of the axle.

You Sturmey-Archer riders help me here. This is a 50 year old memory. Things may have changed. My memory may not be perfect. But it does sound like the OPs cable tension is not correct. (Probably the c able tension is a touch too loose and it is trying to slip into 2nd gear.)

Ben
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Old 09-20-18, 02:53 PM
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Which hub and shifter? I must have 5 different types of shifters for SA hubs on the shelf. Also: Old SA or one of the new Sun Race hubs?
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Old 09-20-18, 03:35 PM
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What you posted is correct - IF the correct rod is being used - not always the case. We used a couple alternative methods, but it does not sound to me like a simple adjustment issue. In any case we need more info.
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Old 09-20-18, 10:21 PM
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Among the other things worth trying, make sure the shift lever itself is not binding. Maybe it needs a bit of lubrication.
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Old 10-06-18, 11:14 AM
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Hello all. Sorry for the delay I have been away.

It is a 3 speed and the hub is from a Rayleigh Chiltern circa 1990. Sorry I am not sure the exact name of the hub. I have attached the photo.






This is an old photo and everything is a lot cleaner now.

I adjust it just like 79pmooney explained and it has been fine for many years and now it just won't stay in 1st for more than 10 seconds.

I have tried spraying some lube into the gear shifter and it's no better.
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Old 10-06-18, 01:49 PM
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Still not clear. Does the gear shifter (on the handlebar) not stay in position, and therefore shifts the hub to 2nd gear, or does the shifter remain in the 1st gear position but the hub shifts out of 1st gear anyway? The first problem is with the shifter, unless you have adjusted the cable far too tightly. The 2nd problem points to hub adjustment or an internal problem with the hub.
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Old 10-06-18, 02:15 PM
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Originally Posted by cny-bikeman
Does the gear shifter (on the handlebar) not stay in position, and therefore shifts the hub to 2nd gear, or does the shifter remain in the 1st gear position but the hub shifts out of 1st gear anyway? The first problem is with the shifter, unless you have adjusted the cable far too tightly.
I have a shifter that no longer reliably stays in 1st gear. I can shift into 1st, and it works fine until I hit a bump, upon which it pops up to 2nd gear. It's not too tight; if I loosen the cable enough to prevent the jumping, I no longer get 1st gear at all. It's not the hub or indicator rod, as I've tried two different hubs and the same thing happens, but they work fine in my wife's bike. I assume it's just half a century of wear & tear on the shifter. I don't feel like coughing up the $$$ for a NOS shifter or taking a chance with a used and possibly similarly worn shifter, so on bumpy roads I ride with my finger holding the shifter in 1st gear.
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Old 10-06-18, 03:47 PM
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They're about $16 new from ebay, and much easier on your trigger finger.
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Old 10-06-18, 04:39 PM
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1957, I had a friction shifter on the down tube for the AW3, I learned where 2nd was by feel, initially,
and then returning the lever to that position.. repeatedly..
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Old 10-10-18, 03:06 PM
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Originally Posted by cny-bikeman
Still not clear. Does the gear shifter (on the handlebar) not stay in position, and therefore shifts the hub to 2nd gear, or does the shifter remain in the 1st gear position but the hub shifts out of 1st gear anyway? The first problem is with the shifter, unless you have adjusted the cable far too tightly. The 2nd problem points to hub adjustment or an internal problem with the hub.
Originally Posted by JohnDThompson
I have a shifter that no longer reliably stays in 1st gear. I can shift into 1st, and it works fine until I hit a bump, upon which it pops up to 2nd gear. It's not too tight; if I loosen the cable enough to prevent the jumping, I no longer get 1st gear at all. It's not the hub or indicator rod, as I've tried two different hubs and the same thing happens, but they work fine in my wife's bike. I assume it's just half a century of wear & tear on the shifter. I don't feel like coughing up the $$$ for a NOS shifter or taking a chance with a used and possibly similarly worn shifter, so on bumpy roads I ride with my finger holding the shifter in 1st gear.
Sorry if I didn't make myself clear. I have a similar issue to John's it seems in that the gear shifter when in 1st shifts out very easily. Sometimes when I go over a bump in the road it shifts up to 2nd. Does this mean a new gear shifter?
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Old 10-11-18, 11:26 AM
  #14  
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Originally Posted by JohnDThompson
I have a shifter that no longer reliably stays in 1st gear. I can shift into 1st, and it works fine until I hit a bump, upon which it pops up to 2nd gear. It's not too tight; if I loosen the cable enough to prevent the jumping, I no longer get 1st gear at all. It's not the hub or indicator rod, as I've tried two different hubs and the same thing happens, but they work fine in my wife's bike. I assume it's just half a century of wear & tear on the shifter. I don't feel like coughing up the $$$ for a NOS shifter or taking a chance with a used and possibly similarly worn shifter, so on bumpy roads I ride with my finger holding the shifter in 1st gear.
John, thankfully you can get new shifters from Sunrace, whom, I'm sure you're aware, bought SA and all of their machines; either the original-type shifter, or thumbies, now.
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