For the love of English 3 speeds...
#9526
Old Boy
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Bikes: Mostly 1st-generation, top-of-the-line, non-unicrown MTBs/ATBs: All 1984 models: Dawes Ranger, Peugeot Canyon Express, Ross Mt. Whitney (chrome), Schwinn High Sierra, and a 1983 Trek 850.
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I may be opening myself up for ridicule here, but have you read the blog Lovely Bicycle? Lovely Bicycle!
Besides being a brilliant photographer, this lady writes a compelling case for the qualities of cycling that don't revolve around the newer! lighter! faster! more! marketing mantra. She writes about things that last, things made by hand, things that are beautiful because they are useful and well-engineered. In short, she writes about Quality.
I have incorporated a lot of her ideas into the bikes that I build now, and I've been very happy with the results. So yeah, broaden your horizons on ye olde English 3-speed. With the proper mods to improve ride quality, and proper setup of shifting and brakes, you may be surprised at how much much fun they are.
#9527
Old Boy
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Bikes: Mostly 1st-generation, top-of-the-line, non-unicrown MTBs/ATBs: All 1984 models: Dawes Ranger, Peugeot Canyon Express, Ross Mt. Whitney (chrome), Schwinn High Sierra, and a 1983 Trek 850.
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P.S.
(Oh, and I really like your blog too.)
Last edited by DQRider; 02-11-16 at 01:31 PM. Reason: added comment
#9528
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#9529
Old Boy
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Location: Minnesota
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Bikes: Mostly 1st-generation, top-of-the-line, non-unicrown MTBs/ATBs: All 1984 models: Dawes Ranger, Peugeot Canyon Express, Ross Mt. Whitney (chrome), Schwinn High Sierra, and a 1983 Trek 850.
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Actually, now you mention it, I need a room-mate at the Big River Lodge. $40 gets you half a room with your own twin bed, if you're interested. - Sorry, we seem to have wandered away from the thread here.
#9530
Senior Member
Now back to talking about new alloy wheels for @Velocivixen's Sports...
#9531
Senior Member
I'm building new aluminum wheels (with stainless spokes) for a Raleigh Sports I paid 25$ for... the previous owner must have been a gorilla 'cos the chainstays were squished with a kickstand. I've upgraded it to a Pletscher two-leg model. It's a nice score though, it has a dynohub and the lights as well as the original rack on it. I am not sure what size it is but I find it a bit on the big side so I am not sure if I will keep it or not. Many of the three speeds I see in my area have seriously rusted rims. I might also upgrade the brakes and levers since they aren't really that great.
#9532
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I'm building new aluminum wheels (with stainless spokes) for a Raleigh Sports I paid 25$ for... the previous owner must have been a gorilla 'cos the chainstays were squished with a kickstand. I've upgraded it to a Pletscher two-leg model. It's a nice score though, it has a dynohub and the lights as well as the original rack on it. I am not sure what size it is but I find it a bit on the big side so I am not sure if I will keep it or not. Many of the three speeds I see in my area have seriously rusted rims. I might also upgrade the brakes and levers since they aren't really that great.
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#9533
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Maryland
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Bikes: Lots of English 3-speeds, a couple of old road bikes, 3 mountain bikes, 1 hybrid, and a couple of mash-ups
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Originally Posted by I may be opening myself up for ridicule here, but have you read the blog Lovely Bicycle? [URL="https://lovelybike.blogspot.com/"
Lovely Bicycle![/URL]
Besides being a brilliant photographer, this lady writes a compelling case for the qualities of cycling that don't revolve around the newer! lighter! faster! more! marketing mantra. She writes about things that last, things made by hand, things that are beautiful because they are useful and well-engineered. In short, she writes about Quality.
I have incorporated a lot of her ideas into the bikes that I build now, and I've been very happy with the results. So yeah, broaden your horizons on ye olde English 3-speed. With the proper mods to improve ride quality, and proper setup of shifting and brakes, you may be surprised at how much much fun they are.
Besides being a brilliant photographer, this lady writes a compelling case for the qualities of cycling that don't revolve around the newer! lighter! faster! more! marketing mantra. She writes about things that last, things made by hand, things that are beautiful because they are useful and well-engineered. In short, she writes about Quality.
