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Post by wheelson on Jan 9, 2021 21:23:26 GMT
It looks like this Hercules is staying with me, I sold it to someone in London back in November but the travel restrictions meant he couldn’t collect it. Finally refunded him today. Kind of pleased in a way, there was no need to sell it other than the ‘trimming down the herd’ reason. 300F3315-F64B-4D72-8E54-E53B45059C76 by Franco_AC, on Flickr Such a nice bike, Franco. Too bad it’s on the other side of the pond, although I’m trying to thin the herd myself. I do like these bikes, though. Brings back memories of all those “English Racers” I worked on back in my early years. Best, John “wheelson”
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Post by franco on Jan 9, 2021 22:08:26 GMT
Thanks John. Did you service the Sturmey Archer hubs?
This is the bike I serviced the hub on, took me hours to do it as I’ve never done one before. The wheels aren’t actually original to the bike, they are 1960’s and the bike is 1982 but it’s original wheels were shot.
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Post by wheelson on Jan 9, 2021 23:23:25 GMT
Thanks John. Did you service the Sturmey Archer hubs? This is the bike I serviced the hub on, took me hours to do it as I’ve never done one before. The wheels aren’t actually original to the bike, they are 1960’s and the bike is 1982 but it’s original wheels were shot. Yes, primarily Sturmey Archer 3 speed AW hubs, 5 speed, coaster brake 3 speed TCW’s. Not difficult, no surprises. Shimano hubs, not so - parts over-hardened in my opinion, broken and shattered. Nice thing about SA AW’s was the date code on the shell. Best, John “wheelson”
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Post by franco on Jan 9, 2021 23:40:05 GMT
Thanks John. Did you service the Sturmey Archer hubs? This is the bike I serviced the hub on, took me hours to do it as I’ve never done one before. The wheels aren’t actually original to the bike, they are 1960’s and the bike is 1982 but it’s original wheels were shot. Yes, primarily Sturmey Archer 3 speed AW hubs, 5 speed, coaster brake 3 speed TCW’s. Not difficult, no surprises. Shimano hubs, not so - parts over-hardened in my opinion, broken and shattered. Nice thing about SA AW’s was the date code on the shell. Best, John “wheelson” I find it really sad how British bicycle manufacturing was once so good and now it’s virtually non existent. I mean, those wheels are 60 years old on that Hercules and still great. Look at our Viscounts, still going strong, still nice to ride. Will people be saying the same thing about modern bikes and parts in 60 years time? Will vintage carbon frames be a thing? It seems we live in a disposable society now and as consumers nothing we buy is made to last, no profit in that though is there. The old bikes if looked after would see you out and be passed down to your kids and grandkids, if they were interested. What are your thoughts John? You’ve been in the game a long time. Suppose I’m going on a rant haha
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Post by brianbutler on Jan 10, 2021 14:46:38 GMT
Part of the perception that vintage bikes last a long time is that the ones we see have lasted a long time. But it is only a tiny fraction of the ones that were made. The rest wore out, rusted away, fell into disrepair, and were discarded. It is a case of selection bias. The same holds true for vintage musical instruments. I can't tell you how many times someone has shown me a hundred year old guitar or mandolin and raved about how the necks back then were made of great wood and stay straight forever, implying that all instruments made back then were perfect. Well of course the example in hand was perfect in ways that favored longevity. Otherwise is would have been thrown out long ago.
I like the vintage bikes more than most modern ones because of their nostalgic good looks, simple design, ease of maintenance, and low cost. And they are the survivors.
Brian
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Post by wheelson on Jan 10, 2021 15:06:29 GMT
Not a rant, Franco. We all like the old bikes, that's why we are here. I don't specifically dislike modern bikes even though my newest is in the '90s. My first bike shop job was right out of high school in 1966, and I was out of the shop four years later for military service, then back in mid '74 through '80. So that sort of sets up my time frame for my "formative years". And it's not that I'm unfamiliar with the new bikes, as I've been back in a bike shop for the past 7 years. My newest bike is mid-'90s. My most exotic shifting is 3 x 8 speed Shimano 2300 STI.
