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Play in front forks F frame
- This topic has 19 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 1 month ago by
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I love my Moulton Major Deluxe, apart from two issues which really affect its rideability:
1. the front forks have a small amount of play in them, which is really noticeable when braking.
2. the 4 speed hub, despite a recent overhaul is really unreliable. It’s impossible to get all 4 gears out of it and it occasionally slips out of gear (which is pretty dangerous when cycling).Is it possible to repair the front forks, or is play in the forks likely to be suggestive of something serious? Also, where would I start with planning a new wheel build to install a new derailleur system? Can anyone recommend any useful articles?
Thanks!
i think the play in the front forks is well documented, i have the same on my f frame which i don’t need to ride at the moment, wear in the sliding nylon bushes i would think.with regards the gears a sturmey archer 3 speed might be worth thinking about, they are readily available on ebay and rarely go wrong, if you go for a more modern internal gearhub such as sturmey 5 speed or shimano nexus 7 or 8 speed you will most likely have to have the rear forks pushed out, as between the cones the dimension is about 20mm wider.in my opinion derailleur gears are unsuitable for everyday use, the gears and sprockets don’t seem to last very long
Are you sure that your 4 speed is adjusted properly?
I’ve 4 of them on different bikes and they were all difficult to engage with first gear and sometimes jumped out of gear, until I got the knack of adjusting them.
Now they work amazingly well for 50 year-old hubs.I would agree with the previous comment the four speed SA hub needs very fine adjustment to work correctly.
Make sure the selector rod is properly screwed together in the hub. Hold the chain side and using a small screwdriver ensure the other side is screwed together.
Check the position of the selector rod in second gear and in third gear looking at the end of the rod. Use the fine adjuster in these two positions to fine tune the gears. I think this process is explained on the web somewhere.
I have a SA 4 speed with very worn internals but it still works in all gears so perseverance is key
Hi, As people have said adjustment is key. also chain tension.
If you want to go derailleur I do have a Ataom rear hub for a moulton, screw on , got it last year at BoA but not used it as recently rebuild my wheel as a SA 3speed with derailleur ( http://cyclerenovation.tumblr.com/post/90290429676/been-burning-the-midnight-oil-converting-my-3 ) , which is not without issues but makes hillclimbing much easier.
The problem I found to going full 6 speed derailleur was getting a freewheel and main front chainring that would give decent ratios.
But if you want it ill let you have it for £10 plus postageHi all, thanks for your replies! I’ve braved a hub strip down today and it does look to be in tip-top condition. I tried to tighten the indicator rod but after barely any movement it suddenly came free, and on close inspection, the thread has snapped inside the right hand end 🙁 . I’m now on the hunt for a replacement. I’m going to try my damnedest to get it tuned properly once I’ve got the new parts.
Next job on the list will be a front fork disassembly to assess any need for new bearings – can these still be sourced from Moulton preservation if necessary?
I’m in the same boat with the fork play. Might come to sending the forks off to Michael and let him work his magic
not sure you can just send the forks don’t you have to send the frame if the long screw doesn’t release?
No you can get the forks out of the frame easily enough. Release the quill stem, undo the crown race nuts, drop the forks out. and finally search under the freezer/dishwasher/washing machine for the lower race bearings that will no doubt roll all over the place. :o)
Tom Ward,
the hub shells of the Sturmey Archer 3 and 4 speed units are the same provided the shell is date stamped 82 or earlier, examine your shell and if read the month/year of manufacture which SA abbreviated to mm yy format, simply swap the axle and internals of an old second hand 3 speed into your 4 speed shell, that will put your bike back on the road until you find a 4 speed indicator rod (a scarce and valuable part )
A question for learned amongst us. How much slop is acceptable in the front forks of an F frame? Mine allow a shift of a couple of degrees of trail, do these need a rebuild or is this normal?
Here is a good site for bits – http://www.oldbiketrader.co.uk/display_Sturmey_Archer.php?options=usedhubs
Les, I would not want any play in the forks!
Tom, I made a boring video of how to dismantle F-frame forks, it’s really not that hard if you want to have a go yourself.
Is it possible to make a video showing what the parts look like when worn? play etc then reassembly and what and where to grease etc? I find my suspension ok but I could be unaware if there is any problems as its my first moulton and have not ridden another to compare and see if my bikes ok? Great vid by the way makes it look a lot simpler than reading text and diagrams when shown!
with regards fork play, don’t think it’s dangerous particularly but it must put more stress on the forks and might ruin the bearing surfaces
Des, if anything you take apart has ‘play’ when it was assembled it is worn. The front serrated nylon bearing can be refitted at a different orientation and sometimes that will help take up slack. Grease anything that moves – splines, up inside the steerer tube both nylon bearings and the springs. I’d use CV/molyslip grease (suitable for car CV joints) liberally.
I took an old, barely used Series 2 apart a year or so ago and found it dry as a bone in there, clearly the Kirkby worker was having a Friday afternoon when they assembled that one. Thankfully the out of kilter rear fork probably meant the bike was abandoned at the back of a shed and was not ridden much as there was no wear at all on the parts! Now greased it is working well on my wifes bike.
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