Utility Cycling - Bring back the English 3-speed

Cool. Did those Sears bikes not have a head badge? Because this one doesn't. Know where I could find some pictures of other Sears bikes like you're talking about?

A nice site to look at 3-speed photos if you have not found it is: http://threespeedgallery.blogspot.com/

I know of three versions of the English 3-speed style bike from Sears. The first was made by Hercules and labeled J C Higgins (My second bike as a kid was one of these) 1950's era. The second made by Puch was labeled Ted Williams. The third was labeled Free Spirit (That is what I think you may have) it was also made by Puch. The Free Spirit usually had chrome fenders, and the headbadge was just a decal or sticker, IIRC. However I do not know that I ever saw a black one, does yours look like it may have been repainted?

Oh it's definitely been repainted. With crappy black spraypaint that comes off if I scratch at it with my fingernail. There's a reddish color under the black.

I also had an "English Three Speed" in HS & college and a bit post college. It was from Montgomery Wards. Mother had one from Sears; it was black, and made in Austria.

Oh it's definitely been repainted. With crappy black spraypaint that comes off if I scratch at it with my fingernail. There's a reddish color under the black.

That is about what I figured. There may still be a headbadge decal under the paint, or it may have been removed for the repaint and never replaced. I have a basket case Raleigh that someone did the same to, only with white paint. I suspect it may have been one of those free-ride bikes at one time, they were often poorly resprayed white by the towns.

Still for what you paid it is worth tinkering with.

Great thread. Lots of cool bikes here, shiny new ones and well worn old ones.
This is my Dunelt. A few years ago I got a flat in a sew up with no spare, da. While walking home came across a garage sale and rode the Dunelt home for $15. Another $15 bought the Brooks B5N. Always meant to put a little larger gear on the back, almost never use 3rd. I like to putz.

Nice bike sail! I'm riding a single speed road bike right now (thankfully it's not a fixed gear...whew) with bull horns on it. I'm seriously thinking about putting some handle bars on it like the old threespeeds have/had. It has fenders already. I need a rack for it too. It's a Redline 925, and I like the utilitarian look anyway, and I could use a rack, even if only twice a week.

Nice bike sail! I'm riding a single speed road bike right now (thankfully it's not a fixed gear...whew) with bull horns on it. I'm seriously thinking about putting some handle bars on it like the old threespeeds have/had. It has fenders already. I need a rack for it too. It's a Redline 925, and I like the utilitarian look anyway, and I could use a rack, even if only twice a week.

Curious

I have a 9.2.5 too mine has the mustache bars (2006 model) I have a Tubus Fly (http://www.ortliebusa.com/CartGenie/prod-70.htm) on mine. Bike doesn't get much use.:o

Aaron:)

The fly rack looks very nice, mine is an old Blackburn with homemade brass mounts. The front basket looks cool to me but in reality spends most of it's time next to the couch full of magazines.

The Redline bike is a nice looker, I have no experience riding a newer design bike without a level top tube. I did try putting upright bars on my Gitanne Super Corsa road bike and it threw the whole balence off, felt squirly, took em back off.

Anyways, they do still have a Milano with an 8 speed hub, but I don't see what the MSRP is.

$799. See http://www.bianchiusa.com/10-bicycles/10-milano/10-milano-alfine.html.

www.singletrackworld.com/2009/09/interbike-part-three-more-from-the-desert

somebodys listening - apologies if already posted.

Not a classic 3 speed hub but I am in the process of building up a wheel using a NOS Sturmey Archer S5-2 Alloy 5 speed rear hub. This is one of the old dual cable shifting units from the late 80s or early 90s. These do not have a date of manufacture stamped into the hub shell. I managed to buy it NOS with two versions of original dual cable shifters and with the original box and instructuions from another member of the Yahoo Geared Hub Bikes group linked to in my signature block below. New members are always welcome. Lots of articles and links to IGH information sources are available there.

It will be going on a Kona cruiser from the early to mid 90s to replace the Sachs Torpedo 3 speed wheel I originally built for it. The Kona is a HumuHumu-Nukunuku-A-Puaa which was a cruiser that looked like an overgrown BMX bike frame but with canti brakes and 26" wheels. About the lightest cruiser I have ever picked up with a chrome moly frame IIRC. Again not a classic English style frame but it should make up into a interesting frankenbike.

