Adjustment? Sturney archer 3 speed

[Floyd]

My daughters 69 Stardust is only doing 2nd and 3rd. It'll stay in first if she holds the shifter in 1st, but as soon as she lets go, its in 2nd. It doesn't want to detent into a first gear setting, so I'm pretty sure its the shift lever. This is the small, handlebar mount one. So.....where do I start?

 

[bicycleguy]

Sounds like it's out of adjustment, I would loosen the cable a little bit until it goes into first gear then go from there. Have you ever cleaned/greased the hub?

 

[Wildcat]

I would add a small amount of light oil into the shifter and cycle it a few times to see if that frees it up so it clicks down into first gear. The cable itself might use a little lubrication also. Also the chain going into the wheel may need some light oil.

 

[deorman]

I assume you refer to the trigger style shifter, I haven't looked at the ratchet pieces in a long time, but I suspect that Bicycleguy has put you on the right track. Hose out the shifter w/WD 40, disconnect the cable, and pull it manually while cycling thru all the gears. This ALMOST always cures the shifter of any problems. If the chain/rod at the hub has no alignment markings, simply cycle it into third, remove all slack from the chain/cable so that it has not yet moved, but will do so if the cable moves at all. If it does not lock into first AFTER you made the shifter work manually, check the cable to see if it can be moved any further by hand-pulling it, if so, then tighten it a turn or so at a time until it works. If it has align. marks, they are usually lined up in 2nd gear. The hub and cable, as mentioned, must operate freely as well, in order for the shifter action to have constant tension.

 

[JLarkin]

I had this problem with a brand new trigger. I pulled the cover off and found it had no pawl spring to hold the pawl in the ratcheted notches. I ended up making a spring out of a paper clip. Here is a pic to show the way a good one should look.

 

[snfargle]

is it a proper British made sturmey lever or one made abroad, I say this because I have heard less than satisfactory reviews of the foreign ones (usually about them not staying in first gear)

if the lever is at fault you can easily use a friction type shifter and just mark on there the positions for the gears (my preferred method much easier to operate than the sturmey archer lever imo)

 

[Floyd]

Thanks guys! I worked with it last night. Kinda had a "Duh" moment. Turns out what I perceived as the 2-3 shift point was actually the 1-2 shift point. 3rd goes way up the mechanism. Probably why the 3 on the shift body is spaced out further away from the 2. So with the proper gate figured out, I adjusted the cable at the rear. So far...so good :mrgreen:

 

[hubgearfreak]

just so you can get it perfect, read SB, a bit down the page is 3 speed cable adjustment :mrgreen:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/english-3.html#sturmey