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As a kid 50+ years ago instead of unscrewing the large ball race with the hammer and screwdriver on the driven side to get it apart, I would chuck the fixed side hub in a vise on the two flats and use the wheel to unscrew it- quicker, easier. This was on the '50s & '60s wheels. Bought a new Raleigh Sports in '72 and by then they were pressing the fixed side in instead of threading. My sister borrowed the bike one night while wearing sandals and the hub came loose and she ripped her big toenail off when her foot hit the street. I replaced the wheel with a '56. The bean counters had begun their unrelenting quest to shift the global manufacturing paradigm from "How good can we make this" to "How cheap can we make this". They won. As someone else mentioned, the quality of steel they used on the old ones was amazing.

I use to pull these apart often back in the 70’s when i was about 13 years of age, we use to love working on our bikes, life was simple and great!

very complicated !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought I'd try it on my chopper bike, ended up hitting it with a hammer and throwing it across the garden, lost the dam springs and two stupid gears? Nightmare. Fell out with the neighbour as it hit his fence, he punched me, I smashed his green house, he kicked my cat, I put weed killer on his prize roses, he burnt my shed down and I pulled his sky dish off side of house. Solicitors letters back and forth, court hearing next week, my girlfriend is leaving me because, she's had enough, now its all out war. Thank you. Avoid at all costs.

What is really quite fascinating, and amazing, is how the 3-speed Sturmey-Archer bicycle transmission was so durable, and long lasting. There are.bicycles from the 30's, that still work as designed. An incredible piece of engineering.

The part you call the indicator pin is properly called the toggle chain. The pin you pulled is called a toggle pin. I am extremely well versed in these hubs, as I owned lots of them, and can pretty much fix them without any diagrams. You took it apart incorrectly.

I just dived back into the Raleigh - "Sturmey Archer World" after a 47 year break from cycling. Once again a demonstration video of pure perfection. I think I'm getting addicted to Raleigh bikes and the Sturmey Archer 3 speeds. I just acquired a 1978 Raleigh D-1 with lever brakes in which I'm trying to replicate a British WW1 Raleigh bicycle. I wish they used a Sturmey Archer 3 speeds, but nope, single speed as far as I can tell. A few changes to the DL1,,,,,,,, crank set, rear wheel 3 speed to single speed and a new style - old style 3 spring Brooks seat, bolt on - rifle mounts, leather tool case and cargo racks,,,,,,,,, last but not least - a paint job to khaki. Some where black, some where khaki.

I can tell that was made in England

I'm overhauling a 3 speed hub from the 70s and the little plastic dust cap on the top of the clutch spring got smashed by accident. Anyone think I can get away with reassembling it without the cap?

I went to Schwinn school in the 80's, and 3-speed hub overhaul was a major part of the curriculum. At the time I had already done both SA and Shimano hubs before on many a customer's bike, but the course was helpful to learn tips and tricks about these hubs. Not long afterwards, IG hub popularity died off for a long while, and I have not overhauled one in probably 25 years. So it is great to watch your video. I may have to dig out an old bike at the co-op and open up the hub just for the heck of it.

51 years ago my mum and dad bought me my dream chopper bike for xmas and it was the best present i have ever been given. If i knew then what I know today after watching this absolutely fascinating intricate video, I would of seen with my X-ray eyes that there was pure beauty in the developers eyes.

Old school is 'best school' no matter how old you are. If you ride a bicycle for pleasure on a warm spring day you are still a kid at heart. No matter how old your body gets.

What a great design , still-used and virtually unchanged or bettered in decades . Thanks, very helpful

Hi ... from Australia ,, I started work at Raleigh bicycles ,Faraday Road ,Nottingham in 1959 in the Sturmey Archer section,I remember spending all day grinding 'burrs' of tiny machined washer parts and threading the chain attachment ,,,all day every day ... Thanks for the video now I know where they fitted in the assembly..

Worked as a bike mechanic from 74'-78'. Did several Sturmey Archers and another type which was popular at the time (push-pin design). Out of all the repairs I did to bicycles, this was by far the hardest repair. Many SA's would get broken chains and you could not get the pin out without opening up the hub. Big Hint - count the bearings when they come out. If you miss a single bearing you will not be able to adjust the hub.

Great video; thanks for sparing me the anguish of staring at a table full of parts I would never have know how to put back together. I rebuilt my mother in laws childhood bike after her brother dismantled it 20 years ago... she is thrilled.

Great video. My 1968 Raleigh Sports 3 speed was in rough shape after being stolen in Vermont. The local constable found it a year later in the woods on the side of the road. After getting it back to working condition I noticed low gear was slipping. It would engage sometimes but mostly not. With the help of your video I took it apart. I found both low gear pawl springs completely gone and ground up inside. I also found all of the bearings and the 2 cones were pitted. After replacing all that and putting it back together it is running fine again. With a working low gear now!

Hi there. I just wanted to say thank-you for this great video explaining the three speed hub. I have never tackled one before and your video was just what I needed.

A customer brought me one yesterday, from a bike that was in a scrap yard. It didnt rotate at all, I had a spare one, belive I had one how did I get a spare from a scrap bike too!. And I sold him the one that I had which worked perfectly, I stayed with his non working one to see if I can fix it. Great vid.