Not a classic 3 speed hub but I am in the process of building up a wheel using a NOS Sturmey Archer S5-2 Alloy 5 speed rear hub. This is one of the old dual cable shifting units from the late 80s or early 90s. These do not have a date of manufacture stamped into the hub shell. I managed to buy it NOS with two versions of original dual cable shifters and with the original box and instructuions from another member of the Yahoo Geared Hub Bikes group linked to in my signature block below. New members are always welcome. Lots of articles and links to IGH information sources are available there.

It will be going on a Kona cruiser from the early to mid 90s to replace the Sachs Torpedo 3 speed wheel I originally built for it. The Kona is a HumuHumu-Nukunuku-A-Puaa which was a cruiser that looked like an overgrown BMX bike frame but with canti brakes and 26" wheels. About the lightest cruiser I have ever picked up with a chrome moly frame IIRC. Again not a classic English style frame but it should make up into a interesting frankenbike.

Cool. I overhauled one some yrs ago and it worked perfect for four years. Now he bought a car and he has got car- problems all the time:D

Got one hub like that myself. Picked it off a 24" girls MTB that looked totally unused, apart from evidence of a crash. I think somebody did not want to ride it after that..
I`ll post when I put it to use. I am thinking of a mixte. Cool with the two paralell tubes and two paralell wires. Found a new shifter for it in my LBS.

Show us yours when it is done!

www.singletrackworld.com/2009/09/interbike-part-three-more-from-the-desert

somebodys listening - apologies if already posted.

Not exactly what I would think of when thinking of an English 3speed.;):lol:

Aaron:)

I have a 73 Raleigh Sports. Bought it for $50 after advertising on Craigslist Wanted section. Anyway I got a Brooks B63 aged saddle for it and am having trouble breaking it in though honestly I may not have done 200 miles on her yet! I am wishing I had bought one of those three spring saddles Brooks makes. I hear they are discontinuing them? I am a slowbicycling fan and love to putz around town on the old girl. I am just looking for ways to make it a more comf experience. I have the saddle tilted very slightly up at the front. Maybe I need some padded riding shorts? Also I have some cheap gumwall tires which are o.k but I would love to put balloon tires on the bike some Schwalbes perhaps. Ah but the forks are too narrow! Any suggestions for improving comfort without spending a fortune? Thanks! Rob

Not exactly what I would think of when thinking of an English 3speed.;):lol:

Aaron:)

True, but it does go to show that IHG's are coming back.

I'm rethinking my love for old three-speeds. There aren't good tires available in 26x1-3/8" size. What, exactly, is it that we love about the old design? There is something charismatic to it. But perhaps I can recreate it from something else. Is it the short top tube? The lax frame angles? What other attributes are on those bikes that are not on more modern bikes? Maybe it's all those attributes, acting in concert, that give it that three-speed feel.

This past summer, I was riding an old ten speed from 1980. Even though I lowered the gears by replacing the chain rings, I'm still using it as three speed! LOL! I only use three gears tops because the bike is very high geared. I wish they still made 10 speed bikes in this geometry since they were better than the old roadster sit up straight postion. Make no doubt it, even though they were ten speeds, you treated them like three.

http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr147/Rod_Smith/IMG_3123.jpg

I'm rethinking my love for old three-speeds. There aren't good tires available in 26x1-3/8" size. What, exactly, is it that we love about the old design? There is something charismatic to it. But perhaps I can recreate it from something else. Is it the short top tube? The lax frame angles? What other attributes are on those bikes that are not on more modern bikes? Maybe it's all those attributes, acting in concert, that give it that three-speed feel.

Scwhalbe (http://www.schwalbetires.com/product_search?op0=OR&filter0[]=590-37) has a decent selection of tires available in the 37-590 size. I also have been sourcing Kenda and Cheng Shin from various places, not the greatest tires around but certainly decent value for the price.

Aaron:)

I'm rethinking my love for old three-speeds. There aren't good tires available in 26x1-3/8" size. What, exactly, is it that we love about the old design? There is something charismatic to it. But perhaps I can recreate it from something else. Is it the short top tube? The lax frame angles? What other attributes are on those bikes that are not on more modern bikes? Maybe it's all those attributes, acting in concert, that give it that three-speed feel.

