I've recently decided to take more of an interest in DIY bicycle maintenance and repair. I've bought a bicycle made in England in 1985 with a Sturmey Archer 3 speed internal hub. The bicycle had been standing for months untouched in the local bike shop. The first gear worked fine but was having difficulty selecting second gear. I followed the advice you gave about adjusting the gear indicator chain and was then able to find all three gears. What a sense of achievement! Thanks for sharing your knowledge in such a clear way.

Very good and clear, no annoying background music. Great thank you.

This worked really well. My newly purchased 1979 Raleigh Traveller was constantly jumping out of 1st gear. Very frustrating when riding uphill!! I followed your instructions to a tee and wow.... It now works perfectly. No more jumping out of gear and the changes are a lot more smooth and positive. Thank you!

Thanks so much! I went into this overwhelmed and after 15 minutes I fixed both my 3-speed raleighs. You're the best!

Just wanted to add to the thanks for this. I recently bought and restored a 40 year old Hercules Folda, and had left the gear set up and brakes to a bike shop to sort (SA gears were completely new to me, so wanted it looked at by someone with a bit more knowledge). The gears weren’t working, the shop had made temporary fixes that wouldn’t last (having said the problems I was having were just fixable by finely turning the adjuster), and the gears were constantly slipping even on a flat - and all manner of turns on the adjuster weren’t sorting it. Lo and behold, when I went through the video, the indicator chain was way further in than it needed to be. With the simple adjustment you clearly explained, the gears now work perfectly!

Masterful video. This put me on the road to aligning my sturmy archer for years. It used to be a hear I hate. Now I love it. Thanks 💪

Both videos guided me in fixing my neighbors neglected shifting mechanism. After soaking the sturmey/archer hub with penetrating oil, the unit worked very well. thanks

THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST CLEAR AND SIMPLE HOW TO VIDEO AND IT WORKS Thank you

A simple video with a lot of helpful information,i watched your video and got my gears working perfectly on my 1975 raleigh Chopper,thank you 😀

Great video. In this way you help these classic jewels to survive. Thanks !

1980 Raleigh Connoisseur now working smoothly - thank you.

Awesome… I have to replace the tube in the rear tire..put it back together and didn’t know how to do this part..excellent,simple instructions… I did it!

Excellent and very informative, always good to know as they can be a right pain!

Straightforward and accurate information,thanks.

Excellent little video, thanks very much

Wow, this is great!!!!! Thank you so much. I love these old bike, did a few videos myself, but really wish I would have had this knowledge before 😂

Thanks! Knock on wood, I think I've got it. I finally seem to have all three gears on my 1975 Robin Hood. Wish me luck!

what seems hard is made easy when you show it. thanks!

Great vid, thanks. My BSA is running properly now👌

Great video, super helpful!

Very helpful thank you 😁

Thanks so much, this was a great help.

Great thx for sharing.

This is really helpful thank you

Love the bike colour and thanks for the video because the gears on my "Charge Steamer" bike is slipping..

thank you for your help

All good stuff, vintage Raleigh bicycles built to last.

I'm trying to figure out which spindle to buy. The hub has no markings. When the spindle is fully in can you see the tip of it? I've measured the length from the end of the axle to what it screws into inside the hub with a biro refill and it's 68mm, so should I get an indicator with a 68mm long spindle? Thanks.

Thanks! Life-saver. Or, at least, bike-saver ;)

Super. Thank you.

Cheers! Checking my 1980 Gazelle dutch bike now!

Thank you sir. Will do tomorrow.

Cool! Thanks

Nice Bike

I have a newer SA hub - SRF3 - with a dorky plastic cover that attaches to the chainstay and covers the shift chain. Am I asking for trouble from water/debris running without? Asking because all the older ones I've seen have no cover.

Hey Willy! As I’m watching this, I’m wondering if this will solve the issue of my 1st gear being too “hard.” It’s not slipping gears anymore since I took it to the shop, but now 1st gear seems no different from 2nd.

Hello, Willy! This seems the most straightforward explanation I've found. Do you think this sequence of adjustments would address a "skipping" gear--where gears 3 and 1 are functional, but no. 2 slips? Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge! We have three vintage Raleighs in the family, and can't get enough of 'em! Cheers!

Goode. Nice👍🚴😍

Having a problem with my 3rd gear slipping out of gear any ideas of why this could be happening?

My cable seems to be too slack in 3rd gear. Is that normal?

Boa noite!!estou precisando das porcas que aperta eixo no quadro!!vc tem???

I changed the tires on my mother's very old three wheeler with what looks like a Sturmy Archer three speed hub. The small chain with shaft that goes into the hub came out in the process. I don't know how to reconnect it. Please advise. It has a threaded end of the shaft that is tapered. I can send you a picture if you need to see it.

