banjo_mole 

Do any modern companies make a 3-speed bike in the old style? (Steel, horizontal top tube, etc)

Because I'd sure like a cool english 3-speed. But most of the old ones I've seen are either thrashed, ladies frames, or waaay too expensive. (There's a Raleigh Superbe in mint condition on eBay right now, it's ridiculously wonderful but it's also $600.)

So... any modern makers? Or are the options there limited to either 3-speed beach cruisers or custom framebuilding?

Panthers007

Older one's are easy and fun to restore. I was in the same dilemma as you: Looking for a new bike like my good, old Raleigh Sport. And yep - there were none to be had for under about $600.

I also had my nose to the CL, and was ready to give up. Then I saw an ad for a used PUCH 3-speed. I nearly dropped over dead! I'm quite glad I waited. to find that CL for the PUCH. Instead of kicking myself and plunking down $600.

wahoonc

Lots of bikes coming to market this year, however most do not have the horizontal top tube. Price point seems to be in the $400-$600 range. Keep your eye on ebay and CL. Also check CL in other areas and find out if there is someone local to help you out on getting it. Shipping will run in the $60 range for a bike that is disassembled. I have shipped a couple of bikes for fellow BF members.

I had long wanted a Superbe but I live in a Walmart infested part of the world and decent used bikes are hard to come by. There was as thread running in C&V about dream bikes, I posted about wanting a Superbe and a fellow BF member offered me one he had gotten off of CL a couple of weeks earlier for what he had it in it.

Aaron

mkeller234

Well, there is Pashely, Gazelle and Bahtavus for new 3 speeds... of course they are not that cheap. Flying Pigeon bikes are supposed to be more affordable but I read mixed reviews.

Those retro Schwinns come in a IGH version for around 300-400 hundred dollars.

Charles Wahl

The trouble with most true 3-speeds is steel rims. And heavy frame. And not-so-nice lugwork. Why not find a serviceable C&V road frame and build your own? Plenty of beautiful examples on the "show us your 3-speed" thread that resurfaces whenever someone dings it.

mkeller234

+1, you could really come up with something nice.

rhm

I, too, counsel patience.

Good old bikes are cheap.

Crummy new bikes are much more expensive.

You will be happy with the former. Even if you can get the latter, you will still be looking for the former. By Murphy's law, if you go out and buy a new one you will find an old one much sooner (typically as soon as you stop looking for it) but that's not enough reason to buy the old one.

If your patience is truly at an end, I'd recommend building one up yourself before buying an off-the-shelf one. Start with any bike boom era steel frame that fits you, something with horizontal dropouts, and go from there. Fenders of a contrasting color can look very nice.

Grand Bois

I built my own from an old Reynolds 531 Carlton frame and mostly used parts. It's probably lighter than any 3 speed you can, or ever could, buy. It attracts more attention than any of my other bikes. Ladies love it.

bbattle

bbattle

https://www.dutchbikeseattle.com/html/bikes/index.html

bbattle

tcs

Off the top of my head, there's the Nirve Wilshire, Schwinn Coffee and Sun/Origin 8 Cykel.

The Wilshire and Cykel even have lugged frames.

HTH,
tcs

bbattle

bbattle

Electra Townie Euro 3i

David Newton

Keep watching your Craigslist. I saw a nice man's Raleigh Sport for $50 yesterday, 'course it was Madison WI. Place a "WTB old 3-speed" may work.

Trouble with most new "Roadsters" is the geometry is not laid back enough, and they aren't "conservative" enough, and cheap enough. If you spend $600 on a new bike, might as well spend $500 on an old Superb and get the real thing.

I got one on ebay for $100 including shipping. Just keep looking.

tcs

Reports of the death of three-speeds have been greatly exaggerated. There are lots of factory production three-speeds on the 2009/2010 American market that aren't beach cruisers; offhand I can think of the Bianchi Milano Parco, Breezer Citizen and Freedom, Brompton M3L, Cannondale Hooligan 3, Civia Hyland and Loring, Dahon Curve D3, Electra Townie Euro 3i and Amsterdam Sport Custom 3i, Fisher Simple City 3, Giant Suede GX, KHS Green, Kona World Bike, Nirve Wilshire, Raleigh Classic Roadster and Circa I3, Schwinn Coffee and Excursion, Specialized Globe Carmel 2, Swobo Novak, Sun/Origin8 Cykel and Streamway and Trek Belleville.