Scwhalbe (http://www.schwalbetires.com/product_search?op0=OR&filter0[]=590-37) has a decent selection of tires available in the 37-590 size. I also have been sourcing Kenda and Cheng Shin from various places, not the greatest tires around but certainly decent value for the price.
Aaron:)

Yeah, I'm looking to put 37-590s SMPs on my Schwinn Collegiate (yes, I have a later built one that went to the 590 standard). I've also considered rebuilding it with S-A drum brakes (F & R) in a 559 size.

Anyhow, I think the real appeal of three speeds is the overall feel of the bike. It's a nice relaxed cruiser that can get to respectable speeds. It's not the size of the wheel that defined the old three speeds, it's the use and simplicity.

I agree as well, however, there is a place in my house for the originals and recreations. I don't think I will ever be able to pass up a sweet original 3 speed. I would like to recreate the 3 speed feel though, with a little bit lighter frame and an IGH with more than 3 speeds. A lighter frame with an 8 speed IGH and similar riding position to the old 3 speeds would be the perfect all-around bike in my opinion.

There are at least 3 different 1-3/8 x 26 tire sizes out there. Luckily you can find the English 590A tires fairly easily, although you may have to mail order them if what Walmart carries is not what you want.

Even if they were entirely discontinued for bicycles it is a standard wheel chair size. Want solid tires, no flats, for your bicycle? That is the place to look.

It's not the size of the wheel that defined the old three speeds, it's the use and simplicity.

Yes, my point is that it's not the size of the wheel that defined them, which is to say there's no reason to be loyal to that size. But just what is what defines the three speed? (I asked before.) Sure, the IGH is great and even fun to use.

I worked at bike shops many years ago, and it was a precious day when my boss would send me out across the city on an errand. I would grab a Raleigh Sports, and I'd have so much fun with it in traffic! The bike's feel always made me smile. But how?

I've been collecting (and fixing and reselling) bikes for a while now, and my 17 year old daughter helps me. We find that the bikes with the shallow frame angles put the biggest smiles on our faces. Could that be it?

I think the frame angles and riding position play a part in what makes them so much fun to ride, but there's something else. Could it be something that doesn't really have anything to do with the physical bike itself, but the way you use the bike? At least the way I ride a 3 speed, I don't feel like I need to go fast or that I'm in a hurry or on a mission but I'm just enjoying being outdoors and pedaling around. But then again, maybe it is the bike that makes me feel that way. hmmmm....I don't know.

You're onto something there. Plus, I felt like I was playing hooky while being paid, so that was a huge factor.

Most of my riding has been on drop bars, and I enjoy upright handlebars. My commuter bike has now become my favorite bike, and it has alloy North Road bars. I recently got a B72 saddle, so I guess it's on its way to becoming a Raleigh Sports-like bike. I have plastic fenders, too. The frame is a 1971 Raleigh Super Course, with 27" wheels and an 18-speed derailleur drivetrain.

At the moment I have a traditional 3 speed and a 10 spd Motobecane Mirage or Super Mirage (don't know which exactly) that I find myself wanting to make more like a 3 speed. I put a rack on the back and some north road bars from a crappy old western flyer. I would also like to replace the 10 spd drivetrain with an IGH at some point.

I just prefer the relaxed style. While it may not be the ideal racing position, I can still get my blood pumping pretty good even with the more relaxed positioning.

I'm enough of a novice at bike to not really understand the ramifications finer points of geometry on handling and fit... I'm not sure I even understand what determines shallow vs steep angles (or slack angles... or whatever)

However, yeah, 3-speed are just fun to ride... you typically ride upright, you're not hammering to get where you're going. You can get up to just enough speed to whistle wind in your ears rather but not have to work hard... that and the seat are the right balance of cush without being the overblown gel cruiser seats of today.

flammenwurfer, I made a commuter bike from a Mirage. I think the Mirage and Super Mirage had the same frame or very similar frames. I put all-rounder (nearly straight) bars on it, fenders and a rack. It was very nice but didn't ride like a Raleigh Sports. Interestingly, adding weight to the FRONT made the bike handle BETTER. I think the design was inspired by French cargo bikes. In France, they tend to load cargo on the fronts of the bikes, not the rear. The Mirage would turn by steering, not by leaning. I think it had a steep head angle and long fork rake.

All this is interesting to me, because the Mirage was equipped, priced, and positioned just like the Peugeot UO-8, but the handling was noticeably different.

