How To Overhaul/Clean/Lube Sturmey-Archer 3 Speed Hub - AW type
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.พ. 2014
- I disassemble, clean, degrease, replace bearings, lubricate and re-assemble a 3 speed Sturmey Archer AW type bike hub. A basic teardown/rebuild. This hub is date stamped 74 (1974). Sturmey Archer hubs vary over time, but the basic procedures are the same. These made in England hubs are really cool. These hubs are often found on Raleigh or other English bikes. This particular hub was from a Huffy. My Raleigh Tourist has an almost identical hub.
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Hi. I’ve got a problem with my Sturmey archer 3 speed hub on my raleigh. It doesn’t engage idle when pedaling or just when I walk bike pedals keep spining. When cycling I can feel force transmitted to pedals when I’m not pedalling. Is there a simple fix to it?
I did this solo about 35 years ago and I literally had to draw an exploded view of every single part with every hole and notch and spring etc because there was no way it was going back together otherwise! This time - with the very SAME hub, mind you - I can just pull up this video and throw all the pieces together into a can of degreaser. Thank you RJ.
I'm a good bike mechanic, but this video absolutely saved me on this job. I typically work on modern race bikes, but this walked me right through the sturmey job. thank you so much!!
Najlepszy tutorial. Nawet laik dałby radę 🙂 Thank you. Greetings from Poland!
Whenever working on a sturmey 3 speed i marvel at the engineering that went into all these intricate parts and assembly, and all just for a bicycle hub
Some years ago, I did a Level 2 EAL cycle maintenance course - that's a UK intermediate pro-level vocational qualification. My crowning achievement on the course was a complete rebuild of a Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub just like this. I was both amazed and delighted when it worked just fine after my rebuild, but I'm not in a hurry to do that job again - it's definitely not for the faint of heart. Watch out for those teeny pawl springs - they are incredibly easy to lose and the hub won't work at all without them!
Imagine who build it
I have some vintage toys that need maintenance and occasional repairs, things such as jukeboxes, Schwinn Stingrays, mini-bikes and at least one old car at all times. I'm constantly tinkering or fixing one thing or another, I've never tried taking a 3 speed hub apart. Eventually, I'd like to learn. In the meantime I think I might be paying someone to do this, watching you do this is impressive. You have some serious skills, thanks for posting this..👍
The sequencing as always was perfectly addressed. You've succeeded in making a relatively complex assembly very straightforward and due to the parceling out of the sub-assemblies brought this project into one quite approachable and simple to compartmentalize procedure-wise. The camera work was excellent as always and no aspect of the disassembly, or re-assembly was ever obscured, or compromised as to clarity. Especially valuable to the novice is your attention to various parts' orientation and the importance of cleaning the components thoroughly. This is one for the permanent library and I commend your dedication and principled mechanical discipline that always makes your videos a genuinely entertaining and informative experience. Thanks on behalf of cyclists and mechanics everywhere. Mike Kirwan - Kenmore WA.
Thanks much for this RJ, I'm rebuilding an old Phillips 3 speed that a relative had as a lawn ornament. The hub is a Sturmey Archer AW numbered '67-11' and has a pretty rusty planetary gear assembly. One of the springs on the pawl has lost it's 'bounce' but since they're hard to get (or make) it'll be alright with some TLC. I've always wanted to know exactly how these hubs work and it's a pleasure to disassemble, clean and reassemble to get it working as if new. Your video of the process is perfect, and the audio is great! You must be quite adept at audio/video work! Thanks very much.
I think you have done an excellent here. I'm a 75 YO retired tool maker and have been messing with AW hubs for many years now.YOU GUYS ROCK.
Another excellent RJ video. I’ve taken apart, cleaned and rebuilt several of these SA hubs now, I always come back to this video to refresh my memory. The design of these gears is nearly 100 years old, it’s extraordinary that the design is still being used on Brompton bikes, all be it with a few tweaks and cheaper materials.
Not serviced one of these in 30 years, it brings back memories...
I've cleaned all the parts, ready to put everything back together, so excited, really fun to do! Sturmey should put your video on the Heritage website, so clear in your explanations.
One of the best guide videos I've ever seen. Completely walked me through the process from start to finish. Hub is back together and working great.
Thank you Bike Guy! I could realise the dissassembling,cleaning, oiling and reassembling of my gear. Your very practical video helped me a lot.
Without it I would not have dared to do the job.
Also great tips by the adjusting of the indicator pen. Much obliged. Thanks.
29 people haven't realized that derraileurs suck.
Thanks for the video!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, RJ! My husband's grandfather's bike was given to us and had a flat rear tire. I wanted to change the rear tube myself and your videos are such a big help, that I may get some more supplies and overhaul it while I'm at it.
Man, I watched with huge trepidation when you were taking out the springs. Impressed with how easily you got them back in without bending them or losing them or putting them in backwards.
