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Post by franco on Apr 1, 2020 12:22:41 GMT
I picked up a Raleigh Chiltern earlier this year and although it’s a modern interpretation of an old design I find it a pleasure to ride.
The Sturmey Archer AW hub promotes a different kind of ride, more relaxed and less time faffing though loads of gears. I swapped the 18T cog for a 24T that makes hillclimbing easier, it doesn’t leave anything for descents but I usually coast downhill anyway.
Its got me looking at older bikes like the Raleigh Traveller, Esquire, Superbe, Chiltern... Prices vary, the Superbe seems to be the more collectible model and the older the more desirable they appear to be. I’ll pick something up at some point.
Anyone else enjoy riding 3 speeds or own one?
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Post by brianbutler on Apr 1, 2020 15:45:20 GMT
I have been restoring a 1954 Raleigh Sports for myself, a 1954 rider. I disassembled and refurbished everything including the Sturmey-Archer AW rear hub and front Dynohub, which works. The big improvement was lacing the hubs to new Sun CR-18 alloy rims with new spokes. Now it stops when wet! I still have some body work and painting on the mudguards and chain guard, and will apply a new set of decals.
Actually, this bike is a bit small for me but looks like it will fit my wife even though she is not a 1954 model. I have another three speed that I will do up for myself at some point. It is a 1979 Puch Rugby Sports with a 23" frame, 27" wheels, and all the accessories including bottle generator, front/rear lights, rack, integrated lock (with the key incredibly).
Here are some links to photo albums of the Raleigh:
1954 Raleigh Sports as foundHubs disassembled and cleaned
Brian
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Post by franco on Apr 1, 2020 18:37:56 GMT
That’s nice Brian, those parts cleaned up well! What do you use, a rust remover then buff the parts up?
I read somewhere the dynohub has a magnet inside that weakens over time. Need to read up more once I get a project. Seen a Raleigh Traveller locally, it’s a step thru frame but not too bothered about that if it goes for a low price.
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Post by brianbutler on Apr 1, 2020 20:20:35 GMT
To clean parts I wash them with mineral spirits to remove grease/oil, then into a bath of Evapo-Rust to remove rust without harming anything, especially if there are aluminum bits as on a derailleur. Then into a vibratory tumbler with corncob media to polish and remove any residual oils. The old Raleigh chrome is excellent quality and always polishes beautifully with auto wax.
You can see the Dynohub magnet surrounding the armature in the hub photos. It is a heavy Al-Ni-Co magnet. I don't know about losing strength over time but I have heard it can lose its magnetism if the magnet is removed from the armature even briefly. There is "keeper" tool, basically an iron ring the same diameter as the armature, that fits inside the magnet and preserves the magnetism when you slide the magnet off the armature. I don't have that tool and did not remove the magnet. When I was finished rebuilding the hub I tested it by spinning it on a wheel stand with a meter attached. It generates enough voltage and current to power the original incandescent front and rear lights. Realistically, the whole contraption is obsolete, what with LED lights and USB chargeable batteries, but I like the way it looks. It might be fun to retrofit an old hub housing with new electronics and have the best of both worlds.
Brian
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Post by velocipete on Apr 2, 2020 6:59:16 GMT
Good work on the Raleigh restoration. For those interested in older 3/4 speed hub geared bikes I can recommend a youtube site by Velocipedium. I thought I had a clutter problem until I saw inside just one of his storeage areas! I have a Moulton Deluxe 4 speed from 1964. Cheers, Pete.
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Post by brianbutler on Apr 2, 2020 11:07:54 GMT
Pete, thank you for the Youtube pointer. It does put one's bike hoarding in perspective. One of my routes passes a house with maybe 50 old English 3-speeds leaning against a fence and I can see a large shed packed to the rafters with more. I'm afraid I might stop and inquire about them one day.
Brian
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Post by brianbutler on Apr 2, 2020 11:31:00 GMT
For my 10th birthday I desperately wanted a 3-speed "English" bike. It was mid-winter in Minnesota so the stores did not have them in stock. I received the following check instead. I had been meaning to look for it in a box of keepsakes and this thread motivated me to do so.