My philosophy has always been to acquire and ride bikes that fit my need. Low gearing for the hills and mountains of North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Wider tires for rail trails. Mudguards for those messy days. I have aluminum bikes, I still don't see my personal need for CF or electronic shifting. Being a retired engineer, I'm intrigued by new technology, but I also want that technology to be out of its "infant mortality" phase. Being of Scottish descent, I guess I'm thrifty about how much that new technology is worth to me.
Old bikes appeal to me. The simplicity of a 1880's - 1980's bike and the fact that you can take a 50+ year old bike and make it a daily rider in 2021 is proof of concept in itself. Modern bikes, like modern cars have advanced to the point where it's a matter of convenience over that simplicity where you can tinker and modify at will. I grew up with '50s - 70's cars and loved every minute of building engines, transmissions, painting, modifying virtually EVERY component. That ability is now lost on the modern auto. I fear that may be the path of the bicycle as well.
End of Rant! John "wheelson"
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Post by Admin on Jan 10, 2021 16:03:45 GMT
[/quote] It seems we live in a disposable society now and as consumers nothing we buy is made to last, no profit in that though is there. [/quote]
I'm with you on that. I am feeling this more and more as the years go by. Not sure if it's because I am older, or that I see now that resources aren't infinite , or it just seems plain wrong to me to be throwing things away. A bit of all of those really. I think when everything hits the fan and we run out of resources - we are going to wish we'd gone down a more sustainable path sooner.
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Post by wheelson on Jan 10, 2021 18:55:04 GMT
It seems we live in a disposable society now and as consumers nothing we buy is made to last, no profit in that though is there. [/quote] I'm with you on that. I am feeling this more and more as the years go by. Not sure if it's because I am older, or that I see now that resources aren't infinite , or it just seems plain wrong to me to be throwing things away. A bit of all of those really. I think when everything hits the fan and we run out of resources - we are going to wish we'd gone down a more sustainable path sooner. [/quote] I have to agree with you there. Having a two year old grandson makes one think about such things in an even more focused light. My first job in 1966 was in a very old bike (and everything else) repair shop started in 1896. The old guy owner who was still coming to work every day never specifically ordered us to save and re-use, but that was the general feeling. And I guess I learned well from him and from my parents as well, all of whom had lived through a depression, numerous recessions, wartime hardships, and other boom or bust cycles. I hate to be pessimistic but I believe the word cycles indicates a repeating process. One more reason to keep the old bikes: simple and fixable. Best, John “wheelson”
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Post by franco on Jan 10, 2021 22:28:53 GMT
It seems we live in a disposable society now and as consumers nothing we buy is made to last, no profit in that though is there. [/quote] I'm with you on that. I am feeling this more and more as the years go by. Not sure if it's because I am older, or that I see now that resources aren't infinite , or it just seems plain wrong to me to be throwing things away. A bit of all of those really. I think when everything hits the fan and we run out of resources - we are going to wish we'd gone down a more sustainable path sooner. [/quote] I think you definitely become aware through experience and age. White goods are a perfect example. You can buy a washing machine now for £200, but good luck repairing it, it’s not meant to be repaired, it’s a cheap low quality item. It’s so wasteful and contributes nothing to the planet and sustainability. I think back to my grandparents, they owned the same washing machine, cooker and vacuum cleaner for over twenty years. They were good quality serviceable items that were built to last with care. A lot of people now don’t even know how to repair anything, they just trash it and buy a new one. I don’t know how we arrived here but it isn’t good. There are parallels to be drawn here with bicycles.
