3 speed shifter/hub compatibility problem, bad hub, or...?

Philphine · Apr 8, 2011

i haven't messed with internal gear bikes much so i don't know what could be causing this problem exactly.

i'm using a sturmey-archer 3sp thumb shifter with a shimano 3sp coaster brake hub. i think i have it adjusted right, but 2nd gear seems to either slip or is moving back and forth bettween 1st and 2nd. the 1st and 3rd positions work fine. the wheel is off a thrift store bike and i haven't been in it to see if it's the problem. the last time i took one apart that was the end of it (been something 20 years ago though. like i said, i don't mess with internal gears much). i don't want to mess up a potentially good hub and then find out the shifter wouldn't have controlled it anyway.

i just did this last night and haven't had much chance to maybe play with the adjustment. i hope they can be compatible 'cause i have the opposite setup planned for a future bike (shimano shifter,sturmey hub). i don't want to swap shifters 'cause they physically work for the projects they're on (thumb shifter kind of hidden out of the way on a faux fixie, jockey style stick shift on a stretch). don't really want to swap wheels either, but if push comes to shove....

any internal gear experts that can help me out? thanks for any help.

user 135 · Apr 8, 2011

Compatibility- I believe they have a different amount of "pull".

Philphine · Apr 8, 2011

for a minute i was like "hey, where's my question?"

ok, i think i got it. partially it was forgetfulness on my part.

one problem i had this morning is my little adjusting barrel screw came apart. i have one of those adapter clamp on ones somewhere, but i couldn't find it so i tried crimping the old one. it only lasted the couple trips around my work parking lot and a trip down the street this morning. so i went to the bike shop and got another.

that's when i found out the thumb shifter is a shimano. it had been so long since i last played with this bike i forgot what i did and didn't look at it close enought to know better. all they had was a sturmey one, and the guy at the shop told me he didn't think the screw threads were the same. but since i thought i had joined them already, i got the piece anyway. once i got home and tried to screw it together i finally looked at the shifter and saw it was shimano too.

i ended up taking the adapter apart and sticking the old barrel in it, so i got past that. when i got it back together it still jumped in 2nd, but a bit of adjusting seems to have worked. still just a few trips down the street, but all the gears work and no jumping in any of them.

thanks for the help anyway. if nothing else i may to be aware of it for the other project.