I have incorporated a lot of her ideas into the bikes that I build now, and I've been very happy with the results. So yeah, broaden your horizons on ye olde English 3-speed. With the proper mods to improve ride quality, and proper setup of shifting and brakes, you may be surprised at how much much fun they are.
#9534
Senior Member
Yeah, I've done a couple of conversions and it made for a nice bike. I usually convert the derailleur geared 27" Raleighs into 700c 3 speeds. The tektro brakes are nice for step-through frames because the cable stop can be swapped to the bottom arm easier than most brakes.
#9535
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Here's a reasonably original '69 23" Superbe for sale at a decent price in Boston:
L@@K! 1969 Men's Raleigh Supurbe
L@@K! 1969 Men's Raleigh Supurbe
#9536
Old Boy
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So yeah, better brakes and lighter wheels definitely improve these old bikes - just make sure you keep the originals for if/when you decide to sell. Some people are kind of persnickety about that.
edit - Oh, I just realized that the $22 was for a PAIR of the 800As, so the R559s are almost 3x as much. Wow.
Last edited by DQRider; 02-12-16 at 09:07 AM. Reason: correction
#9537
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Funny you should mention the Tektro 800A brakes now - I've just ordered a set of R559s with similar reach dimensions. Converting an old Gitane 27-inch to 700c, I find the reach I need is 65mm rear and 67mm front, so either would work. I couldn't find 800A at Harris, or Amazon, or any of my usual sources; but I did just find them at "modernbike.com" for $22. It looks like the only differences are R559s reach 53-73mm and the 800As reach 61-78mm, and the R559s also have a quick-release feature, which makes flat-fixing or changing tires easier. However, I paid $61 for a set, so they are a bit more expensive.
So yeah, better brakes and lighter wheels definitely improve these old bikes - just make sure you keep the originals for if/when you decide to sell. Some people are kind of persnickety about that.
edit - Oh, I just realized that the $22 was for a PAIR of the 800As, so the R559s are almost 3x as much. Wow.
So yeah, better brakes and lighter wheels definitely improve these old bikes - just make sure you keep the originals for if/when you decide to sell. Some people are kind of persnickety about that.
edit - Oh, I just realized that the $22 was for a PAIR of the 800As, so the R559s are almost 3x as much. Wow.
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#9538
Senior Member
Here's a reasonably original '69 23" Superbe for sale at a decent price in Boston:
L@@K! 1969 Men's Raleigh Supurbe
L@@K! 1969 Men's Raleigh Supurbe
#9539
Senior Member
Here's a reasonably original '69 23" Superbe for sale at a decent price in Boston:
L@@K! 1969 Men's Raleigh Supurbe
L@@K! 1969 Men's Raleigh Supurbe
#9540
Senior Member
#9541
Senior Member
I'm building new aluminum wheels (with stainless spokes) for a Raleigh Sports I paid 25$ for... the previous owner must have been a gorilla 'cos the chainstays were squished with a kickstand. I've upgraded it to a Pletscher two-leg model. It's a nice score though, it has a dynohub and the lights as well as the original rack on it. I am not sure what size it is but I find it a bit on the big side so I am not sure if I will keep it or not. Many of the three speeds I see in my area have seriously rusted rims. I might also upgrade the brakes and levers since they aren't really that great.
#9542
Old Boy
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 2,127
Bikes: Mostly 1st-generation, top-of-the-line, non-unicrown MTBs/ATBs: All 1984 models: Dawes Ranger, Peugeot Canyon Express, Ross Mt. Whitney (chrome), Schwinn High Sierra, and a 1983 Trek 850.
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That's the R559, similar to what you are describing. I think the price difference comes down to finish quality and QR functionality. But to be honest, I didn't even know about the 800A until I read your post. The extra forty bucks may have come in handy...
#9543
Senior Member
@BigChief - I bought the 800a brakes for my Raleigh Twenty to use as a rear brake. My issue is that the cable routing on a step through bike has the cable entering from the bottom of the caliper going up vs top down. The 800's can be slightly modified so the barrel stop (Not sure this is the actual name of this part) area & cable pinch bolt can be reversed to allow a bottoms up routing. There are problems though. There's a piece of metal, in this configuration, that is in the way, so, if you had a QR, or if you undo the cable won't open all the way. This means you have to deflate the tire in order to remove it.
