adventurepdx

I wasn't as much referring to the faux-leather (and I'd rather see canvas or real leather vs vinyl/plastic any day), more so the overall look of those leatherette tourist bags. While Carradice et al are indeed saddlebags, they have a different look.

BigChief 

For all I know, many of these bags were leather. It is interesting that this style, which I remember as being the most common, isn't being reproduced by anyone. These were small, not serious touring bags. They could hold cables, a patch kit and a few small tools. More of a daily rider sort of bag.

adventurepdx

Yeah, you either have smaller "wedge" bags, which may fit tools and a tube but not much else, or the bigger Carradice, but not so much in between. Rivendell has Sackville bags that get small, but they are more boxy in shape. Like this:
Sackville SaddleSack XSmall - Dark Brown

bmthom.gis

Well, my friend and I finished up my Sports last night! I'll have to go back and overhaul the bottom bracket at some point in the next few months, and the headset as well.

Took her on a 12.5 mile trip this morning from home to work. I have to move the seat back a bit, but otherwise I found it to be quite the enjoyable ride

thumpism 

That's pretty gung-ho. I have a 23" Sports that I used for commuting to school and that was a max of 6 miles round trip, plenty for a 3-speed. Longer distances are done on other bikes. Glad to see yours out and about! I used to work for a distributor in Lexington SC.

BigChief 

That looks great. They are fun aren't they. I can ride a sports all day in flat country. I haven't spent much time in Columbia. Used to play a big old country night club there. I don't remember it as being especially hilly. If you're having fun with this one, I suspect we'll be seeing pics of your next one soon. They are addictive.

noglider 

@bmthom.gis, maybe you're new to riding upright bikes. That might explain why you think your seat is too far forward. I suggest starting with the nose of the saddle one inch behind the vertical line defined by the center of the crank spindle. That may still feel too far forward, but that's really because the reach to the handlebars is so short. It takes getting used to. And you may find that it's best if you tip your saddle nose up to the point where it looks uncomfortable.

bmthom.gis

I honestly wasn't sure how the ride would be after I hit mile 5...but I was definitely enjoying it. Now it can live at work for my various errand/lunch/coffee runs. Very cool about you being a dist. in Lex! This part of Carolina is slowly but surely moving into the modern century.

Very addictive. I have a lot of thanks to give a friend for helping me get the SA dialed in when running a new cable. I would get rid of a bike at home and get another 3 speed for running errands at the house.

I am definitely new to upright bikes. I'm just judging by where my foot wanted to naturally fall on the pedal. Where it is now, my feet tend to rest their arches on the pedal, if I scooted back, it was the balls of my feet. The rest of it was quite comfortable. Hopefully by spring I can get a Brooks B66 on her.

I can say it was a comfortable ride, and heavens know what people thought as they passed me, with my tweed style cap on, not a care in the world.

Fidbloke

Although Britain was decimalised in 1971, we kept using the 1 and 2 Shilling coins as legal tender up into the Eighties.
One Shilling was the same coin as the later 5p coin, so a Shilling is generally valued at 5p (subject to inflation, of course). So that Dyno upgrade is actually £1.25.

adventurepdx

I wouldn't call it "gung-ho" to put distances on a three speed. I use mine regularly for commuting, and that's 12 miles there, but on a typical day combined with errands it could be 20.

And let's not forget that in the middle of the 20th century, people regularly traveled good distances on three speeds, especially when there was few other options available! People used to tour on these things.



And you can still do it. I've been to the Lake Pepin Three Speed Tour twice, and that has about 40 miles of riding a day, some of it on gravel! Many people do it, and don't complain about the distance. Even families do it!



After Pepin this year, I did a three day loaded camping tour around SW Wisconsin with two friends. Distances averaged 40-50 miles a day. While the midwest is not mountainous, SW Wisconsin is very hilly, and I had to ride up grades of 8%.




Would a three speed be my first choice for long distance riding, or touring, or going through particularly hilly areas? Not necessarily. But I don't shy away from using a three speed for distances. It's a lot more versatile than some make it out to be. It should live a better life than the bar/"just going to the store a mile away" bike. And my three speed is nothing particularly special, a 70's Raleigh. While I've lightened it up with alloy rims, it still is a hi-tensile frame!

Salubrious

People think they need 7% jumps between gears to get around.

They don't. The Lake Pepin tour is a pretty good example of why. Its some of the best fun I've had on a bicycle.

People are encouraged to be leisurely on the tour, and there is something to that if fun is your goal. But if you want to make time you can still do it and quite well. I have a pair of Humber Sports that were purchased by a couple that lived here in Minnesota; they took delivery of the bikes in the UK in 1952 or so and toured the country from one end to the other over a period of three months. I missed getting the map of their tour by about 2 weeks. Keep in mind that if you wanted quick reliable shifting the SA 3-speed ruled the roost for nearly 50 years. A lot of touring was done on them...

bmthom.gis

@adventurepdx ... great pics!I agree, those three speeds are more than capable of long rides. I can't imagine keeping mine for only for short hops. I think I will commute on it from time to time. I was surprised how capable the gearing was

thumpism 

I'm well aware of the distance and load carrying capabilities of a 3-speed. I did many daylong rides on my old Schwinn Corvette with SA rear hub and delivered papers on it for three years. It got me the Cycling merit badge.