I think some of the 3 speed appeal is the simplicity, it is hard to beat the riding position once you get it dialed in. It makes you slow down and take life at less of a breakneck pace. I used to race, and race hard back in the 70's, I had a Bob Jackson Tourist that I would ride on off weekends, but I could still push that bike hard. Get on an upright Raleigh and you can't push it, it gets you up to a certain speed and that is it, no matter how hard you try to push it is only going to go so fast.

Aaron:)

noglider: I've added the rack already and I've been wanting to add fenders as well, but haven't gotten to it yet. I have a wald front basket that's coming tomorrow, but I can't decide whether to put it on the Motobecane or the 3 speed. I guess I'll have to try it out on both, but I think the 3 speed looks and rides great as it is, so I may just leave it alone. The Motobecane is already sort of confused as to what it is, so I'll probably end up putting the basket on there to keep it that way :).

wahoonc: 3 speeds definitely aren't intended to be speed demons but I feel like I can get movin pretty good on mine if I try. I was flyin down some of my neighborhood streets the other day keeping up with cars that were driving through. Speed limit is only 25 mph I think, but still I felt like I was goin FAST! haha

Do you know what year your Mirage is? Mine was about a 1975. I think it will like having a front basket, but it will get tricky if you have a quick-release front wheel.

I can't, for the life of me, remember what I did with that bike. I either sold it or abandoned it when I left Boston to take my three-month bike journey in Europe.

I have no idea what year it is or if it is a Mirage or Super Mirage. There are no markings left on the bike other than the head badge. I believe it has front fender/rack eyelets. I can use those to mount the wald basket can't I?

Here it is. This was right after I got it. It has a rear rack, a different saddle and north road bars on it now.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aQvE2vU5Quo/SntKmJS7zNI/AAAAAAAAChY/lUVn3qqwDv4/s800/0806090002.jpg

To keep from annoying the 3-speed enthusiasts, maybe you should start a thread about your Mirage, in the Classic and Vintage section.

Anyway, that looks like a 1976 or later, since it has the cotterless crank, and it may be a Super Mirage because of that. Can you tell if the rims are original? What brand are they? They're aluminum, right? That would further indicate it's a Super Mirage.

If there are fender eyelets above the fork tip, then it's a good attaching point for the basket. If they are only under, it will probably be possible but might be tricky.

The bars in that picture look like North Road to me.

I did start a thread before, and all I figured out was that it's a Mirage or Super Mirage. If anyone would like to help me narrow it down a little more, my thread is here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=583232). I'm not sure if the wheels are original or if they're aluminum or not.

Those bars are what I would call I guess, not quite north road bars. They don't swoop back enough to be north roads in my opinion. I don't really know exactly what they are, they just came on the bike when I bought it. My wrists were in a slightly bent position with those and the ones I replaced them with swoop back more and are more comfortable.

OK, I responded there.

I think some of the 3 speed appeal is the simplicity, it is hard to beat the riding position once you get it dialed in. It makes you slow down and take life at less of a breakneck pace. I used to race, and race hard back in the 70's, I had a Bob Jackson Tourist that I would ride on off weekends, but I could still push that bike hard. Get on an upright Raleigh and you can't push it, it gets you up to a certain speed and that is it, no matter how hard you try to push it is only going to go so fast.

Aaron:)

Many and many a year ago when I first started racing, I entered a citizens race. In the middle of it, a racer that was a cat 3, that happened to be riding by on his way to work, saw the race and jumped in on his Raliegh DL-1, complete with rod brakes and full chaincase. He went around a couple of laps of the circuit with us then peeled off . So, I guess you can push an english 3 speed if you have to!

Sure, but you'll feel a point of diminishing returns at a lower speed than on a racing bike.

San Rensho,
Your right about pushing them, although spinning out is a problem with being dialed in for hilly areas. I'm running a 36 up front! (35"-47"-62")
hvac59

San Rensho,
Your right about pushing them, although spinning out is a problem with being dialed in for hilly areas. I'm running a 36 up front! (35"-47"-62")
hvac59

Yeah, those are pretty low gears. Mine is set up with 40,54,72 gear inches and I couldn't spin the 72 for very long.

If you try to ride a 3-speed like a road or mountain bike you will kill yourself. The are really not intended to spin. Keep your cadence between 30 and 60 and you can go all day running 10-15mph. If you are a speed demon you can push one 25-30 mph on the flats after all they are geared 90-95 in high. Where the 10+ speed bikes beat them is between gears, often a 3-spd is over or under geared for the conditions, but that really only makes a difference if you are racing or time trialing. Remember, they were not designed as aerobic exercise machines, but as transportation. Think pedaling to work in your suit and tie (you do not want to arrive all sweaty and stinky) and you got it.