The other big issue is the cable routing angle between the barrel stop & pinch bolt is very steep.
I love the Tektro 559 brakes. Yes, they spoil the vintage look to the bike, but one of the Mai things I don't like about riding vintage three speeds is poor braking and fear of the dreaded shift cable maladjustment where you get between 2nd & 3rd and you're just spinning. It's happened to me despite knowing how to adjust, etc. and it's quite alarming.
If I decide to build new wheels I may get a new SA 3-speed hub so not have to worry about it.
Edit: I don't recommend the Tektro 800 brakes. They look cheesy and the long arms are very flexy. I thought they would provide at least a little better braking than the originals and they don't.
The other big issue is the cable routing angle between the barrel stop & pinch bolt is very steep.
I love the Tektro 559 brakes. Yes, they spoil the vintage look to the bike, but one of the Mai things I don't like about riding vintage three speeds is poor braking and fear of the dreaded shift cable maladjustment where you get between 2nd & 3rd and you're just spinning. It's happened to me despite knowing how to adjust, etc. and it's quite alarming.
If I decide to build new wheels I may get a new SA 3-speed hub so not have to worry about it.
Edit: I don't recommend the Tektro 800 brakes. They look cheesy and the long arms are very flexy. I thought they would provide at least a little better braking than the originals and they don't.
#9544
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@BigChief - I bought the 800a brakes for my Raleigh Twenty to use as a rear brake. My issue is that the cable routing on a step through bike has the cable entering from the bottom of the caliper going up vs top down. The 800's can be slightly modified so the barrel stop (Not sure this is the actual name of this part) area & cable pinch bolt can be reversed to allow a bottoms up routing. There are problems though. There's a piece of metal, in this configuration, that is in the way, so, if you had a QR, or if you undo the cable won't open all the way. This means you have to deflate the tire in order to remove it.
The other big issue is the cable routing angle between the barrel stop & pinch bolt is very steep.
I love the Tektro 559 brakes. Yes, they spoil the vintage look to the bike, but one of the Mai things I don't like about riding vintage three speeds is poor braking and fear of the dreaded shift cable maladjustment where you get between 2nd & 3rd and you're just spinning. It's happened to me despite knowing how to adjust, etc. and it's quite alarming.
If I decide to build new wheels I may get a new SA 3-speed hub so not have to worry about it.
Edit: I don't recommend the Tektro 800 brakes. They look cheesy and the long arms are very flexy. I thought they would provide at least a little better braking than the originals and they don't.
The other big issue is the cable routing angle between the barrel stop & pinch bolt is very steep.
I love the Tektro 559 brakes. Yes, they spoil the vintage look to the bike, but one of the Mai things I don't like about riding vintage three speeds is poor braking and fear of the dreaded shift cable maladjustment where you get between 2nd & 3rd and you're just spinning. It's happened to me despite knowing how to adjust, etc. and it's quite alarming.
If I decide to build new wheels I may get a new SA 3-speed hub so not have to worry about it.
Edit: I don't recommend the Tektro 800 brakes. They look cheesy and the long arms are very flexy. I thought they would provide at least a little better braking than the originals and they don't.
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#9546
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#9547
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@BigChief - you are actually correct. I was being too "all or none" in my thinking. The 800's were a bit better, with less lever squeeze required. I guess I'd hoped they would be super fabulous at stopping me and they weren't.
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#9548
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#9549
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#9550
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Bikes: 1971 Hercules, 1978 Raleigh Superbe, 1978 Raleigh Tourist, 1964 Glider 3 Speed, 1967 Raleigh Sprite 5 Speed, 1968 Hercules AMF 3 Speed, 1972 Raleigh Superbe, 1976 Raleigh Superbe, 1957 Flying Pigeon, 1967 Dunelt 3 Speed
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I assume this is a somewhat rare BSA folding bike.
Toronto Kijiji @ $150.
BSA FOLDING BIKE | other | City of Toronto | Kijiji
Toronto Kijiji @ $150.
BSA FOLDING BIKE | other | City of Toronto | Kijiji