english 3-speeds anyone??

[AngryScientist]

my wife has been wanting a cruiser typed bike for a while now, and i recently acquired this thing. its in pretty rough shape, but i think with a little TLC it could be a venerable boardwalk runner.

i'm thinking of either maintaining the 3-speed rear or converting it to a coaster brake hub, as this will be a flatland runner without the real need for gears.

anyone else got one?

http://i1003.photobucket.com/albums/af153/aero_dynamic8/DSCN0663.jpg
http://i1003.photobucket.com/albums/af153/aero_dynamic8/DSCN0665.jpg
http://i1003.photobucket.com/albums/af153/aero_dynamic8/DSCN0669.jpg
http://i1003.photobucket.com/albums/af153/aero_dynamic8/DSCN0673.jpg

[Ralph]

Cool!!

[rpm]

That bike looks like it's in pretty good shape. By all means restore it as a 3-speed, put on a nice Brooks B-72 and a basket. Then find yourself one, and head for the Lake Pepin 3-speed tour!

http://www.3speedtour.com/

[mjbrekke]

English 3-speeds have a cult following here in Minnesota, beyond just as solid daily urban riders. Check out http://www.3speedtour.com/. They've had to close registrations for this weekend ride many months in advance the past few years. I rode it in 2009 on a Raleigh Sprite that I converted from its original Huret 5-speed derailleur to a Sturmey Archer S5 (5-speed) hub. Way too much fun. (Which reminds me, I'd better check get my registration for 2011 in.)

College kids around here love them. On his visit home this summer, my son cleaned up two old 3-speeds I had squirreled away in our barn. One (my Mom's old bike, a '63 women's Raleigh Sport) he ended up shipping to California to give to a friend of his.

Sheldon Brown has great info on repairing and restoring--start at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/ and go from there.

[93legendti]

My Mom keeps bugging me to sell my Dad's '70's Raleigh Superbe hanging in her garage-I guess I should clean it up and post a FS thread here...

[christian]

I had a Rudge 3-speed for a while. Loved it - was a great bike, really a pleasant ride. I would swap the rims out for 590mm aluminum rims, and put on modern sidepulls (the long Tektros) so you get actual braking. Other than that, put on a B.72 and call it a day.

[AngryScientist]

is it out of the question to restore this brooks thats on it, if so, any tips? it definitely has character...

[mjbrekke]

The Brooks saddle that is on it is almost certainly original, but it's not nearly as comfortable as a well-broken-in leather B72 (which was standard on the earlier, and higher-end Raleighs, Rudges, etc.). Since the bike is not really a collector's piece (there were thousands, possibly millions, made over nearly 100 years), if it were me I'd put a good saddle on it so it gets ridden more. A B72 would be great, but anything that's comfy will do. About all you could do to restore the original saddle is give it a good washing, I think.

What year is the bike? Check the rear hub for the month and year stamped on it (e.g., 5 73 = May 1973). My guess is early to mid '70s.

I've found that you can get decent braking from these by swapping out the brake shoes for something softer (and often orange) rather than changing the entire brake.

[Louis]

I agree, keep / restore the 3-speed hub if at all possible.

Plus, you never know, the gears may come in handy some day.

[AngryScientist]

rear hub dates the bike as a '71.

thanks for the advice guys, i pulled the rear wheel off last night and the hub's working (shifting) fine.

from what i read on sheldon browns site and others, i think this bike even still had the original stock tires on it, which showed next to no wear at all, i would suspect this bike has actually been ridden no more than 100 miles or so over its 39 year life, crazy.

[sean]

Those three speed hubs last forever if you maintain them. I have to dig, but there is a book from the 70's about general bike repair. It has a section that shows you how to rebuild SA 3-sp hubs step by step. It also has sections on bendix and other cruiser style hubs, pretty cool IMHO.

The other good thing is that spare parts are pretty easy to come by. If you can't find them on ebay, you can post on the schwinn forums and you're likely to get what you need.

Before you delve into it, know it's a long process that takes a lot of patience and may require some additional disassembly/re-assembly to get it right. But once done, and if kept up, you shouldn't have to touch it for years.

I would also suggest replacing the trigger, cables, housing and bell crank or chain pull. That stuff wears out and it will save you a ton of headaches when trying to get it into gear.