You could say that the derailleur bike is better for exercise than a 3-speed, but until derailleur bikes were common, 3-speeds definitely were built for exercise. They're not unsuitable for that; they're just not as good.

There aren't good tires available in 26x1-3/8" size.

Over the last two years I found the following 26 x 1 3/8 tires at bike shops, on line, in suburban big boxes and in small town hardware stores:

Bell Sports Streetster (folding)
Continental City Ride
Innova Cloud Nine
IRC “British pattern”
Kenda “utility”
Kenda “knobby”
Kenda Street
Michelin Dynamic
Michelin Transworld City
Michelin World Tour
Nokian Rollspeed TS
Panaracer Col de Vie
Panaracer Passhunter (light knobby)
Panaracer ST Daily Commuting
Pyramid “utility”
Schwalbe Delta Cruiser (available in cream color)
Schwalbe Marathon
Schwalbe Marathon Plus
Schwalbe Reflex
Specialized TriSport
Vittoria Randonneur
Vredestein Girando


HTH,
tcs

Good to know. But the big question is: is any of them any good?

Good to know. But the big question is: is any of them any good?

I'll vouch for Schwalbe Marathons 26 x 1 3/8" (37 x 590mm) on my wife's 1960 AMF Hercules 3 speed. No problems, no flats, last forever.

Good to know. But the big question is: is any of them any good?

Most if not all of them. My first choice in tires is usually the Scwalbe Marathons. I run those on 3 of my bikes. I like the reflective sidewalls.

I have used the Panaracer Col de Vie in other sizes and they have done well. I also have one bike that came stock with Cheng Shin tires and they ran out over 6,000 miles prior to replacement. Kenda is a lower end tire but for general purpose riding they are hard to beat for the price point. IRC is a quality tire, I used those for years on my touring bike. I have a love/hate relation ship with the Michelin Transworld City tires, I have them in a 700c on my grocery getter bike, the tread picks up small sharp edged stones, so far no flats, but the concern exists.

Aaron:)

Tires for commuters need to be bullet proof. When I commuted I had more problems with cutting tires on broken glass than with punctures.

Tires for racing, or centuries, need to be light and have little rolling resistance.

In both those cases you need the best tire you can afford. However, considering the 3 speeds performance window most tires you can buy today work well. If I was riding it to work every day I would look for something with kevlar belts, but otherwise my opinion is most anything will work. My Dunelt has Cheng Shin which were about $8 ea including shipping. My old commuter still has oversized (41mm instead of the standard 32mm) kevlar belted tires that were designed for desert riders (cactus thorn proof) on it.

BTW, in reply to a post above, I did not say you could not get exercise riding a 3-speed, I said they were not designed as aerobic exercise machines. They were designed as basic everyday transportation (despite the fact that they were sold as kids toys here in the US), although even in Europe most people had private cars by 1955 which is when the quality started to drop.

Then a combination of guys returning from Vietnam and Bank credit cards brought on the boom of the 70's with everybody buying expensive toys they never could have afforded with out those credit cards: bicycles, motorcycles, cameras, stereos, etc...

picked a new ORIGIN 8 CYKEL up on ebay for $9.99!. rides like my raleigh sports. has a sramT3 and a lugged steel framset. mounted a set of sks fenders, and plan on a front dyno hub and changing the handlebar stem. fwiw joehttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/_G1N4SIcd-js/SRyMdM42hpI/AAAAAAAAApk/Wargb70Uli4/s1600/bicycles_new_cycel.jpg

Damn you joek! I saw those and was going to bid on one, but they wouldn't ship. I'm guessing you did local pickup right? Is that seat comfy? It doesn't look too bad.

Lots of these comments describe English 3 speeds as being upright riding cruisers whereas internally geared road bikes were still the norm in England until the 50's when derailer gearing started to become very popular for the masses.

I am presently working on a 1954 Raleigh Sports road model with a 3 speed hub that will also be getting a vintage early 60's Cyclo Benelux 3 speed dual drive conversion to give it 9 speeds.

It will be a nice stable mate to my 1955 Lenton which is a fixed gear model... the IG hub option cost a few pounds more.