I have this tool, and to be honest, in my experience it isn't any more effective than using a hammer and punch.

I had a noisy scraping hub at some parts of the rotation and couldn't tighten the cones without it making noise until I removed the dust cap and cleaned it. There was quite a bit of buildup under there. Put it back on and it has been nice and quiet ever since with properly adjusted cones.

I have one too, and I agree with you assessment. One of my customers gave it to me. I'm glad I didn't shell out for it.

I'll check this out the next time I have an opportunity to take a good look at it. I don't feel like this would explain the fact that the scraping-while-pedaling part only comes up in the direct drive gear, though. I've been trying to think through what parts only move when pedaling, and I'm having some difficulty visualizing it.

picked up a 74 sports ..http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=421541http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=421542http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=421543http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=421544

My '69 DL1 makes a scraping noise when coasting. There are scuff marks inside the hub shell where it looks like the gear ring is dragging very lightly on one spot.

I popped it open again tonight...didn't see any real wear spots inside the hub shell, but I gave it a bit more thorough of a cleaning than I've done with this hub so far. Interesting note: the '71 hub had no dustcover behind the cog, which I hadn't noticed before...the '63 did. I ended up moving the dustcover to the '71, so we'll see if that does anything. I also noticed a fair amount of dirt and other particulate on various internal surfaces, including the bearings and planet cage, so I gave those a good wipe down as well. Reassembled and re-lubed it all, but haven't had a chance to test ride yet. Hopefully the ride to work in the morning goes well!

Also noticed a little bit of wear on the clutch...nothing really bad, and I haven't had too many clutch related problems, but I swapped it for the '63 hub's clutch since that looked to be in slightly better shape. How much wear is ok before it needs to be replaced?

You guys made me feel guilty about leaving off the dust cover so I did some cleaning and adjusting last night; cover back on, hub clean, no unusual noises so I am happy. Decided to true the back wheel as well since it had a small warp to it.

As to the clutch, I am not an expert but it simply slides to engage and disengage the pawls so I doubt there is much there to wear out or worry about.

@markk900, no, the clutch is a wear item. It can require replacement from wear, but I'm not an expert on when. I'd say when it causes a problem.

I did some reading last night, and it looks like clutch only sees any significant wear from high gear, which I'm not using super often and haven't had too many problems with. I'll leave it for now and wait until it causes a problem.

The AW is known as being pretty reliable. If your hub acts anything different from the usual descriptions under normal use, you have your answer.

Very interesting...after last night's cleaning and re-lubing, it started off fine, then started scraping again after a mile or so of riding. This is pretty much in line with what it's been doing, which makes me think there's some kind of heat expansion going on somewhere...although this morning is the coldest it's been so far this season.

What was the smallest size frame these 3-speeds came in? I have a 19" Sports ladies frame but it's too big for my 5'0" wife.

Had to go re-visualize it and of course you are right Tom....the clutch transfers the power from the driver so it would be exposed to wear....:backpedal:

I had a minor epiphany upon leaving work this evening, and I think I know what's wrong. Not gonna post my theory until I've tested it (so probably tomorrow morning), but I'm gonna be pretty embarrassed if it's what I think it is.

Raleigh Colt came in 18" frames, such as this one on eBay.

Yeeeaaaaahhhh...I'm a little embarrassed here. Basically, my scraping sound was a product of not having the left side bearing adjusted properly. I was having difficulty fitting the cone wrench between the hub and the spacer washer, and then not getting the lock nut to jam against it tightly enough. As a result, it would feel fine for a little while, and eventually slip out of adjustment and start rubbing...I'm not 100% sure what exact parts were rubbing against each other, but after fighting with the adjustment for a while last night, I had a much smoother ride to and from work, with no scraping in ~18 miles' worth of riding in the rain, along with the bike sitting out in it all day.

@agmetal, that's good to know.

The clutch probably wears faster than anything else but even then you are looking at a long service interval or after subjecting the hub to great deals of abuse and neglect... if you pull apart an AW for servicing and have replacement clutches then it is not a bad idea to replace it since they are not expensive.

I guess I'm missing something here. The AW's have clutches? I thought they were all-gear.

Well put. The pawls and pawl springs, on the other hand, are a tougher call, since they're tricky to replace.
It's not a clutch like a car clutch which you slip in gradually. This one is in or out. But shifting under load will wear it out, especially if the load is high.

I've had more problems with axle keys failing than clutches wearing.

AW clutch

http://i541.photobucket.com/albums/g...3/S-A_AW-1.jpg

I have dealt with a few broken axle keys too but this is not really a wear issue.

The Space Rider, which has a 16" frame and 24" wheels, may work for a shorter rider. It might be too small, but there are some petite women who ride them. There's a picture of my daughter with one somewhere in this thread...
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-b...0/DSCN1412.JPG

Thanks for the clarification. Yeah, I was picturing a wet clutch that is a "consumable" part.

My wife is a bit over 5' and rides the Colt just fine, I have looked for a Space Rider but haven't had any luck sourcing one. Her beach cruiser has 24" wheels on it, but she does fine on the Colts. She has two Colts now and a Twenty.

Aaron :)

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8089/...e218e71c_c.jpg
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2849/...f959177a_c.jpg
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2825/...7f69d3e9_c.jpg

My wife and I also have a set of green 20's... can you imagine the double date ?

:D

We definitely would stand out... would that be a herd or a gaggle? :P

Aaron :)

I believe a group of 20's is called a clutch.