50's Speedwell Popular part 2 - Sturmey Archer 3-speed TCW (Mark 1) Tricoaster hub overhaul

This quirky bit of English engineering was first released in 1952, and went through 2 more design upgrades before being replaced by the S3C 3-speed coaster hub. The TCW hub gets a pretty bad rap from most users and reviewers. The main complaint is that the coaster brake is weak, and due to it being linked with the gears only operates at it's best in 1st gear, whilst being less forceful in 2nd, and unimpressive in 3rd. Some users even add a rear rim brake, and Sheldon Brown actually advises this... "Note: the TCW is hazardous because cable misadjustment can disable the brake." (referring to the infamous 'neutral' position between gears 2 and 3 where no gear is engaged). In 1970 Sturmey Archer designed the S3C hub to function with separate gears and braking, and the TCW was laid to rest in 1972.

My own experience of vintage Sturmey Archer geared hubs is that it's easy to tune the shifting cable (and so avoiding the neutral position) and once set are usually set for good. You would of course check adjustment every now and then, or when servicing your bike, just like you would check a derailleur shifting drivechain.

I had planned to use a Philco centre-pull brake, but this hub came home with me from the recycling center, and being a 1957 model is about the same age as the bike.

                                           Cleaned and ready to rebuild - Not so many parts really

Like most Sturmey Archer hubs that I've opened, this one was dirty & gunked up with dried grease. This doesn't seem to bother them in operation and they will keep happily ticking over, especially when fed a few drops of light oil every couple of months. But I like to clean the internals, check for wear and damage, and give them fresh bearing grease and oil. Coaster hubs also need their braking surfaces greased. All of the hub parts cleaned up well apart from the bearings, so these were replaced.

 I rode with a Fichtel & Sachs 3 speed coaster brake hub as the only brake on a bike for a while and it was fine. It even has this same brake linked to gear design as the TCW (brakes best in 1st gear). But I do prefer having brakes on both wheels. I'll report back on the TCW once it's all rebuilt and riding.