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Jan 11, 2021 16:09:55 GMT
With the amount of posts and views on this thread about English 3 speed bikes, I think I might start a forum and paste advertising all over it to earn a revenue , I could be rich haha Anyway - here's a great manifesto poster from a site I just found called fixit.com that seems to embody the spirit we have been talking about on here manifesto_en_final by
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Post by franco on Jan 11, 2021 20:06:08 GMT
I don’t think there is a forum dedicated to them Jem. Just the odd long ongoing threads like this www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/623699-love-english-3-speeds.html and places like The Raleigh Roadster Club/Superbe Owners Group on Facebook. Apologies for my recent rants as well, I’m usually chilled out, must be the miserable weather/lockdown/knee problem getting on top of me a bit.
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Jan 11, 2021 20:13:30 GMT
I don’t think there is a forum dedicated to them Jem. Just the odd long ongoing threads like this www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/623699-love-english-3-speeds.html and places like The Raleigh Roadster Club/Superbe Owners Group on Facebook. Apologies for my recent rants as well, I’m usually chilled out, must be the miserable weather/lockdown/knee problem getting on top of me a bit. You rant away Franco...no problem. Being cooped up is frustrating and sorry to hear about your knee issue - things take longer to heal than they did back in our younger years eh? I had a wrist problem for almost a year. Eventually healed itself. Wasn't debilitating, just irritating and made me border line grumpy at times
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Post by franco on Jan 11, 2021 20:35:56 GMT
I don’t think there is a forum dedicated to them Jem. Just the odd long ongoing threads like this www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/623699-love-english-3-speeds.html and places like The Raleigh Roadster Club/Superbe Owners Group on Facebook. Apologies for my recent rants as well, I’m usually chilled out, must be the miserable weather/lockdown/knee problem getting on top of me a bit. You rant away Franco...no problem. Being cooped up is frustrating and sorry to hear about your knee issue - things take longer to heal than they did back in our younger years eh? I had a wrist problem for almost a year. Eventually healed itself. Wasn't debilitating, just irritating and made me border line grumpy at times You are not wrong there mate, ailments came and went over a space of a few weeks at one time. The doctor actually said to me “you are not a young man anymore” haha. Suppose it was a blunt way of saying slow down a bit.
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Jan 11, 2021 21:38:38 GMT
You rant away Franco...no problem. Being cooped up is frustrating and sorry to hear about your knee issue - things take longer to heal than they did back in our younger years eh? I had a wrist problem for almost a year. Eventually healed itself. Wasn't debilitating, just irritating and made me border line grumpy at times You are not wrong there mate, ailments came and went over a space of a few weeks at one time. The doctor actually said to me “you are not a young man anymore” haha. Suppose it was a blunt way of saying slow down a bit. Going back about 12 years , a doctor once said to me..."well, what do you expect at your age?'. Then he proceeded to tell me that human obsolescence really would have you done by about 40 back in the hunter gatherer days, and it's only medicine and our 'soft' lifestyles that mean we get further than that and need constant propping up.
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Post by franco on Apr 26, 2021 15:48:40 GMT
I realised this morning I was cutting it a bit fine to do the April 3 Speed challenge and they have forecast rain the next few days. So I set off earlier, 15 miles, one coffee stop, one 7% hill climb, include an off-road section and the other part is to stay overnight somewhere but not easy to do at the moment. A nice steady ride, took me around 1:15 hrs including the coffee stop. Felt the urge to go into racing mode as I haven’t been out on the road bikes in a while, but had a word with myself and took in the scenery. A few pics and more in the album E24C2583-2F93-4027-A5AD-DF112568383E by Franco_AC, on Flickr F94D0174-A9DF-46CC-B64E-162745639E20 by Franco_AC, on Flickr
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Post by brianbutler on Apr 26, 2021 20:44:05 GMT
Nice machine and another interesting building. What is it? Brian
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Post by franco on Apr 27, 2021 8:14:37 GMT
Thanks Brian, it’s the old pit headstock to the colliery. There aren’t many left around here now, used to be over a dozen of them years ago. It’s now a small mining museum and cafe www.pleasleypittrust.org.uk/
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