mickey85

Tonight I nabbed an old Phillips 3 speed for a song, and have gone to work looking it over. It's a Nottingham built bike with a sloping fork crown and Brooks mattress saddle (flat though, not diamond patterned) which has the plastic name tag (in PERFECT condition!).

A few AW related questions though - this bad boy has a cable going all the way back to the chainstay, instead of a pulley - I'm guessing because it is lower-end? Also, when I pedal it backward by hand(in any gear) the pedaling action seems rather stiff, but each gear pops in quickly and comfortably. Think it just needs some new grease, or could it be varnished? The old owner said that he rarely rode it (and it shows! Dirty but fairly nice-looking, I'll get photos up later). I'm guessing just throw in some detergent oil and ride it till it's smoother?

Finally, dating. Looking at Sheldon's site and my g/f's 1973 Raleigh Sports, they both have an S-A hub that is like this:



(though Kelly's has a 73 under the corresponding "AW")

This hub however has an 11 that is turned 90* from where the dates on both of those hubs are. As it's a Nottingham bike (i.e. post-1960) and has 40/32 spokes, I'm guessing it's January, 1961? So this bugger must be from just after the buyout.




Also, a PS - this bike, while very nice riding, and resplendent in typical English drabbery, is very poorly put together, relative to my Pro and the g/f's Sports - the lugs appear hammered, the paint is thick and drippy in places, and the fender stays are wire instead of stamped like the Sports. I really like the ride (went ~5 miles after getting 'er home tonight), but overall? ick. I'm glad that I've got this thing instead of a higher-quality bike to use as a daily driver...

southpawboston

yep, the philips was relegated to 2nd tier after the raleigh buyout, with the raleigh and rudge brands being the "premier" brands. the example of the wire stay versus the stamped stay is illustrative of this difference. the lesser brands also got the vinyl "mattress" saddles, not the leather.

the shifter cable being full-length as opposed to short and using a fulcrum pulley, i don't know if that signifies low-end or is just a variation for variation's sake. i can't honestly think of why one is better than the other.

it sounds like the hub needs a thorough degreasing and fresh oiling (don't put grease in an AW hub!!!). it's also possible that the chain is stiff as well and needs some attention.

mickey85

Thanks for the info! Any idea why the hub would have a differently aligned number than the other AW that I've encountered? Also, I'm running 20 weight in the g/f's AW, but as this one is a bit gummy, do you think a detergent diesel oil like Rotella would work to help de-varnish it?

David Newton

I would wash out the hub with gasoline, kerosine, mineral spirits (paint thinner) spray brake or carb cleaner. Fill it up and wash it around and pour it out. Then pour it full of oil. It's a messy job, but someone has to do it.

choteau

The 11 probably indicates the month of November.

mickey85

Hmm...interesting. Wonder what the year is then?

Chris_in_Miami

I've never known SA to stamp their hubs with the month (and no year!) I have seen them with a very faint date stamp, but I can't imagine any numbers that could be mistaken for a sideways "11"

Have you looked closely around the "barrell" of the hub for an out-of-place stamp?

mickey85

There is another mark on the hub that I noticed, but it looks more like a scrape or ding than anything else. I wish I could get a picture of it, but the only thing I have is a camera phone...Honestly though, if you look at the ASC at the top of the page, the tops of the 1s are aligned with the triangle (closest to the A) and going away from the markings...It's rather strange...

Taking a look at OldRoads, it fairly resembles the late '60's bikes I'm seeing, including the white cables and correct-type Brooks saddle. I'm going to guess 67-72ish for the age of it. There is no model designated anywhere on the thing, and it has the white head tube like I'm seeing with the newer ones...the head badge has the lion in black, gold and red with the "renowned the world over" across the top - probably early 70's by this.

BLUMEANIE

Agreed. Sprays like brake or carb cleaner are easier to use if you're not taking it apart.
I use mineral spirits if I'm disassembling the hub.

FWIW, I use straight 30 weight in all my SA hubs.

bobn

Fill er up with WD40 take a ride and watch the crud come out. Messy messy job, but it works. You may need to do this a couple of times. When you park the bike make sure you have plenty of newspapers handy. It's going to leak crud for awhile.

After you are satisfied with the results use a quality oil of your choice.

Give bike a good cleaning.

gna

I put some ATF in mine and ride 'em. Seems to clean them up.

As far as the date stamp on the SA hub, both my Sports and my wife's Sports have numbers aligned 90 degrees from where they usually are. Hers is 72 8, mine just has a 4--the oil port looks like it was drilled where the years would have been stamped.