Cycling UK Forum

Hello all,
I have recently fitted a new rear wheel on my Pashley Speed 5 bicycle; it is built up with the SA RX-RD5 hub in it. The issue I am having, is that the yellow alignment bars line up just fine..all the way up and down the gears, and shifting seems to be just fine (without load on the pedals, just me pedaling them with my hands in the stand) HOWEVER, when I turn the handlebars to one side, it pulls the yellow indicator lines slightly out of line..possibly enough to make the gears slip when a load is applied. This would be a disaster, as the bike has been converted to electric, and with 250w of power running through the gears, I'm sure that damage could occur.
I am wondering what the solution might be/what the cause is? AFAICT, the cable run/line looks OK, except there is a bit of excess housing to accommodate for using a taller stem at some point. I will aim to post a picture ASAP.
Any advice gratefully received.
Cheers.

Hello all,
Firstly, thanks very much to you all for posting replies to my initial question, it was/is very much appreciated. Apologies to Carlton Green for not replying until now..
So, an update, I ended up taking the wheel to a LBS to resolve, since I had a family crisis on my hands at the time; unfortunately, the bike shop went bust, whilst still in possession of my wheel..which the receivers were planning on selling!! It was a bit of a nightmare. I eventually got the wheel back, but it was not in a usable state..so I ended up having to buy another wheel Motto of the story is..if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!
I do have a question about the replacement wheel, or more specifically the hub gear in it..which I will post under a new topic.
All the best to you all.

Thanks both for your helpful replies. That really made me laugh Slowster when you said "to state the bleedin' obvious.." My other hub, a Shimano Nexus with an oil port, is also lubricated this way with SFG..and I have found the same thing Slowster, that the oil slowly seeps out over the months until it is empty..and then I top it up again (with about 25ml.) With this hub, I need to take a different approach..as you rightly say, just in case the seal is not as effective as I hope. At the same time, there needs to be enough lubrication in there..as it is now empty/clean of the original gloop that SA wang in there. My feeling is that 10ml would be a reasonable starting point..hopefully enough that it does the job, but not enough that if it does leak, things will be catastrophic with the brake.
Cheers.

Hello all,
Further to an earlier post I did about converting my SA hub gear to oil..or I should say Semi Fluid Grease lubrication; I have now done this, including the changing of the seal to stop any SFG/oil from getting into the hub brake. So, I am ready to inject the lubrication..in this case 'land rover swivel joint SFG.' What I am wondering though, is how much to squirt in there..??
Any advice from anyone else who has done this would be much appreciated. I am hoping that the new seal will stop any SFG from migrating into the brake, but I guess it would be sensible to err on the side of caution with the amount I put in there..just in case.
Cheers.

Simonineaston is correct, it is essential that your daughter tries before she buys..the various handlebar and 'stem' setups on Bromptons all result in drastically different rides..I personally have the older 'h bars' which are more upright, and I love them..I found the lower handlebar arrangements made for a more 'twitchy' ride. I think what this highlights, is that it is all about personal preference. Luckily, Evans usually have demo Bromptons of popular configurations to try out.
What I can advise though, on the general and mechanical front, is that your suggestion of a Brompton to your daughter- bearing in mind her usage and mechanical 'nous'- is a very sensible one, IMHO. I have a 6 speed Brommie, if I could go back and do it again..I would probably go for the 3 speed hub geared only version that you are suggesting. The 6 speed adds complexity and weight that are not really necessary for your Daughter's prospective use, and as long as she is relatively fit and healthy, the 3 speed hub should be fine. I'm not sure if Brompton still use the same 3 speed hub as on mine (on my bike this is combined with a derailer as well..) but if they do, it can also be oil lubricated through the indexing chain port..which makes it thereafter incredibly low maintenance and, IME, very reliable.
Hope that helps, good luck to you both.

I had already come across that post Slowster and several others, but thanks for suggesting it. I would really prefer now the wheel is back together not to have to disassemble it again. If there is no other option, then I guess that is the route I might have to take.
Cheers.

Very helpful replies, thank you. I will check out the 'Scottoil' red oil stuff. The exploded diagram was interesting..but I'm not totally convinced that it shows that the hub brake part is indeed oil tight. My concern about this issue came from the following from SB..
Oil lubrication may cause problems with a drum brake, by seeping out past the bearing and contaminating the brake shoes. Phil Wood Tenacious Oil stays in place better than most other oils. Unlike with a derailer bicycle, if you must store or transport the bike horizontally, lay it on its right side, to prevent oil from leaking into the drum. Place something under the rear wheel to catch the drip, especially if you have just oiled the hub.
Regarding the thread on how to drill the hole, I could not find specific instructions, so the internals were simply taken out and then what looked like a suitable place for the oil to go into was selected..followed by a screw tap and the use of a shimano alfine 11 oil port nut and washer. It all looks quite neat..just want to be sure about the right lubrication to use before potentially making a blunder. I'm sure that drag would indeed be reduced by oiling in this manner..tests in the HPV magazine (I think) showed better efficiency using oil rather than grease to lubricate.
Cheers.

I have a question that I am hoping that someone can help with. I have an SA RX-RD5 IGH on my bike..as per the recommendations on this site and elsewhere, I have had an oil port drilled into the hub shell to improve lubrication. The one thing that I did not bear in mind when I did so, was that this hub gear has a drum brake integral to it. I have since worked out that pouring oil into a hub with a drum brake integral to it is probably not the best of ideas.

So I am wondering if anyone might be able to come up with a solution? The late and great Sheldon Brown used to suggest using Phil Wood's tenacious oil in such situations, just a few drops each week so that it doesn't leak out. Apparently the stickiness of this stuff keeps it in the hub, and the high viscosity works well as a lubricant/anti corrosion agent. The problem is, I can't find a source for the stuff here in the UK. I am thinking that chainsaw chain and bar oil might work as an alternative, but I am a bit worried about how this stuff might react with the hub shell/internals.

I am hoping someone might be able to help.

Cheers.