As always, your video is clear. I just got a Raleigh Sport at a tag sale and am all set to go at the hub. Thanks.
thanks for the video, your message is crystal clear. I just completed the overhaul and now it works, before it didn't engage any of the gears.
Thanks again
This video was so helpful - thanks for posting! I was so intimidated with my pan of parts but you made it very simple as to where everything should go and how everything should be lubed.
I just inherited a vintage Raleigh Colt with a 3 speed Sturmey Archer hub. This video was a tremendous help! Thank you!
Thank you. Have one of the last "Made in England" AWC here. Your video helped me a lot.
Excellent video, well explained, the mystery of how these gears work is now revealed. Thank you RJ The Bike Guy.
Having watched this video several times I took the plunge and did my first 3-speed overhaul on a 1970 Sturmey Archer. The video made it easy. I was amazed how the oil and grease had become solid and glued parts together. Thanks for all your help.
I'mm helping my daughter rebuild a 1973 Raleigh Sport and this was extremely helpful. Thanks!!
Really nicely explained and filmed. Well done! Thank so much for taking the time to do this properly
I performed the maintenance on my hub step-by-step with your video and it worked wonderfully thank you very much
I just finished a strip / clean / rebuild of a Strumey-Archer 3 speed hub from an late 60s / early 70s Raleigh Twenty which I'm hoping to fully restore. Thank you so much for this video!, these things are bomb-proof and fit together like lego (but with no instructions) With the help of your video I was able to do a job that should have been far beyond me!
Fantastic video! Thank you! I learn things so much better by watching stuff like this. Excellent detail and info for someone that previously had no concept of how this would be done. Much appreciated!
Excellent video.
I've been riding these hubs all my life but I'm only now getting to grips with how they actually work!
Great video. It's given me the confidence to look into the hub on my Moulton restoration project. Thanks
I must have watched this at least three times.
Just gotta say thank you 🙏 I am now competent at these, and it's down to you 🤝
Fantastic. You explain the procedure comprehensively. Easy to follow. Thanks to let me watch and learn.
Cleaned and lubed everything, inverted those springs that somebody inverted by mistake and it works again! Thanks for this amazing tutorial!
Bingo. Had a wheel with the pawls re-inseted backwards ! at the shop. i.e. before i started my own fixes
Thanks for this video. Though here in Germany Sachs hubs were more common, I like this hub, have one on my folding bike. I service it every few years, in the same way you show it, and it is still a runner- no pittings, no wear on the gears. I don´t like the small pawl-springs who are likely to desappear suddenly, but if you pay attention, this should be no problem.
Mine is from 1993, the bearings are a little bit different, but the rest is all the same as shown in the video.
I think the hub in this video was from 1970. Here is another video overhauling the same model of hub from 1954: th-cam.com/video/oHHaajDcL_g/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for putting this video up. A few days ago I was cycling uphill and stripped every single tooth on the sun gear. Now, in the basement our dorm has some abandoned bikes, one of which also had an AW on the rear wheel but the rim was bent, so this disassembly video helped me transplant the innards. I didn't actually change the grease as I didn't have any handy today. Might do it later.
Have you considered racing? I've seen the internals of many hubs, corrosion and heavy wear but I've never known the teeth strip. That takes power to do that!
This video is an absolute lifesaver if you're rebuilding one of these things. I could have done it without you!
Great video thanks. Its given me the confidence to attempt a strip down and clean of my raleigh chopper mk1 sturmey archer 3 speed hub
Fantastic! Just finished my first AW disassembly and rebuild, let's hope it works still...
Hey RJ ,I know a lot of people who would love to see you rebuild a same era 5 speed Sturmey archer hub as there is nothing on you tube and they are a mystery lots of muscle bike raligh chopper and australian dragster bikes need this vid if you find the time Thanks again
I haven't managed to get a bike with a 5 speed hub yet.
Geepers RJ this is complicated. Simple, but not easy. Appreciate your help. Now I see why the Allies bombed the German Ball Bearing Factories during WW2. Nothing moves w/o them. Until I can master this process I'll leave the repair/maint. to a skilled mechanic, or simply replace the Hub. My Bike Friday NWT had it's hub Lubed by a local Mechanic. He's quite talented. Thanks again, Happy Holidays
Fantastic explanation from start to finish. Am about to overhaul internal ⚙ gearset first time. 👍
Nice work I have a 1963 schwinn traveler sturmay archer 3 speed and this is good for me to know thanks a million man Alex Baker
It may 10 years old but a fantastic video thanks you make it so clear 👍🏻
AMAZING! Now, after this video, I may even attempt to do this. :) Thank you so much for doing this and putting up the vid to share.
Wow! Thanks for the tutorial. I don't have the skill-set for this repair so at least I won't cause any additional damage.
