Pointers needed

"Werehatrack" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The S.O. had been pestering me to find her an old 3-speed like she used to have [mumble] years ago
in the '[mumble]s, and much to my chagrin one dropped into my lap for the handsome sum of a buck.
The tires were dryrotted to the point that the dimensions had fallen off (no prob there, I know an
EA3 rim when I see one), but the beast had no other *obvious* glitches...until I actually rode it.
The hub skips in low gear. Anybody got tech info for a Shimano 3S hub, or know where it can be
had? I really prefer having some idea of the potential gotchas *before* I rip stuff apart, if I
can get it.

Ensure the "skip" isn't simply a rusty/damaged/worn/loose chain or a cog/chainwheel problem before
jumping inside the gearbox. Loose or stripped axle nuts are more noticable in low gear as well.
Although "skip in low gear" _could_ be worn/danaged low gear pawls, (3HSA
111) that is not a common repair to that hub.

Did you also ensue the gear wire /casing are not kinked/damaged and are adjusted properly? That
would usually manifest itself in the disturbing second-to-neutral slip before any other symptom but
check it anyway just because it's so horrible when awry.

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971

A Muzi' may have said:

Ensure the "skip" isn't simply a rusty/damaged/worn/loose chain or a cog/chainwheel problem before
jumping inside the gearbox.

After the troubles I had with chain jumping on an MTB recently, this was the first thing checked,
although since it has no ders and there wasn't any significant slack in the chain, it would have
been pretty hard for this to have been the cause of the behavior.

Quoted message said:

Lose or stripped axle nuts are more noticable in low gear as well.

All tight and accounted for.

Quoted message said:

Although "skip in low gear" _could_ be worn/danaged low gear pawls, (3HSA
111) that is not a common repair to that hub.

The hub has not been apart yet, and probably has not been lubed in 20 years or more. Hopefully, I
can avoid having to disassemble it; see below.

Quoted message said:

Did you also ensue the gear wire /casing are not kinked/damaged and are adjusted properly?

Oops. You asked, I looked again.

I initially thought the cable was adjusted right because there was no slack in it when in 3rd gear.
Well, there *wasn't* any slack until I yanked on the cable just now to make sure it wasn't sticking,
and then I had some. So, I unhooked the end and checked for free motion; it had lots of
sticky-grabbies, so I concluded that it was fubar internally. I'll scrounge a new one somewhere.
With the cable adjusted up and temporarily persuaded to not be so sticky, first gear is rock-solid,
so the hub is obviously OK. (This may have been the reason that the bike came to me for such a low
outlay; it's otherwise in really nice shape now that it has tires on it instead of rotted casings.)

Quoted message said:

That would usually manifest itself in the disturbing second-to-neutral slip before any other
symptom but check it anyway just because it's so horrible when awry.

I remember that second-to-neutral slip on the old S3C. I used to have that happen when I was
pitching papers, if something in the saddle baskets slipped through and pushed down on the cable.

---
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.

Yes, I have a killfile. If I don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy.

That sounds like a gear cable adjustment to me.

3 speed hubs are pretty hardy.

Lewis.

***********************************

Werehatrack <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

The S.O. had been pestering me to find her an old 3-speed like she used to have [mumble] years ago
in the '[mumble]s, and much to my chagrin one dropped into my lap for the handsome sum of a buck.
The tires were dryrotted to the point that the dimensions had fallen off (no prob there, I know an
EA3 rim when I see one), but the beast had no other *obvious* glitches...until I actually rode it.
The hub skips in low gear. Anybody got tech info for a Shimano 3S hub, or know where it can be
had? I really prefer having some idea of the potential gotchas *before* I rip stuff apart, if I
can get it.

---
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.

Yes, I have a killfile. If I don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy.

(Lewis Campbell) may have said:

That sounds like a gear cable adjustment to me.

It was, but this was not immediately obvious. The cable was sticking, and not returning all the way,
so it *seemed* correctly adjusted. Once I had yanked on it and found the slack, I got it adjusted to
where it pulled all the way into 1st, and it worked fine. A new cable will be scrounged tomorrow
when the lbs is open.

Quoted message said:

3 speed hubs are pretty hardy.

If my experience with an S3C many years ago (reputedly the worst of the lot) are any example, this
one should outlast the rider.

---
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.

Yes, I have a killfile. If I don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy.