Really_bigair

SRAM has recalled their I-Motion 3 Internal Geared Hub with coaster brakes due to multiple reports of brake failure. Break failure on a coaster brake bike is a big issue, as there is only one brake and no redundancy.

Anyone done a SRAM Recall Replacement yet?

I have a Masi Soulville 3 that I enjoy as my general purpose cruiser. I would like to take up SRAM on their recall program, but I'm not sure what other hub I can use in place of the SRAM I-Motion 3. The recall will pay me the "bluebook" value of my bike, for SRAM to fund a replacement at a bike shop. According to the on-line bicycle blubook page for my bike, bluebook value looks like about $125 (which is ridiculously low IMHO). I can't think of any way to replace the I-Motion 3 with another IGH for $125.

If possible, I would like to stick with a 3 speed IGH coaster brake unit and it would be great if I could re-use the SRAM twist shifter so I don't have to remove/destroy the expensive Rivendell cork grips I'm using.

Does anyone know if a Sturmey Archer unit is compatible with the SRAM 3 Speed Twist Shifter?

I would appreciate any guidance/comments/suggestions anyone has on the subject of replacing the SRAM I-Motion 3 Coaster Brake IGH with another manufacturers product.

Thanks, and Keep On Spinning......

ClydeClydeson

Trying to keep the grips intact while kludging together a solution to prevent brake failure does not sound like a wise decision.

THe least disruptive solution I can think of is to add a front caliper brake, but you would have to remove one grip to add a brake lever on one side.

It is possible that SA or SHimano 3 speed hubs will work with the Sram shifter, but I don't know for sure. My theory used to be that any 3 speed shifter will work with any three seed hub as long as you get the middle gear of the hub lined up with gear 2 on the shifter. I used to use a front gripshift from a 3x7 pair to operate a SA AW 3 seed hub - it worked but I think the spacing caused gears 1 and/or 3 to have excess drag (can't remember details as this was 15 years ago and the bike got stolen).

Really_bigair

Clyde,

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I don't think I can just add a front brake as you suggested. That was also my first thought. However, my Ritchey Girder rims don't appear to be rim brake compatible. They do not have a machined braking surface. The sidewall of the rim is flat, but it is not machined. The entire rim is the same color of finish. If the rim is rim brake compatible, I could go that route if I don't find a better solution.

BTW, I have no issue with destroying the $32 Rivendell cork grips if necessary to add a different shifter and maybe a brake lever. However, if the SRAM shifter would work with another brand of IGH, that would be optimal and the easiest and least expensive option.

fietsbob

SRAM Killed off all IGH Mfg. .... Sturmey Archer remains..
....you will discover this by trying it.
...

Daniant

Did you ever find a suitable replacement hub? I find myself in the same predicament. All I can find are references to SA and Shimano. Did SRAM give you any money towards a new hub?

Really_bigair

Daniant,

I did not pursue a replacement yet. Due to the COVID inspired bike store crunch last summer, I was not going to be able to get the work done in anything close to a timely manner. Figured I would wait until the crush was over. I need to take a look at it again.

My Masi Soulville 3 is a pretty cool cruiser. It's worth a bit of extra money to get a really cool shifting/braking option. Might look into a 7/8/11 speed option, and possibly rim brakes. Might just get a whole new set of wheels built around a new IGH.

Good luck to you. You could look for options from Shimano or Sturmey-Archer.

Daniant

Thanks. A friend who paased due to COVID left me his Raleigh PUB Cruiser. Originally a single-speed cruiser, he must've added the SRAM hub. It's really a cool bike. The wheels are pained, so I don't think adding hand brakes are a valid option. In addition to the coaster brake occasionally failing, the gears slip, too. Upon reading, it seems that the grease in the internal hub could be the cause of the problem. I wonder if there was a way to replace it? Anyway, thanks for your reply.

tcs

No, you don't want to use a SRAM i3 shifter for a Sturmey AW-family hub:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/cribshe...able-pull.html

Note: Unlike Shimano Internal Gear Hubs, aftermarket Sturmey-Archer hubs come with the correct shifter, the cable, the sprocket and all the fittings you need in the box.

So yeah, anyone replacing a SRAM i3 coaster brake hub will also need a brake. Sturmey-Archer and Shimano both offer 3-speed IGHs with coaster brakes. Swapping to one of these will involve rebuilding the rear wheel. Shimano also offers 3-speed hubs that will fit something they call a 'roller brake' that is operated by hand lever. Sturmey-Archer continues to offer, as they have since the 1930s, both gear hub and front hubs that incorporate drum brakes operated by hand levers.

tcs

Start on about page 36:

https://cdn.sram.com/sites/default/f...glish-reva.pdf

SRAM stopped production on these hubs in February, 2017. No support or spare parts are available from SRAM. Nice manual, though!

Daniant

Thanks for the manual. Has anyone successfully cleaned & used something OTHER THAN the "special" SRAM lubricants to fix the slippage problems?

tcs

Yeah, I've cleaned and relubed a couple of i3s, but not the coaster brake model.

Now, to start with, anytime on the forums someone mentions "lubrication" and "IGH" together, twenty posters will pop up with recommendations to use anything other than what the factory specifies. Someone will post they've ridden 281,714 miles using nothing but lard. Okay, sure, whatever, but in this instance the factory special lubricant is neither well described or available. "SRAM gear and coaster brake grease 0369 135 200" must have been a light grease for the gears & internal shifting parts and had some modest high temperature rating for the brake actuation.

Unlike SRAM and Shimano, Sturmey-Archer does offer a commercial description and equivalent of their IGH factory lubricants. As these hubs are made of the same materials and used the same way under the same conditions, I'd follow their recommendations and use an NLGI #00 grease with a temperature rating of 200ºC on the mechanism and brake and a heavier grease on the axle ball bearings.




SRAM instruction for using a drop of oil here and there during reassembly is a good idea, but the SRAM iMotion 3 does not have the nice labyrinth seals of the Sturmey Archer and I would resist exclusively using oil lubrication - it will run out in short order and make a mess.

This is "Motor Oil" NOT "Multipurpose Oil".

Troul 

If it were me, I'd use automatic transmission assembly lube.

Filtran 801206 Transmission Assembly Luben(Transjel) ALL 51-18