Incredible video, I got all the way down to reinstalling but it's SO FIDDLY. Of course the spring pinged off out of existence somewhere in my garage so will have to revisit this video after finding them!!!
Great Video, I've now stripped and overhauled many aw's
Sweet, I am rebuilding an all original 1969 Huffy Rail 3 Dragster for my son. this will help me tremendously!
You Sir are a Legend for doing this. I have two AW 3 speeds hubs circa 1940 Im about to try to refurbish
The AWs are work horses!
Really enjoy your videos and these ones particularly as I have no exp with SA hubs and had no idea what was in the guts. Very interesting and well done. Have found your other videos really helpfull working on my Rover 8ext. Thanks again!
Very helpful and clear tutorial, it helped me a lot, cheers from Italy
Very informative! I'm about to pull apart one of these and this is very helpful. Thanks RJ.
This is incredibly helpful. Thank you!
Thanks, it helped! The little springs were broken. Works like a charm again! 😀
where did you get replacement springs?
Thank you very much! I didn't need to follow the whole tutorial but the parts that I referenced were very useful!
Excellent clear explanation, thanks very much.
amazing step by step video. i also did it with help from the video. thank a lot RJ The Bike Guy
great video. i picked up an old schwinn S5 wheel with a sturmey archers 3 speed. its needs a good cleaning inside and out. i was scared to do this on my own until i watched your video. i will dig into it this weekend:) thank you for the video!
Today I bought a Murry 1965 3 speed bike.The Hub was not engaging at all and the cable was stuck.I followed your tutorial breaking everything down well almost everything then put it back again after lubing and cleaning and same problem persisted.I was frustrated thinking maybe the hub was shot totally then mentally started to think what makes gear shift and bingo clutch sleeve was seized up not moving up or down and after loosening and cleaning everything started to work again.Well took me 3 hrs of puling my hair but learned a lot about Stormy internals.Thanks to you giving me confidence. I subscribed!
Brilliant informative video! Thank you.
Of course it helps.
Thank you very much for sharing.
Nice video, I love your attention to detail, just rebuilt a very similar hub thanks to your video!!!
It's like disarming a land mine.
Really helped on a rebuild today! Thanks
I found this very helpful and it gave me confidence. One note however, you correctly note that the sprocket goes either up or down with the dish cavity. You might want your viewers to note that there is a reason why that dish is there. On my bike with a full chain guard the sprocket needs to be lined in the center guard case. The spacers and the dish feature allow this positioning. So I expect that without a chain guard the sprocket goes with dish out. Mine didn’t come that way and when I put it on to check if the way you did it was correct I mounted the wheel and it was too close to the guard. Not centered. So I put one spacer in and one out and made the dish down and then it was centered correctly. I suppose if you just note which way yours came then it’s fine. But I think it’s useful to know why it’s there and check for yourself if centered inside the guard. Thanks for your videos. Great stuff.
you helped us so much!! thank you and greetings from Germany
this video has given me the confidence to have a go myself
Great video. Have Grifter with a hub turning both ways, now understand the internals, and have ordered some new Pawl springs as mine were so weak and corroded. Thanks
great video, the way you explain,it’s really simple thanks!!👍🏻👌🏻
Man, very informative. I just did a rebuild of an old Raleigh and had a few hiccups with the hub. This one looks great!!
What Raleigh is it? I've just been given a Raleigh sport. The Stermy archer has 53 stamped on it. So 1953. Think I'm going to service it soon.
Thank you!!! I did not think I would get any help on this. Honestly I still can not conceive how it works, but now I can fix my 30 year old bike. My only problem was the tightening of the outside nuts, when tightened too hard the rim tends to stick. Now I know, tighten with fingers and then back, then use screwdriver for nut. I'll keep you posted on progress. P.S. I wonder how many dads watched this video after grabbing their old 'bike' to ride with their children?
A real good videa this
Very helpful in that you show how it all fits together. I would not let you touch a hub of mine as your attempts at lubrication leave the working surfaces of the gear teeth and ratchets devoid of lubrication.
Thanks, just what I needed. Nicely made and very informative. Thumbs up!
Thankyou so much RJ,you are a gem , I dont know how you make those Pall springs go in so easy ,I got em in the end... Great video !!
I have never had much trouble with them.
Very well demonstrated.....thank you.
Great video I am in the process of rebuilding a 1949 Hercules Tybe B hub just waiting on some new Pawl springs as one was bent and not under the Pawl. Thank You
Thank you for you job and sharing this with us
well done, thanks for the example!
Really love your VDO sharing, thx a lot;)
Thanks for the vid just replace the bearings with nothing to do with the Corona virous locking me down and it works a treat great vid thanks
Can't wait. Just purchased '69 men's Raleigh Supurbe and '71 women's Raleigh Sports. (The dates are what was stamped on the Sturmey Archer hubs.) What a project! We'll have his/hers matching 3 speeds when I'm done! Awesome vid!
