bicynical

Brand new Sturmey Archer SRF3 hub is occasionally making a crunching sound in first gear and slipping. Second and third gear are fine. It usually happens on second or third pedal stroke after changing to first gear or after a period of freewheeling in first gear. I've adjusted the indicator and checked the right cone as per the instructions. What else can I do before returning it? I've contacted Sturmey Archer service but they offer no help, just advise return but that means dismantling wheel and wasting time and money. Am I better to return it and buy a Shimano Nexus instead? The Sturmey Archer build quality and service does appear to be very poor.

Kovkov

Return it and buy a sturmey archer aw. Preferably one from the 50ies.

bicynical

Thanks for the suggestion but I bought the SRF3 hub to replace an AW hub because the AW hubs have a very dangerous neutral position between second and third gear. My only other options are an old Sachs hub or new Shimano Nexus but ideally I'd like to figure out why this hub is malfunctioning.

funbuffalo24

shift cable out of adjustment, maybe? one of the pawls might not be engaging/disengaging enough because of it?

Kovkov

When adjusted correctly that‘s not an issue.

I have 6 different aw’s (1956-1977) in regular use and never had any of them slip into that position.

79pmooney

+1 My dad told me how to adjust the AW when I was 10. A long time ago. He rode that hub in the Depression using that adjustment without issue. Set it, check it every so often and ride without worry.

fietsbob

RTFM? https://www.sturmey-archerheritage.co.../view-1145.pdf

bicynical

OK, well, I have returned the hub. On this occasion Sturmey Archer customer service has been unsatisfactory and their hub not fit for purpose. The bicycle, being an old Raleigh, doesn't suit the old Sachs hub I've since fitted but it is a much better hub with no crunching and no slipping in to neutral.

bicynical

It did sound like the pawls were slipping but no amount of adjusting resolved it. Perhaps I was just unlucky this time. I have an XRD3 hub from new in 2013 which has not had this problem but the mechanisms are different. The XRD3 appears to be a better hub. Perhaps Sturmey Archer assume the SRF3 will have a lower expectation. Very disappointing...

Dan Burkhart 

The mechanism in the X-RD3 and the S-RF3 are the same. The difference is the former is a drum brake model.
You may indeed have a defective unit, but I can tell you from my own experience, this is rare, to the extent that I have never seen a defective one, and I have sold and installed quite a few as well as having an S-RF3 in one of my own bikes for many years.
I have had failures in other Sturmey Archer hubs, notably 5 or 8 speeds, and on both occasions, SA sent me a new set of internals.

bicynical

I no longer have the SRF3 to compare and never had them apart side by aide. I thought, as is the case with the AW and AB/AG hubs that the AW mechanism is longer and therefore wouldn't fit in to the AB/AG shell. Exactly why I don't know. I'm more rider, less mechanic. In any event, the hub slipped and crunched and Sturmey Archer did not offer to replace the mechanism, only for me to dismantle the wheel and return the hub to the retailer which I have done. Perhaps, as I said, I've just been unlucky. It is nonetheless my experience and Sturmey Archer customer service is not something I want to experience again. I note also that many of the Dutch bicycle companies have migrated from Sachs to Shimano Nexus equipment.

JaccoW

That's mostly because English Sturmey Archer was putting out crap by the 80's/90's and after they switched they never looked back. They still offer the 3-speed SA models on some bikes but Shimano just took over the market with them being so much bigger.

Current day Taiwan Sturmey Archer does seem to make high quality gear again and while you might have had a faulty model, a repairable issue or just old faulty stock doesn't matter.

bicynical

I was thinking about this today; since the SRF3 mechanism will not fit the XRD3 shell, the XRD3 mechanism must be different. As was the case with the AW and AB/AG shells and mechanisms.

bicynical

Why did Sram stop producing the torpedo hubs? Did they think people would migrate to dérailleur bikes even in town?

Dan Burkhart 

The axle is different to accommodate the drum brake but the mechanism is the same in every way otherwise.
https://www.sturmey-archer.com/files/...0AW%20SRF3.pdf
https://www.sturmey-archer.com/files/...0-%20X-RD3.pdf

bicynical

Dan, thank you. The axles are or can be the same part, for example HSA-440. The difference is the planet cage which is shorter in the XRD3. Interesting. Thank you!