Classic & Vintage - Three speed shifter (Shimano? Sturmey?)

I am working up an 80's Peugeot MTN type bike as a winter commuter. Mounted an alloy wheel with a newish Shimano 3 speed internal hub on it (the kind with the arm... and it WORKS! Whoo hoo! I've never ever owned or ridden a 26" wheel MTN type bike, so it's a hoot for me. I have it with a 40T front chain ring, but I may scale that down to a 36T that I have... as I"ve heard the ratio on 3 speeds can be a little steep.

Currently, for the test ride from the shop, i have it hooked up to the existing friction thumb-style shifter. Of course it's like phantom shifting with no clicks.

Just wondering if anyone out there in C&V land has a box of 3 speed shifter thingys... or one they could spare?

I'll mount some 1.5" tires on it, some fenders, a rack, and I"ll be ready for some crappy weather.

You can have the grip shifter that came with my new SA three speed, but I think you have to use a Shimano shifter with a Shimano hub. I believe the amount of cable pull is different.

I'm riding a 700c Reynolds 531 bike with a three speed for the first time and I'm loving it!

thanks for the offer
I came up with a legit, Shimano trigger shifter that will work.

(now... should I put drop bars on the MTN 3-speed conversion???)

The gearing on Shimano and SA hubs can be modified by changing the rear cog...a bigger cog will lower the overall gear range while a smaller one will increase it.

Moustache bars would be cool.

speaking of cogs and chain rings.. what is the diff in changing the front chain ring to a lower tooth number vs. changing the back cog?

Moustache bars? hmmm... I think we have something like that in the shop.

speaking of cogs and chain rings.. what is the diff in changing the front chain ring to a lower tooth number vs. changing the back cog? ...

In terms of pedal effort, only the gear ratio counts, i.e., 40/20 will feel the same to you as 42/21 or 38/19. However, your chain, chainring, and cog will last longer with a larger chainring / larger cog combination than with a smaller chainring and cog.

... Mounted an alloy wheel with a newish Shimano 3 speed internal hub on it (the kind with the arm... and it WORKS! Whoo hoo!
Currently, for the test ride from the shop, i have it hooked up to the existing friction thumb-style shifter. Of course it's like phantom shifting with no clicks. ...

For about 3 years my commuter was an old Bianchi road bike with a Sturmey Archer 3-speed coaster hub controlled by the original (friction) downtube lever. First and third were trivial to find, and I don't think I ever missed a shift into second or slipped out of it, either.

speaking of cogs and chain rings.. what is the diff in changing the front chain ring to a lower tooth number vs. changing the back cog?

Moustache bars? hmmm... I think we have something like that in the shop.

Changing the front ring to a smaller one will also reduce the gearing but I also prefer to run chainring and cog combos that are as large as possible as you get better chain engagement and a smoother and longer lasting drive.

Changing the front ring to a smaller one will also reduce the gearing but I also prefer to run chainring and cog combos that are as large as possible as you get better chain engagement and a smoother and longer lasting drive.

thanks for the tips!

I'm currently running a 52 ring and a 21 cog on my three speed Carlton. That gives me 49.7, 66.3 and 88.3 gear inches with 700cX28 tires. That's very close to stock Raleigh gearing. Some people find that gearing too steep for the hills, but I'm a grinder not a spinner.

My general rule of thumb for cog vs chainwheel size is about 1:2 that gives you a decent combination. Any gross variation of that is prone to cause problems or accelerated component wear...eventually:p

Aaron:)

My general rule of thumb for cog vs chainwheel size is about 1:2 that gives you a decent combination. Any gross variation of that is prone to cause problems or accelerated component wear...eventually:p

Aaron:)

I don't have much experience with 3 speeds, but 1:2 sounds awfully low to me. I set mine up so that second gear is the same ratio that I'm comfortable with on a single speed. The bike was a single speed before I converted it to a 3 speed.

I don't have much experience with 3 speeds, but 1:2 sounds awfully low to me. I set mine up so that second gear is the same ratio that I'm comfortable with on a single speed. The bike was a single speed before I converted it to a 3 speed.

That is basically the way mine are set up also...

Aaron:)

A 52:21 gives you the same main drive gearing as a 46:18 so the ratio between the other gears would be the same as well.

The stock gearing on an SA AW hub gives you 45, 60, and 80 gear inches and I believe that old Shimano 3 speed hubs are just a wee step higher and warrant a cog change unless you are an animal or if the drive is going on a utility bike.

My Phillip's Twenty folder came with a 46:15 which gave it a gearing of 46, 61, and 82 gear inches (higher than my other 3 speed) and after changing the rear cog the gearing is now 38, 51, and 68. The smaller cog in the rear was to compensate for the 20 inch wheels buut this gearing was too high for a utility bike/ commuter that tends to carry a good deal of stuff and has to climb some steep hills.

I built a three speed hybrid with a Raleigh road frame and SA 3 speed hub and it runs a 40:16 using a Shimano crank and chainring and a Shimano cog in the rear so I can run regular chain... Shimano cogs do fit on SA hubs but being narrower will require a spacer.

3 speeds are fun to work on and for a short time my hybrid ran a 6 speed drive with a 16 and 18 tooth cog in the back and I used a Shimano road d and thumbie to handle the shifting duties... this is an easy project if you are using a modern frame.

I'd like to see a pic of the Peugeot and here's a picsof my hybrid in full commute mode as well as a link to a thread I started to keep track of this project.

http://members.shaw.ca/feynn/biking/crittercommute.jpg

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=203018&highlight=critter+3+speed

Sixty Flyer --

Thanks for the tutorial. Very useful info.
The bike is being worked on in the earn a bike shop I volunteer at, so it is not 'nearby' where I can grab details off of. It is about 50% done, but as I've gotten thru geting the rear wheel/gearing part out of the way, the rest is window dressing (matching tires, pedals, fenders, rack).
I had intended to bring a digi-cam to the shop yesterday when I worked on it, but I forgot it at home, so no progress pics. I will grab some when I can.

I'm not settled on what kind of tires (26 x 1.5) I want on there. It is Wisconsin (Madison) but realistically, I won't be plowing thru heavy snow too often; even the commuter bike paths get cleared during snow events. I'm leaning towards a modest tread. Suggestions?

thanks!

My winter bike (a fixed mb) is running some Schwalbe Hurricanes (26 by 2 semi slick) that have already proven themselves on the street, trail, and singletrack and also have a second wheelset (26 by 1.75) with a studded front tire and more aggressive tread in the rear in case things get glassy.

Many folks here run road slicks in the winter and have no complaints and swear that this is the best way to go... a modest tread with a good tire compound should work well.

Armadillos are always a good choice as they come is a wide range of sizes and tread patterns and are also fairly bulletproof.

Here are some shots of my newly-finished '59 Carlton if you're interested.

http://community.webshots.com/album/560796524cQRWSB

Dirtdrop -

Interested ?

I think I am in love with your bike... she's gorgeous !