Cool! The date on the hub might not necessarily be the year of the bike. I have a Raleigh Tourist with a 1969 hub, but is actually a 1970 year bike. Check out this page here:
www.kurtkaminer.com/TH_raleigh_serials.html
BTW, check through my vids. I have a handful of them working on my Raleigh. Does your Superbe have rod brakes? My Tourist does.
Very nice video and great help to service
My ralighe bikes
Many thanks
You made that look easy RJ.
Really clear! Thanks!
Excellent. Done at a nice easy pace that a 'first timer' can follow the steps. The main thing: don't loose those little springs!
you are an expert !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tres bien !
Very nice clear demonstration. I would use different lubricants to what you are suggesting but otherwise I agree fully with everything you did.
Very useful this video, Thank u verymuch guy.
Thanks! Great video!
What a great video. Just bought my daughter an old second hand Raleigh Caprice and found to my horror that first gear didnt work. Tried flushing with WD40 but no joy. You have saved the day. I down loaded your video to my Kindle and step by step followed your instruction in my shed. Worked a treat. I used white spirit and a toothbrush to degrease and a magnetic screwdriver to recover the parts. I found the first gear pawl section had rusted up and a lot of fragements of metal appeared in the wash tank. All came apart & cleaned up. The semi circular indents made the hammer and punch difficult and the SA bespoke 'C' spanner is expensive and only for installation. So I used 18 inch stilsons and a mallet to shift the collar..they just lock into the indents. The rust had eaten one of the Pawl springs so I used some spring steel out of a ball point pen to make a new one as time was not on my side. I hear old electric guitar strings are even better. I had a chromed ring that went round the bearings as an extra part. I used oil for my four stroke lawn mower as the lubricant and added a couple of squirts in the filler cap at the end. All now works perfectly. Thank you.
I have the same problem,the first gear does not work.I didn't know what to do.
I'll try to follow the video steps and hope it'll all end fine.
MrKarakalas my first gear dont work too. i have 1972 sturmey Archer hub
It could be something as simple as the shifter cable needs to be adjusted: th-cam.com/video/KvR0S6lHJ4Q/w-d-xo.html
It's possible the pawls are sticking. Have you added oil to the hub? Or maybe the hub would benefit from an overhaul. Sometimes pawls or springs break.
postmann1000 Well,two of the pawl's springs were broken.I 'm still waiting for the replacing parts.I'll let you know when it'll be ready.
ok thanks for the reply
very informative , thanks
Thanks buddy. I have a 1948 AW :) The planetary gears and sun gear got chewed up going uphill on campus! After realizing that no shop in Gainesville repairs S.A. and no one carries spare 26 1 3/8 rear wheels, I decided to learn how to fix it myself. Your video was the best one! My 48 has a threaded sprocket and mount, so I just left that guy on. Take care..--Juan
Did you get it working?
shyflirt1 planetary gears and sun gear/axle are coming in this week. The disassemble was a success. Almost every piece was caked with oil and crud. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Cool! How much did the parts cost? This hub here actually was on a mid-70s Huffy that I bought at a thrift store for like $15 or $20. I wanted to practice on it before opening up the hub on my 1970 Raleigh Tourist. I occasionally see old bikes in thrift stores with the SA 3-spd hubs for cheap. After I overhauling the hub, I turned around and sold the bike for more than I bought it for. Win/win!
shyflirt1 I got them through Sheldon Brown, who links to Harris Cyclery. With shipping it came out to 33 dollars and change. The pin holding the sun gear to the axle is probably machine pressed so no-one sells the gear by itself. Yeah, every single speed rider secretly wants an old Sturmey Archer, it's the fear of the hubs mechanism that keeps people away, and the shifter's aesthetic effect on the bike. Mine is on a westrick style Raleigh wheel.
I like his site and use it often. He actually passed away a while back, but they keep it up. Yeah, getting in there was a scary thought, but it turned out not to be that bad. I have an old 70's bike repair manual which guided me through the process. Though it did leave a few small details out which caused me to pull it apart and redo it. Like the low gear pawls having to go in a certain way. I had them in the wrong way, and low gear didn't work. Took me a bit to figure out why. Yeah, the shifter is kind of ugly! :D
Hi All, Very Informative & RJ would make a good teacher. RVC
I enjoyed that. Thank you.
I just found an abandoned 73 ccm with a archer 3 speed sturmey . This video will be handy. Thx
Great overall on the sturmey archer hub liked and subscribed
Great video, really helpful. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks very helpful easily explained.!!!
Very helpful video! I had some problems tightening the non drive side locknut while holding the cone with a screwdriver. I would suggest using some long nose pliers to hold the washer in place, as this worked perfectly for me. The least thing you want to do is put too much pressure on those bearings :)