Sears Hub 503.21 aka Steyr aka SA AW

[GuitarlCarl]

Check this out...

It'll work if the other one did.. I guarantee it.

I noticed that the axle I received is not the same as the axle in the eBay picture...
Sent a message to the seller, we'll see what happens.

Carl.

 

[SILVERKINGPC]

The one on the ebay link I sent you is the same as the busted one in the above pic. The 1st new one you got that is shown next to the busted one in the above picture is completely different. Remember that sturmey supplied different axles for a variety of different years and models of their own hubs, including the clone hubs like the Sears hub you have. You just have to make sure that it matches the original broken axle exactly, and you can rest assured that it will have 3 speeds when put back together..

 

[GuitarlCarl]

That's what I was trying to tell you...
Not your link, the original one I bought from eBay.
I bought one that looked like the one I need...
And the one I have showed up in it's place.
(and I HAD to try it)

Carl.

 

[SILVERKINGPC]

Yea, it was wayyyyy off!

 

[GuitarlCarl]

Yea, it was wayyyyy off!

yep...
It fits and I am convinced the only issue is the slot length.
It just won't let it get into that third gear...
I messaged the first seller who sent me the wrong axle.
Asked him to fix his listings...
So this hub waits for it's new axle. Again.

Carl.

 

[GuitarlCarl]

Well the new axle is the right one. Woohoo. But... on to the next problem. One of the tiny little springs that pushes the pawl out to make that sweet click click click in the hub, disappeared. I put the hub back together and direct drive was jacked up. I pulled it apart and the spring was missing... Grr, this hub is giving me headaches. I can't finish lacing the hub without being able to spin the rim. It's a work in progress.

Carl.

 

[GuitarlCarl]

Haha the LBS comes thru. He had the tiny pawl spring I needed. Putting it in was fun too. But it's a rollin', hooked up the shift rod a she gets em' all. I'm happy. looks good on my build off bike... Rock n Rollfast.

Carl.

 

[user 15387]

I am sorry I missed this thread, but it's good you got this working. The Steyr hub is a 'license-built' Sturmey-type hub. The reason I don't like the word 'copy' is because it's not truly a straight-off copy, as you found the hard way. The hubs have some little differences that prevent at least some of the parts from interchanging.

This actually is true of Sturmey hubs against each other. For example, I just rebuilt a late 1940s-era Sturmey AW hub. I had a bunch of spares from a 1950s-era AW hub. You would think it would all just interchange... but it does not. The ultimate solution was to just take the whole guts of a 1950s-era AW and drop it into the 1940s hub shell. This works, but when you try to mix the 1940s and 50s parts in a single unit... runs poorly.

Sturmey and the firms copying the hubs changed stuff over time and in different companies, even if the basic functioning of the hub was the same in principle. Some things swap and some do not. Glad you're up and running now though.

 

[GuitarlCarl]

I am sorry I missed this thread, but it's good you got this working. The Steyr hub is a 'license-built' Sturmey-type hub. The reason I don't like the word 'copy' is because it's not truly a straight-off copy, as you found the hard way. The hubs have some little differences that prevent at least some of the parts from interchanging.

This actually is true of Sturmey hubs against each other. For example, I just rebuilt a late 1940s-era Sturmey AW hub. I had a bunch of spares from a 1950s-era AW hub. You would think it would all just interchange... but it does not. The ultimate solution was to just take the whole guts of a 1950s-era AW and drop it into the 1940s hub shell. This works, but when you try to mix the 1940s and 50s parts in a single unit... runs poorly.

Sturmey and the firms copying the hubs changed stuff over time and in different companies, even if the basic functioning of the hub was the same in principle. Some things swap and some do not. Glad you're up and running now though.

Thanks Mike! Honestly, I read everything I can get my eyes on about these hubs and what you said is echoed in 90% of it. I read that engineers were quick to solve issues they had right there on the assembly line. When parts came in out of spec, modifications were made to keep the hubs going out. Like you noted, in operation all things were equal, even though internally there were changes made.
I can't wait to get this bike rolling so that I can make my own comparisons with the Shimano 3 speed I have. I've grown weary of derailleurs and I suppose at some point I'll move up to the modern internal shifting hubs like Nexus. But for now I'm enjoying these vintage hubs.

Carl.