However, most of these have an aluminum frame and/or a non-flat top tube, which you said you weren't interested in.

Additionally, and for something lighter and a little more sporty, there are any number of wonderful single speed/fixed gear bikes around today and many of them do have steel frames and horizontal top tubes. It's very straightforward to add a three- or five-speed hub to a SS bike.

HTH,
tcs

gna

Pashley Roadster 26

It ain't cheap, though. If I won the lottery, I would run out and buy a Pashley Sovereign.

graywolf

Depends. if you want a look alike that works OK. If you want a ride alike that does not work at all. The main difference is that the old utility bike are actually designed to be ridden fairly slowly. Also the top tube is too long for that upright position. Except for the long top tube an old long haul touring bike frame would work well, but you are likely to pay a lot more for that frame than you would a fully restored Raleigh 3-speed.

I will never understand why people get upset because an old $100 utility bicycle is not built like their new $5000 road bike. As for steel wheels, they perfectly adequate in the speed envelope the bikes were intended for (under 15mph). If you want modern metallurgy, fine lug work, et al, there are plenty of Dutch built versions in the $1500 and up range. However, most of us want the ride and easy maintenance for $75 or so...

Maybe what we need is an American version of the European Slow Riding Society.

banjo_mole 

Wow... That is a pretty, pretty bike. Too bad it's so much!

I suppose then, that it'll be me and my ongoing hunt for the C&V of things. It's for the best, though, I'm sure!

Building up my own could be fun, but then the geometry would be way off, and there'd be no mounts for a chainguard, it'd all be clamp-on. That's not necessarily bad, but, well, you know. Building up a road racing bike as a 3-speed roadster, although it may work wonderfully, .. well. It'd work wonderfully. Yeah. There's that. But the, uh... geometry. Again. Yeah. The geometry.

Keep your eyes peeled for a cheap (but mint condition with all accessories, racks, bags, and dynohub) oldie for me!

Sci-Fi

Modern 3-speeds?
Schwinn Coffee 3-speed:

Raleigh Classic Roadster:

Have to look for them and some companies offer to to 8-speed IGH and disc brakes and/or offer the same geometry and look except with a dérailleur system. The 700C wheels and lighter steel frames should make the modern 3-speed bike a pretty fast rolling machine.

On the flip side, find a touring frame (modern or vintage) in the 19" size (48-52cm) and build your own 3-speed if vintage 3-speeds are scarce in your area. Touring frames have similar geometry and wheelbase and have more clearance for fenders and traditional placement for the kickstand. Plus have water bottle cage and rack fittings/braze-ons. The wheels might not be the classic 26x1-3/8" 590 ISO size, but a 35-622 (700C) tire is the same width and gives you the classic look. IME, some parts I want or need are special order and have to wait a long time (my CR-18 rims for instance...more than 3 months...should have bought them online but it was a 'make good' freebie from the LBS).

Grand Bois

My Carlton is a '59, so the geometry is pretty slack. It's a very pleasant bike to ride. It's also easier to carry up stairs than an old roadster becuse it weighs half as much as some of them.

David Newton

The geometry is everything on these, and even the later Sports don't have what I want.
I bought this one, rough as all get-out, but the ride is like butter. It's seen a little work since this shot, but the geometry is what I'm pointing out.
Look for Hercules, Robin Hood, BSA, Rudge, Humber, and who knows what else.

banjo_mole 

I doodled a cartoon 3-speed of awesomeness. I always have a hard time drawing bicycle wheels when I doodle (in school mostly, haha,) so I usually just scribble 'em. Any tips for drawing pictures of bicycles? I sure like to.

David Newton

Dave's banjo_mole translation:
I'm killing time this morning. Dear Santa, this is what I want for christmas. This, and a little pencil compass.

gna

I'm getting there with mine. Still looking for a Dyno hub.


I also have a Robin Hood that's a bit small for me--21" frame. It's been rattle canned black. Missing the chainguard, got a green one thanks to PastorBob. Replaced the shifter and cable. Was searching for a Brooks saddle when I stumbled across the Sports.


Both Craigslist finds, but I suspect the Twin Cities was more of a Raleigh area than other parts of the country.