BigChief 

Don't need forms to make stainless steel cable clips. First use a piece of paper to make a template to help you locate the cable stay's position on the clip from one end. 304 SS sheets can be bought at McMaster- Carr. Cut to width with shears, deburr and round the edges with a fine file or stone, clamp two rods or drill bits in a vise and draw the cut strip through them to form a basic radius. Then, using the paper template, use needle nose pliers to form the stay and to finish size the radius of the clip, cut the other end to the proper length, smooth it up and use the pliers to bend the leads. Polish and you're done.

Slash5

I don't actually see the need for making clamps for most restorations as cable clamps are easily available.
Mine were harder to make than necessary cause the stainless steel I had available was heavier than I needed. Couldn't find a local source so went with what I had.
The cable guides were the easiest but all of them were made more or less the same.
For the cable guide, I took a drill bit smaller than the size I needed, knowing there would be spring back. I put the drill bit in a vice and folded a length of of the SS around the drill bit, keeping in mind where I wanted the clip ends to be. I used a hammer to gently tighten the bend so it conformed to the drill bit.
Then I clamped a pair of vice grips around the SS and drill bit so I could pull the ends of the SS out and get a nice sharp bend at the bottom edge of the drill bit diameter and the vice grip jaws. Now I have a slightly rounded piece of SS with a sharply defined hump in the center.
Next pick a wrench socket the correct diameter for the body of the clamp. Put the vice grip/drill bit/SS assembly on top and bend the SS around the socket. I found it useful to either clamp the drill bit to the socket in the vice or use another pair of vice grips to hold the two together.
Use a pair of pliers to form the ears of the clamp for the screw/bolt. At this point the vice grips around the drill bit can come off and you can use a hammer and block of wood to tighten up some of the edges/folds. Clamping the ears together and working gently around with a hammer will help conform to the diameter of the socket.
Just a matter of drilling the ears and polishing left. You can use a grinder to refine the shape. All through the process a light touch with the hammer and pliers reduces the amount of tool marks to remove later.

Salubrious

@Slash5 If you have an unusual tubing size knowing this technique can be handy! I've been trying to get a clamp for the pulley for my Bates, but all the clamps are for smaller tube diameters, that is unless I don't care about putting the clamp right over the Reynolds 531 decal, and I do happen to care about that. So- thanks!!!

BigChief 

I used to do a lot of this sort of work in my job. Once you have a basic radius, somewhere close to the finished radius set in the strip of steel, it's easy to adjust it without making kinks. It's not necessary to wrap the strip around a mandrel.
It is very handy to be able to make custom clips at times. For example, I'll be using Tektro brakes on my Rudge project. They have the cable connections on the right side and the original brakes are on the left. My plan for routing the rear brake is 45 degrees from the bottom of the top tube on the left. But, I still want the open section of the clip facing down. That means making custom clips...or being happy with zip ties.

PalmettoUpstate 

Hey I appreciate the input on this frame clip thing. After looking at options and taking a look at aftermarket stuff available online it was a no-brainer to just order a supply of the latter.

Still wish that more of the vintage OEM stuff was out there at reasonable prices - just to keep things historically accurate - but people seem to generally want more for those than I'm willing to pay.

I ordered some today; here's what I decided on:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=A7W90RMKTHOTS

Amazon.com : CABLE GUIDE DIA-COMPE TOP TUBE CHROME 25.4MM : Bmx Bike Components : Sports & Outdoors

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064HLZRA/...1J3KIULC&psc=1

adventurepdx

We had a lovely 20 mile ramble 'round Portland. Eight folks braved the occasional rainshower to have a great time.

Full report: https://societyofthreespeeds.wordpre...21-march-2015/
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/urbana...7649185069593/

adventurepdx

OH yeah! For those of you doing the Lake Pepin ride in May, I'm organizing a three-speed camping tour after it!
https://societyofthreespeeds.wordpre...7-20-may-2015/

gster

Here's a 1949 SA hub and wheel on Ebay with a price of $875.00 (US). The seller is asking and additional $53.00 to ship to Canada with estimated import fees of $161.00! That's some hub!!

Here's another one. Obviously a mis-print but the shipping seems a little steep...

smontanaro 

For that kind of coin you think he would at least clean the darn thing!

SirMike1983 

That ASC has been up for awhile. I think that price is steep, but then they come up pretty rarely, so I admit I don't know whether there actually is a "going price" for a good ASC.

rhm

I've seen them sell for $200-$400 depending on completeness, if my memory is correct. Now that you can get a complete S3X setup for under $150, the attraction of the original ASC is reduced to serious collectors and "period correct" people. I would consider an ASC too precious to ride except for special occasions.

Anyone interested should definitely check out the S3X, though.

gster

So, perhaps that price is not outrageous...

Velocivixen

Looks like something someone in Portland would ask for! Everyone here things their bike is "rare" and worth a lot.

rhm

$875 plus shipping &c? Well, I save my outrage for more important things than overpriced bike parts. But, speaking of overpriced bike parts, I consider that hub overpriced by about $500.

noglider 

I had an S3X for a while. I liked it, but I got bored with it and sold it. The bike that had it is now a regular one-speed fixed gear.

SirMike1983 

Very steep then. Sunrace/Sturmey is making some interesting products today. I re-built a 1959 Schwinn last year with a new Sturmey 3-speed coaster brake, and I thought the quality was pretty good. The brake was strong enough, and the shifting was pretty good. I would agree that I'd just buy a S3X rather than pay too steep a price for an ASC.

nlerner

So a single fixed gear is less boring than 3 fixed gears?

noglider 

Ha!

I had it geared with 2nd gear at 66 inches, so 2nd gear was too low, 3rd gear was high at 88 inches, and 1st gear was too low at 55 inches. The widely spaced gears didn't match the riding style. I can't even explain why there are times when I don't want a selection of gears. I have the fixed gear set up at 74 inches. There are no big hills near me.

JohnDThompson 

The gear ratios (0.625/0.75/1.0) are the only issue I have with my S3X. I'd rather have the ASC ratios (0.75/0.9/1.0), personally. But ASC hubs are ridiculously expensive. I suspect if there were enough demand, Sturmey-Archer could make replacement axle/planet cages for the S3X with different ratios.

noglider 

Dream on. The S3X is (or was) already a specialty item. Isn't it out of production already? I think there is a new replacement, but still, demand must be quite low.

gster

DaytonaMike

After 3 years I finally bought a new saddle for my 73 Sports. I had to get past paying twice for the saddle than I paid for the bike. I also hate to admit it, but the vinyl Brooks that it came with was pretty comfortable, at least for me. But the vinyl was ripping from the rivets and looking reall bad.

PalmettoUpstate 

That's a nice, NICE Sports and it deserves a B-66! Interesting tires, what are they? They seem to have a highly reflective strip astride the gumwalls. Cool.

Amesja

I think you can still find the vinyl covers for the old Brooks saddles NOS.

But this is still a nice and period-correct upgrade.

PalmettoUpstate 

Yeah, yeah, I know it's a certain sacrilege to speak of "the other guys" on this thread but I wanted people here to have a shot at the fantastic deal on the last one of these:

Coasting 700c 18" Med 3 Speed Shimano Coaster Dynamo Automatic Bike Bicycle New | eBay

I had been keeping a weather eye out for just the hub and controls stripped from a bike and this showed up. I grabbed one; this is the future of the IGH, IMO.