[sean]

I also agree with the saddle swap suggestion. Hang onto the original and put a champion flyer "S" on there or similar. Also, swap out the brake pads for some Kool Stop continentals. You'll find that those brakes might actually work!

Last thing, if you peruse the collectables category on ebay.uk or US, you can find those exact replace handlebars and grips for cheap, that way you can just swap out rather than fighting the rust.

[csm]

I'd say just replace the shifter and cable. those hubs last forever and with only a hundred miles or so it's just getting broken in! I've had them apart and they are tedious to put back together.

[palincss]

I'd say just replace the shifter and cable. those hubs last forever and with only a hundred miles or so it's just getting broken in! I've had them apart and they are tedious to put back together.

If it's only got 100 miles on it, it probably doesn't need a rebuild at all, it just needs a table spoon of oil to go with the new shifter and cable.

[harlond]

I'm a total noob on internally geared hubs, but I'm currently building up a 1973 Raleigh Twenty with a new Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub. I've read where some people think the older shifters are better than the newer ones, so I'd be mindful of that before I dumped the older shifter. Good luck, nice looking bike.

[csm]

If it's only got 100 miles on it, it probably doesn't need a rebuild at all, it just needs a table spoon of oil to go with the new shifter and cable.
my thoughts exactly.

[Cantdog]

Yep, I've got a Ted Wojcik Executive commuter. 3spd, mustache bars, fender mounts, cantilevers, steel.

An old picture right after I got it: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8UTgD4FnXhg/SYXH3jP-LjI/AAAAAAAAAeo/KvOe-iVmLFk/s640/IMGP0001.JPG (Yes I put a new chain on and properly tensioned it)

I think I'm going to put it up for sale soon as I'd like something else to commute on. It's been a wonderfully fun bike though.

[eddief]

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/via.1.w/7385/44532/

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/via/7380/44059/

The frame design on the Via 1 looks cool.

[sean]

I'm a total noob on internally geared hubs, but I'm currently building up a 1973 Raleigh Twenty with a new Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub. I've read where some people think the older shifters are better than the newer ones, so I'd be mindful of that before I dumped the older shifter. Good luck, nice looking bike.

Totally. I should have been more specific. I meant to say replace the shifter with an appropriate NOS one. The newer ones don't work so well with the older hubs. If you do wanna save some cash though, the AMF shifters are almost exact copies and work the same as the SA ones.

[Ahneida Ride]

Reminds me of my Rudge ....

anyone remember Rudge ?

[palincss]

Reminds me of my Rudge ....

anyone remember Rudge ?

Of course. Although I never owned one as a kid, I rode plenty of them. There were plenty in my neighborhood, and I was the only kid who knew how to adjust the indicator shift cable. My price for adjustments was a ride on the bike in question. They were marvelous bikes.

[mjbrekke]

I agree, if the hub shifts fine, just oil appropriately and ride. My brother and father overhauled a Sturmey Archer hub once, "just because", but it was a lot of work and didn't improve the shifting (which was fine to begin with). Since then, I've just kept them oiled and had no problems.

My son and I have had good luck cleaning up rusted chrome using a light oil and brass wool. Brass wool is available in the cleaning supplies section of many grocery stores. I don't use steel wool because I don't want to leave fine particles of rust-prone steel behind. For the paint, rubbing compound designed for autos works great--just follow the directions. Be careful around the decals, though; the rubbing compound will remove them. Rubbing compound sometimes works on the chrome, too, if the rust isn't too heavy. For both paint and chrome, I finish things off with a coat of car wax, which helps prevent more rusting. You'll be surprised how good the bike looks when you're done!

Other tips: Be very careful when tightening the nuts and bolts. They tended to be very soft steel so they strip and break easily. Good crank cotter keys are getting hard to find, so if you have to go into the BB, try not to damage the cotters. Read Brown's directions regarding the installation of the front wheel in the fork--which side is which is important.

Have fun!

[Frankwurst]

My Mom keeps bugging me to sell my Dad's '70's Raleigh Superbe hanging in her garage-I guess I should clean it up and post a FS thread here...

Save youself the hassle. Hang a price on it and send me a picture. :beer: