AZORCH

I've been thinking about what to do with this bike for the past couple of months. I debated a 650B conversion for a long time - I've seen a couple of really nice Shogun 650B conversions here on the list (Southpaw Boston just does incredible work, for example) and there does seem to be plenty of room for the fit. However, I've also had a wide tire 700c three-speed wheelset gathering dust in the studio. The grandsons were over this afternoon so I let them hang out in the studio with me while I puttered around with the bike. I pulled the derailleurs, pulled and cleaned the chainrings and dropped the chain guard and small ring, The stem shifter got pulled and I installed a single barcon to run the three speed IGH and which I'm hoping will keep a cleaner overall look. The POS vinyl saddle was swapped out for a leather Vetta. Next: Clean up the fender line from the rough fender install, add new cables and housing, yellow cotton Neubaum's bar wrap with my standard seven coats of amber shellac onto the rando bars, and a new chain. Probably need to check the angle of the bars. I may stay with platform pedals unless I really miss the toe clips - if so, I've got boxes of various different pedals on the shelves to select from if I decide to do so. Kind of a low end bike, but I picked it up for twenty bucks if I recall correctly, and literally everything else is stuff I have on the shelf, mostly from swap meet trades except for the Newbaum's bar wrap and the shellac.

shipwreck

Looks great. I tried a bar end shifter on one of my AW conversions, after the first ride I ended up putting on a trigger shifter. It just worked better for me.

Took my fuji s10s three speed out on a group ride the other day, first time I ever rode it with others. It was a very mixed group, cat threes, guys on mountain bikes, and some brand new riders. It was interesting, just three speeds meant riding very differently when riding with someone. It was around the beaver lake area in AR, the ozark hills. More used to riding it solo at my own meandering pace. It was either spin like crazy or mash it in order to match speeds.

What front tooth size are you trying there? I started with a 52/18 and now run a 38/18. But being fat and riding around the hills here quickly cured me of that. I am pretty much pushing the envelope on what an AW hub will take on the hills.

AZORCH

I've got a 52/20 on there at the moment, but I'll not be using this for too many of the big hills - that's what my other bikes are for, especially those with triples and low gears! I've already got a "neighborhood bike" so this build is probably a lot more academic than anything else. I built up a three-speed with a vintage Falcon frame earlier this year, as a sort of British path racer style of bike. Looked great on the tweed ride, but didn't really fit my riding needs. This one has more of a sports/touring geometry with rando handlebars, both characteristics that I prefer.

noglider 

Yeah 52/20 is not great for hills.

AZORCH

Tom, I'll most likely drop it down to a 38t after I get it built up. There's a swap meet next Sunday and I'm just certain there'll be an orphaned chainring looking for a home!

photogravity

I love the idea and will follow this thread with great interest. Anyone that goes against the mainstream mentality, as you are with this project, gets my respect.

shipwreck

Not sure what the mainstream mentality really is, but no, something like this is not it

When I showed up with my Fuji conversion, one of the racer guys asked if it was a fixed gear. When I told him no, a three speed, he did suprise me by knowing that that meant the gears are in the hub. Other than that, no one really cared much. To most people its just a bike.


Sometimes I read this forum and wish that I lived in a more metropolitan area, where I could ride with other weird people who like fenders and treating bikes and parts like lego.

Azorch, next time you come down to the Blue Eye area let me know, I might come up and toodle around a bit. Its great riding country around there. I know a few nice roads around there.(but only if you bring a slow bike)

AZORCH

I live about twenty miles outside of the metropolitan Kansas City area and am fairly active in the cycling community there, such as it is. Even there I get plenty of questioning looks ranging from "What the heck?" to "Fenders? Really?" (actual comment from a guy I know who rides a vintage Trek) to "How quaint." None of it bothers me at all - and to be fair, most of the comments and looks aren't intended to be judgmental. My builds tend to be more of a curiousity, especially to the CF riders who can't imagine riding something that has fewer than 75 or 80 gears and weighs more than a paper bag full of goose feathers. Some of the guys at the LBSs are amused when I come riding up on a full chrome racing bike, or a fendered and racked randonneur. (I seldom run into a young wrench who is even familar with the term randonneur.) No matter; it's all fun to me.

Shipwreck, I'll probably be down to ride in the Blue Eye area again around the third weekend this month if plans don't change. I'll drop you a line. I'd be happy to scope out a few more roads in the area - and you're right: it's great riding in the area.

photogravity

That's funny! It is somewhat encouraging that he knew the gears are in the hub.

As far as a bike without fenders/mudguards, I can't imagine having a bike without them. Bikes without fenders/mudguards look naked to my eye, but I'm not a weight weenie. If I was, my perspective on them would probably be different than it is.

Velognome 

Even in metro area's it the same. No one notices my IGH conversions and my 2010 Raliegh with fenders gets comments like: "Wow did you restore that?"

so another opportunity has arisen to post my GS s3x conversion. For what it's worth, I'm running 46/18 and can climb most moderate hills with ease, very rarely have to shift in to low.

BluesDaddy

Me too!

I have a major winter Frankenbike project, centering around an AW hub, that I've been slowly cooking up (simmering in the Crock Pot, let's say) ...when it's all done I'll be sure to post it.

shipwreck

It does not bother me what most other riders think, but thank goodness for these forums. Before I discovered C&V I thought that I was being clever and original building bikes like these.

I rebuilt a forty spoke AW hub a few years ago, says something about me that I did it with no real plan or rim for it. Then a few months ago saw a NOS forty spoke araya rim in a bike shop I frequent. Its a 27 inch though, and I would like start switching my new builds to 700c. But I could get it for a good price, I know. Kind of want to build a bike for lightish touring with it.

photogravity

Yeah, we are probably more common than we might have otherwise thought with this C&V stuff. Between the C&V and Mechanics forums, it keeps me entertained in ways I never thought possible and educates me besides.

Speaking of Sturmey AW hubs. Last night I won an auction for a 1953 SA AW with an alloy shell! With shipping it ended up being only about $25.Not sure what I'll do with it yet, but I knew I'd regret it later if I didn't grab it. I also got a 1953 dynohub from the same seller for about $43.

photogravity

Blues, I'll look forward to seeing the project...

I just finished reinstalling the fenders on my Peugeot PX8L last evening and it is very close to complete. It has a XRD8(w) rear hub and a SA dyno/drum. If that doesn't qualify as a Frankenbike, I don't know what does. I plan to post pictures pretty soon.

shipwreck

I often stop and look at bikes that I would otherwise pass up if I think that there is a chance of finding an alloy AW. In my stash is a 27 inch steel Sturmey Archer rim with an AW. It has survived several parts purgings, even though I don't really have a use for it. Its had some rust, but nothing that cant be cleaned up, and is reasonably true, or true enough. Was thinking about putting it in a Raliegh record frame with cottered cranks from a old sports. If I lived on the flats I would have done by now. The frame was made in Ireland, and the welds look like the worker was on his fifth bottle of guinness.

BluesDaddy

Okay, I just ordered the spoke set to build the rear wheel. An old Trek 620 provided me with a 27" Matrix Anodic rim laced to a cooked Helicomatic hub. Helico out, AW 3-speed in!

AZORCH

I didn't want to wait around for cotton bar wrap to ship and deliver from across the country. So I got to thinking: cotton bar wrap is cotton twill. I visited a local fabric store and sure enough, they stock one inch wide cotton twill in natural, white, and black. (Even more colors online, but that defeated the purpose of sourcing it locally.) So far, I've got three coats of amber shellac covering the natural-colored twill. At 79 cents a yard, I'm still under twenty-six bucks out of pocket for this build!



Three or four more coats over the next couple days.

photogravity

C'mon!! That just isn't fair. $26? Really? I must be doing something really wrong here. OTOH, my early 60's Schwinn Fiesta and mid-50's Hercules Crown Prince for $55 worked out pretty well so far.

AZORCH

I wasn't expecting this bike to ride so smoothly! I need to replace the brake pads and take her on a longer ride, but I am simply stunned to get this cushy of a ride out of this bike. Here she is:

Velognome 

Very, very nice....but IMO, front relfector kinda kills it, makes it look like a sexy Cyclops. I remind you a very sexy cyclops.

photogravity

What's the BCD? I bought a 5h|tload of chainrings at a swapmeet in August and may have something I can give you. PM me if you haven't already found something.

photogravity

That build looks really nice and turned out beautifully. I'd really love to put together something like that.

And about that reflector: I hafta agree with Velognome it looks strange and is the the only thing that turns me off about the bike. What were you thinking?

AZORCH

I'm thinking I forgot to yank it off the bike! I've been concentrating too closely on the handlebar wrap, I guess.

I'm adding a bell to the stem too, but that effectively adds 50% to the total investment, darn it.

photogravity

Sheesh... Now we wouldn't wanna do that, now would we?

-holiday76

i have mucho hills and I'm a wimp, so I'm running 42/20 on my 3 sp.