I'm glad to have the Raleigh now and enjoy every ride on it, but will use something else for distance.

markk900

Sort of slightly off topic: I had gotten my wife interested in attending the Lake Pepin tour, in spite of some of the logistical issues: its a 15 hour drive to get there, and 15 hours back, she and I have not ridden more than 30 miles together in a single day on our 3-speeds so there was a concern about that; etc....however, the big thing that stopped us was that it appears the tour is 40-odd miles to an overnight stay then 40 miles back to the start the next day. If you don't bring all of your luggage with you on the bike, how do participants handle the overnight? I would have started a separate thread but then I wouldn't have an excuse to look at @adventurepdx's pictures again! So any words of advice from the experienced? If this takes the thread too far off I am happy to start a separate thread....

NormanF

The Raleigh Sport and its heavier duty sibling, the famed roadster, was the world's first gravel road/adventure bike.

Their medium width tires soaked up the rough paths and their frame geometry tracked straight.

My modern GT Eightball with its Shimano Alfine 8 speed IGH, is a direct descent of the Raleigh Sport.

Full disclosure: I once owned a Raleigh Superbe, the top of the line Sport back in the day and the ride quality was a dream - even with the famous mild all-steel frame!

redfoxdogs

Not 40 miles but about 9 into the wind and up and down the rolling hills. More than 200 feet gain according to my cell phone. Enough for me at this point, but would be very easy to do triple the miles on the flat with less wind, even on this little bike.


Oh, and I did get the Wald 880 bars for this bike. They work just fine.

adventurepdx

Maybe I read too much into your initial comment, but it just sounded like you were calling it crazy for doing distance on a three speed, something I strongly disagree with. To each their own. But if you do get a chance to go to Pepin, I promise that you'll have maybe the most fun you've had on a bike in a long time!

adventurepdx

Ha! I wish I could get to Pepin in 15 hours. For me, it's a two day trip each way via Empire Builder.

It's buried in the website of The Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour but they do have a van, which picks up gear in Red Wing on Saturday AM then drops off in downtown Wabasha in the PM. There are a few hotels there, plus a campground. Then they pick up gear on Sunday AM and drop it off in Red Wing at the end. It is not a traditional sag wagon, mind you.

Well, thank you!
And you can see more pics here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/urbana...57653387623232
https://www.flickr.com/photos/urbana...57644662432231
https://www.flickr.com/photos/urbana...57653962460591

JohnDThompson 

There is a luggage vehicle available. What I've done (I'm "only" four hours away by car) is arrive in Wabasha on Friday and set up my pop-up camper, then drive up to Red Wing on Saturday with my bike, spend Saturday night in Wabasha and ride back to Red Wing on Sunday to pick up the car. Then drive back to Wabasha to pack up the camper and drive home.

I wouldn't worry about the pace; it's very relaxed. People stop at every opportunity, and then some.

gna

People who are camping can put gear in the trailer; other luggage can go in the van. The trailer gets dropped off at the campsite in Wabasha. The van is parked next to the Eagle's Nest Coffeeshop in Wabasha. Tips for the driver are appreciated.

Note: If you are staying close by, it's not a problem, but there have been folks staying at the AmericInn, which I believe is about a mile away, who were unhappy that they had to haul their bags all the way there. Someone may take pity on you and give you ride, but it helps to pack light.

Usually we stay in Wabasha Friday night, so we leave our luggage there and drive to Red Wing for the start. Our gear is already there on Saturday so we don't need to carry much on the bike. Sunday you can carry it back to Red Wing, or put it in the van.

oldbicycles

A few photos of my new old Raleigh Sports Tourist from 1940, based on the date stamp on the Sturmey Archer AW hub with the single digit year 0:

2015-11-06 15.59.14 by humblelabor, on Flickr

2015-11-06 16.03.26 by humblelabor, on Flickr

2015-11-06 16.00.27 by humblelabor, on Flickr

What is this faint registration stamp on the top of the front fender? City registration? Or manufacturing related?
2015-11-06 16.00.59 by humblelabor, on Flickr

Here is a link to more photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/humble...57658586449263

If you have any advice about restoring the old brake cables, please join me here: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...d-housing.html

And, I really wish there was some kind of 3-speed tour anywhere near where I live! Central Texas isn't exactly English bicycle country. I'll have to travel to tour someday.

markk900

Thanks all - the part I missed in all of the research was the availability of a van to carry bags - saw that there was no sag wagon and thought that was that.....I like the thought of being in Wabasha Friday night and leaving all the gear there, then driving to Red Wing Saturday. Ride back, stay over, ride to Red Wing and drive back to Wabasha. We'd stay Sunday night in Wabasha anyway.....makes a huge amount of sense.

May 2016 is coming up fast.....

gna

Not soon enough for me. Just have to make it through the winter.

thumpism 

A real DL from the local CL:

Raleigh Archer 3 speed

Raleigh Archer 3 speed - $150 (Richmond)



This beautiful antique Raleigh Archer 3 speed Bycicle hand crafted in nottingham England has a little rust but is in complete original condition.
A bit of a Dimond in the rough... yet with a little bit of touching up and love you can make this pice of history come back to life.

One of the best things about this beauty is the pump is still here and the brakes still work great!
Serious inquires only.
Text or call show contact info

BigChief 

Are you going after it? I sure would.