I know it's been a few years but thanks for posting this vedieo in my years of working on bikes I haven't had hub gear bike before and last Christmas I got a 1949 raeligh sports been struggling to set up gears for a while all sorted now thanks to your vedieo is it the same set up for 5 speed as I also have a 1932 Coventry eagle

Thanks

Thank you. What about the other end, i.e. the shift controller?

Willy, I have a question for you. I'm in California and I had my rear wheel stolen from my Raleigh Sports lady's bike. Where can I find good replacement parts for a reasonable price? Any tips? Thank you, I love evertything you do!! Thanks for sharing!!

Easily sad than done .thanks

Como e onde posso está adquirindo um cubo desse.

Just curious. Why would you loosen the axle nut to do this adjustment? The shifter cable is under tension when you make the adjustment so it seems to me that it would not only pull the back wheel to one side but also throw the shifter adjustment off when you retighten the nut. I've always done this adjustment with everything in position and tightened down. I assume you loosened the nut to clearly show the correct positioning of the shifter pin.

Made in England 86-10, 3 speed 53c coaster brake. I think I have it shifting pretty good but this winter I am thinking about tearing into it and cleaning everything and seeing if I need to replace any parts. Thanks, Mike

Luv the videos Man, I just replaced my old rotting tires on my Sears Free Spirit project and the chain spindle fell out when I was reassembling. When you screw it back in how far/# of turns do you screw it in. Before I was having trouble getting 1st to stay on and know that is good but it can't seem to find 2nd gear, it tries but can't seem to grab it. Could I need a new cable (stretched)? Also what other parts should I think about replacing if necc? Thanks again, Mike

Thanks 👍👌

Thanks i was fukkin with the adjustment, will try this tomorrow hope gear stays in position now.

Hi Willy, thanks for very useful video, getting the gears to work properly used to be so frustrating before I watched your video. By the way, I love the green colour of this bike, do you , by any chance know the colour code of that colour please? Thanks & kind regards from Ram Bristol U.K.

Great video, I recently acquired a 1985 Sears Free Spirit 26” ladies bike that has been sitting for 20 years. The tires are rotting (37-590s) and it has the Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub and a lot of rust. I filled the hub with wd40 and let it sit for 12 hours and tried shifting the gears. They worked sporadically. WD 40 was coming out the other side of the hub. I inflated the tires as much as I could without blowing them and road it a little. It started shifting more and more but I needed to hold the sifter to keep it in 1st and when shifting it seemed like I needed to back pedal just a little to shift but so far I’m happy and excited. Now I need to find some tires, any idea where to find them? Next, I will try to adjust the shifter. There is not a clamp on the frame to hold tension on the cable, is that a problem? Thanks, Mike

I've read about two ways to check this, you used the factory method. I've read that it relies on all the parts being perfectly aligned and the correct length. I've also read that when I'm first gear you should have made a mm or two of play in the shift rod and when in 3 rd you should have slack in the chain. Have you checked or tried the second method ?

Hi Willy, The adjusting nut on the end of my chain does not turn to lock the setting after adjusting, any ideas on how to fix. This video is how I learned. It really helps if you have taken a hub apart to understand why and how. Thanks, Mike

Is the indicator chain spring loaded inside the hub? Mine pulls back in. And my shift lever is loose and doesn't click into each position.

I am fixing a bike for a friend of mine and the adjustment chain doesn't pull out, nor retract, from inside of the hub. Can you tell me what's wrong with the hub? Thank you!

Hi Mr Dahm, I am having difficulties with mine, It skip 2nd gear and the wheel goes completly free, no traction. I've made the adjustments and still no sucess. Can you help me please?

Some people report flaw on this particular model, sometimes it shifts in neutral between 2nd and third gear. How to avoid that problem ?

My issue is that i can't lock it on 2nd gear, but still a good explanation

Bremen ❤

Do you have any videos on how to find serial number on Hercules bike? 1950s - 1964

How to change the little chain that moves the gears?

I just bought a cycle with these type gears can I ask do i just stop peddling before changing gears

My friend do you have a for sell?

cuanto bale uno

Hi, how do we adjust if the 1st gear doesnt "click", I turned it to 1st gear, but it would back to gear 2nd immedietly From your video I watched that you started it to the 2nd gear then adjusted it, so does it mean I have to put it in the 1st gear to start it with? (If my problem is the 1st gear doesnt work properly)

Your bicycle looks like mint, you must not live near the ocean :

I want speed adjustment

Nice accent. Where is that from?

kermit

Oh she's tight alright

the unstable video moving shot was really annoying....the part after you explaining the teory, shifting the gear, and rotating the pedal, why didnt you took your bike on permanent standing and lock into it?

Thanks