Brian
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Post by wheelson on Apr 2, 2020 14:14:01 GMT
Great story Brian. My first real bike was an "English Racer", a Western Auto branded something. I still love them, worked as a bike mechanic as my first real job starting in 1966 and we had plenty of Sturmey Archer hubs to work on then as even Schwinn was using them in many of their models. In my post-engineering retirement, I contract with a local bike shop and all the old S-A's are passed on to me "the old guy". We get several per year, some pristine, some well-used beyond belief. There's an old Hercules in the shop's back room that may end up as mine at some point. Certainly don't need another project, but . . . Plus 1 on the Evapo-Rust and the electrical refurb. Best and stay safe out there, John "wheelson"
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Post by franco on Apr 2, 2020 16:35:22 GMT
Pete, thank you for the Youtube pointer. It does put one's bike hoarding in perspective. One of my routes passes a house with maybe 50 old English 3-speeds leaning against a fence and I can see a large shed packed to the rafters with more. I'm afraid I might stop and inquire about them one day.
Brian
There’s a guy in Nottingham similar but he has old ‘Racers’ as well, I picked something up from him and the stuff he had was unreal, vintage Royal Enfield, Holdsworth, Raleigh... his workshop was like Aladdins Cave.
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Post by brianbutler on Apr 2, 2020 20:15:04 GMT
Yes, England really is the place to find the treasures. In the US it is harder to find adult bikes from before the '70's bike boom unless you go way back into the pre-automobile era and then most of those are long gone. I guess it's because bikes were not much used here for transportation, most were kids' toys.
Brian
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Post by velocipete on Apr 3, 2020 12:27:03 GMT
Pete, thank you for the Youtube pointer. It does put one's bike hoarding in perspective. One of my routes passes a house with maybe 50 old English 3-speeds leaning against a fence and I can see a large shed packed to the rafters with more. I'm afraid I might stop and inquire about them one day.
Brian
Don't leave it too long to pop in to chat about the old bikes. It's likely an old boy who won't be around forever. Relatives will then just clear them out. Cheers, Pete.
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Post by franco on Apr 3, 2020 21:37:05 GMT
People are getting clued up here with bikes, some of the rubbish you see going for sale under the title of vintage. I’m sure some of the sellers are scrap men. You see some stuff that’s beyond recovery going for decent money just because of a head badge.
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Jem
Viscount
?
Posts: 3,380
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Post by Jem on Apr 4, 2020 14:57:36 GMT
My first proper bike was a SA 3 speed Raleigh (the name of which will come back to me later). I also love the simplicity and more relaxed approach.
I have a Viscount folder with SA 3 speed and always marvel at how good it is.
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Post by franco on Apr 9, 2020 20:41:19 GMT
I picked up a 1982 Raleigh Traveller today for very little money. It has hub lights, the SA hub is stamped 82 and caked in oil which has preserved it. Needs some work, the bottom bracket bearings are shot and the chrome on the wheel rims doesn’t look great. Nice project over the summer.
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Post by franco on Apr 16, 2020 20:12:18 GMT
Stripped the Traveller down this week, overhauled all the bearings and gave everything a deep clean. The SA hub came up great, the rims unfortunately have some flaked chrome but you can’t win them all. It has a dynohub but the lights were aftermarket battery type so unsure if it works or not. i didn’t bother replacing the mudguards or rack for now. It shows it’s age but built like a tank. Took it for a spin today, hence the high seat post and stem and it was fun, easy to ride and love the more upright position.
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Post by brianbutler on Apr 16, 2020 20:55:46 GMT
Love that chainguard. And the rear Dynohub, wow! Brian
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Post by franco on Apr 16, 2020 21:09:04 GMT
Thanks Brian.
Which oil do you use in your hubs, SAE30?
Back in the day, in the UK at least, most folk just put a standard 3-in-1 oil in their hubs. But I’ve read it can clog up the planetary gears.
