pstock

I am excited to be heading off on Tuesday next (May 7?) for a 3+ week trans europe Bike Friday trailer trek . Barcelona to Chamonix. 900kms.
why not.?

Question. is there anything I can do / should do at this late stage to improve the likelihood that my SRAM 3x Dual Drive pullrod hub will perform well (i.e. will not fail)

is there any simple lubrication I should do?
dribble I'm some.lub like a Sturmey Archer hub?

Iride01 

With so little time before, you might be just making more potential issues. Especially trying to do something you are apparently unfamiliar with. Even for tires, I try to change them several decently long rides prior to anything important just in case I goof up the installation.

pstock

well the bike has been in heavyish use as recently as Mid-Feb this year. but your point is valid.
I did clean it up, swap on new cables and took it out for a 20 mile test spin this afternoon.
hardly a stress test but she seemed in good shape.

FBinNY 

Nothing to add by way of advice


Just wishing you a great trip that ends with you wanting more.

Duragrouch

I also agree with all above. But it also depends:
- How old is the hub in years and miles?
- How often have you been riding in rain?

If not very old hub and kept in the dry, probably OK. But if not, you might be able to get a quick response (or just call) from Bike Friday, they installed a lot of those, and see if they recommend dripping in any lube.

This is my concern with buying a used BF with an IGH.

Do you carry a spare pull-chain? (Edit: I couldn't recall if a pull-chain or push-rod. I was probably thinking of a Brompton with a Sturmey Archer which is still a pull-chain.)

L134 

From a Bike Friday Dual Drive manual:Maintenance

Your DualDrive hub requires li�le maintenance. The shielded bearings are very durable, and the internal mechanism is highly reliable. Periodically applying a li�le oil to the shi�ing rod is all that is required. If you ride casually, then once a year is sufficient. If you ride a lot more or in poor weather, then every six months will suffice.

To lubricate the rod, remove the click box and the shi�ing rod (see the following directions). Lay the bike on its le� side, or remove the wheel and then lay the wheel on its le� side. Dip or coat the shi�ing rod in a good quality synthetic oil such as Phil Wood Tenacious Oil. Do not over lubricate!

Let the bike or wheel lay on its side overnight. Then re-a�ach the shi�ing rod (do not over tighten) and the click box.

Duragrouch

(above) Interesting. I'd be curious if "shielded" bearings means just greased with a labrynth seal, or rubber exterior seal, or seals on both sides of the bearing, or better yet, cartridge bearings with good seals on each.

At first I thought it was recommending to drip oil into the shift rod hole, but it appears they mean lube only the shift rod. Maybe that means the interior gears are greased. Aaron's Bike Repair also uses Phil Tenacious Oil (which I didn't know was synthetic) to coat all metal parts in the hub, and also adds grease on the axle bearings and gears.

I think there's a unicoding(?) issue with ft and tt in your copy and paste.

veganbikes

Like I tell all touring cyclists (as well as people going to a race the next day) if you are about to leave on a trip with little time to do anything, DON'T. You know how the bike rides and performs leave it as is and fix it when you get back and hopefully no mechanical issues. Obviously if you have metal on metal brake pads or something that is non-functional get that fixed and ride it and bring it back to the shop for a fix ASAP. Otherwise just ride it as is. You know how it performs and you know the quirks and things you need to do to make it functional you won't have that if you "fix" things and things still need work or get worse for some reason or need to be bedded in or something like that.

Do the normal stuff you would to go riding, pump tires, wipe down the frame, lube your chain...but don't try and head off problems unless you have at least a month to ride the bike semi often and get it fixed as needed and get used to everything changed.

Duragrouch

(above) I agree, and will also add, that 2nd gear on the IGH is direct drive, no planetizing of gears, so even more reliable and not dependent on the internal gears nor wearing them at all, plus bonus points of more efficient, less internal friction. My bet is most of the riding will be done in 2 range, with minimal time in 1 so don't hesitate to use it, nor 3 on downhills if you wish. Standing on the pedals, is best done in 2 range and a larger cog, versus 1 range and a smaller cog, that reduces both gear wear and cog wear, if you can find the right gear that way.

At least if you run into any problems, my guess is there are more places in Europe that can service an IGH than in North America.

FBinNY 

"Shielded" has very specific meaning as applied to bearings.

Sealed bearings have a flexible lip seal on the inner race. They're perlubed for thrvexpected service life and the seals make it impossible to reduce.

OTOH shielded bearings have a cover that mostly closes the face but does not make contact with the race, and allow lubricant to be forced through, usually from the back side.

Of course, we've no assurance that bike part marketing people adhere to these definitions.

On an IGH hub which is splash lubed, I'd expect a shield type design, allowing the oil to weep in to a degree.