Classic & Vintage - Sources for English 3-speed parts?

Hey guys,

I have a Raleigh Sports, and I'd like to get a dynohub and lights for it. I can't seem to find these things from a US vendor - anywhere! The only place I have good luck is on eBay UK, which makes sense, where (1) most vendors refuse to ship international and (2) those who do charge and outrageous amount compared to what the actual cost is.

Any US sources? or reasonable international sources you go to?

thanks,

philip

Check you LBS, older shops may have some stock or used parts. The prices on ebay aren't bad if you are patient.

If you want a vintage SA Dynohub, eBay is probably your best bet but prices vary widely. Nor can you be certain about functionality unless the seller explicitly states it. I've paid anywhere from $12 to $40 for Dynohubs on eBay; the non-functional ones supply spare parts (axles, cones, hub shell) for the functional ones.

If you want both a functional dynohub and decent power output for night riding, a modern dynohub might be a better idea. The original Dynohubs were pretty wimpy.

If you want both a functional dynohub and decent power output for night riding, a modern dynohub might be a better idea. The original Dynohubs were pretty wimpy.

Vintage is what I am looking for just to complete the bike. It's as much about the art as it is having a light... I have a primary commuting bike with the lights and gear, this is more of a fun bike to show off and enjoy for what it is and was. So I am looking for the vintage stuff.

I've been watching ebay for a week or two and haven't found dynohubs in that price range.. they have been $80+. There is one up there now from England that is real cheap but it was just listed and has 5 days to go, plus shipping from england. Guess I'll try and be more patient.

philip

I've been watching ebay for a week or two and haven't found dynohubs in that price range.. they have been $80+. There is one up there now from England that is real cheap but it was just listed and has 5 days to go, plus shipping from england. Guess I'll try and be more patient.

philip

A week or two isn't very long, I'm afraid. Keep looking!

Neal

Vintage is what I am looking for just to complete the bike. It's as much about the art as it is having a light... I have a primary commuting bike with the lights and gear, this is more of a fun bike to show off and enjoy for what it is and was. So I am looking for the vintage stuff.

I've been watching ebay for a week or two and haven't found dynohubs in that price range.. they have been $80+. There is one up there now from England that is real cheap but it was just listed and has 5 days to go, plus shipping from england. Guess I'll try and be more patient.

philip

I've been looking for a late 40's or early 50's dynohub (32H, front), and nothing has turned up on ebay for a while, but I keep my eyes open. Shipping from the UK can be remarkably cheap; it seems to depend a lot on the seller. And shipping from the UK may take a very long time -- ten weeks is not so unusual.

What vintage are you looking for? Are you planning to use your existing front rim? 32H or 36H?

Would you consider a rear dynohub? The AG hubs come up pretty often and are often cheaper than the front ones.

I got a dynohub wheel off Craigslist a couple years ago; it's definitely worth keeping an eye on that. You never know what'll turn up. Good luck, anyway!

Vintage is what I am looking for just to complete the bike.

If you end up going for something new you might want to take a look at Sturmey Archer. AFAIK they don't make any front hubs with the old-school logo, but the hub body, particularly a steel model, would match the look of your rear hub.

I've had good luck with Old Bike Trader (http://www.oldbiketrader.co.uk/) and on eBay UK, SpikesBikes (http://myworld.ebay.com/spikesbikes22vrb0247/).

I've heard that many of the old dynohubs barely put out any power as the permanent magnets really aren't. If they ever were taken apart incorrectly the permanent magnets definitely aren't as they fail the instant they are removed. Just something to think about unless you want to experiment with some sort of jig to re-magnetize them. I hear it isn't easy.

I've thought about the exact same thing and instead I'm looking for a vintage-looking bottle generator as they were pretty much de rigueur on the vintage bikes back in the 50's and 60's when all the kids had such a set-up. I've got a vintage-looking bullet light and plan to put a screw-base LED into one of the bulb holders along with a full-bridge rectifier and a capictor to even out the DC ripples.

Best of both worlds. Vintage-looking and good light. I'll keep the other light hooked up to the battery so I have visibility when I'm stopped.

Not for original dynohubs, but for Sturmey small parts, consumables (tires, brake pads, etc), and the like, sheldonbrown.com, niagaracycle.com, and bikepartsusa.com all are pretty good.

Not for original dynohubs, but for Sturmey small parts, consumables (tires, brake pads, etc), and the like, sheldonbrown.com, niagaracycle.com, and bikepartsusa.com all are pretty good.

YellowJersey (http://www.yellowjersey.org/index.html) has a bunch of stuff too. Much of the stuff isn't on the poorly-done website. Hopefully you get them on a good day if you talk to them on the phone. They can be grouchy in person. I used to live in Madison. They are a great resource on a good day ;)

I lucked out last week and picked up a front 36h dynohub for $5 bucks and my local hole-in-the-wall bike repair place. It was in a milk crate of hubs w/ a cardboard sign "$5 ea" on it. Sweet. I think its functional, but I haven't actually hooked it up yet.

There was only one.

You might try setting up a google alert. You can set up google to search for you, so that if something does come up on say, craigslist or ebay, it will email you so you don't have to look all the time. Go to the main google page and I think its under the "more" listing. A good search string would be something like: dynohub site:[yourcity].craigslist.org/bik

And then Google Alerts will send you an email whenever someone posts an ad w/ the word "dynohub" in the bike section of your local craigslist. You can set up another one for ebay and so on. I find this takes some of the franticness out of searching for particular things for me personally. I constantly find myself thinking "well, I did just check five minutes ago, but what if somebody has posted one now?!" ...and then wasting my whole day, and driving myself nuts.