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Post by brianbutler on Apr 17, 2020 12:14:09 GMT
I've been using sewing machine oil (white mineral oil), baby oil if you want it to smell good and you are not concerned about how many babies they press to make a single bottle of oil. I have tried 0W-20 synthetic motor oil left over from an oil change but he SA hub is a light mechanism with no heat generation so automotive oil is overkill. I think you want low viscosity so the gears can distribute the oil efficiently. The sewing machine oil is made to remain clean so it doesn't stain fabric. It does keep the hub clean. Caveat, I'm no expert.
Brian
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Jem
Viscount
?
Posts: 3,380
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Post by Jem on Apr 17, 2020 16:06:13 GMT
You've done some job on that Franco! Wow.
I like the relaxed upright position sometimes too. My wife has a mixte Viscount that I put straight bars on for her, and it is the second best bike in my shed bar none.
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Post by franco on Apr 17, 2020 16:11:41 GMT
Thanks sooper. I put the guards and rack back on today, it didn’t look right without them in my opinion.
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Post by brianbutler on Apr 17, 2020 18:32:38 GMT
Yes, perfect with the mudguards and rack.
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Post by franco on Apr 17, 2020 23:11:38 GMT
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Post by franco on Apr 18, 2020 14:22:54 GMT
I picked a couple more up today, £30 for both. The Hercules is rideable as is but the Triumph wants some work. I know they’re nothing special in the world of 3 Speeds but they’ll keep me occupied through another 3 weeks of lockdown. The guy also had a Raleigh Superbe with rod brakes but I don’t think he wanted to part with that.
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Jem
Viscount
?
Posts: 3,380
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Post by Jem on Apr 18, 2020 16:39:30 GMT
Franco - do you think people are more or less keen to sell during this lockdown period? I'm intrigued to know how it all affects buying and selling of all sorts of second hand items...
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Post by franco on Apr 18, 2020 17:22:39 GMT
Franco - do you think people are more or less keen to sell during this lockdown period? I'm intrigued to know how it all affects buying and selling of all sorts of second hand items... Yes definitely, concerning bikes, there is a bit of a bike boom at the moment because it seems to be the favoured one form of exercise a day. On my regular cycling routes I didn’t used to see many other cyclists last summer, this last month there’s quite a few. Everyone from furloughed office boys on their carbon frames to couples on hybrids. My small local LBS said he can’t keep stocked up enough for the demand, he’s really busy. As for other stuff I think people are bored indoors and buying more online items.
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Post by franco on Apr 20, 2020 16:48:04 GMT
Dismantled the Triumph today and I’m not sure it’s salvageable. The stem is currently stuck and the Cottered crank is beyond cleaning up. Not to worry though, the wheels have come up quite clean for another project and the handlebars and SA gear switch are in good condition.
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Post by brianbutler on Apr 21, 2020 12:58:15 GMT
I think the Triumph cottered crank can be saved with Evapo-Rust. It is fairly expensive (about £30 for a 5-litre jug, must be an American product because it is about $20/gallon here) but you can clean a large number of parts (many bike's worth) with almost no work. Put the parts in a bottle or tray, cover, agitate a few times over the course of a day or two, rinse, and rust will be gone. I find it indispensable. Here are before and after photos of a cottered crank from a 1970-ish Dawes Galaxy. Yours has a bit more rust and would leave slightly more pitting, but I think the results would be comparable: Brian
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Post by franco on Apr 21, 2020 16:55:48 GMT
Thanks Brian. That crank came up good!
I’ve seen RJ the bike guy on YouTube use Evapo-rust a lot on vintage refurbs. I don’t think it’s available in the UK, the only one I could find was one from Machine Mart and the results aren’t amazing.
Hung the Triumph up for now, not completely given up on it yet. I think these three little projects are okay to build a runaround for around town, none of them a worth fully restoring.
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Post by brianbutler on Apr 21, 2020 19:59:03 GMT
...I don’t think it’s available in the UK...
Brian
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Post by franco on Apr 21, 2020 20:56:24 GMT
...I don’t think it’s available in the UK...
Brian
Good find. I’ll be ordering some of that soon.
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