wahoonc

Dunno why? I am on it daily as 2whls3spds. There are some crazy modded bikes listed over there, check out the photo section.

FWIW I have 3 Twentys along with probably another 6-8 small wheeled bikes. Twentys are hard to beat for the versatility. I run Sun CR-18, Weinman ZAC-54, or Sun Rhyno Light rims on mine, stock brakes with fresh cables and Kool Stop salmon pads usually do the job for me and I ain't no lightweight. They are our go to bikes when we travel to the beach or other relative flat areas for a weekend of fun. My brides is set up with an AW coaster, mine has an AG hub. Still running stock head sets and handle bars for the moment. Mine have extra long alloy seat posts and Brooks saddles. Hers have stock seat posts and Selle Royal Classic saddle.

Aaron

noglider 

Oh interesting.

Welp, with all the repairs and renovations we're doing in the house, I've lost the headset I just bought for the Twenty. Gotta do some straightening up.

I still don't know what I'll do for a rear brake, so I'll use the original rear wheel for the time being. The original rims are really heavy!

noglider 

I'm itching to progress with this. I still haven't decided what to do about the rear brake and rear wheel. I'm leaning towards building the rear wheel with the cassette hub with the roller brake. I'm sure the brake (part of the hub) is heavier than a caliper brake, but switching to a derailleur should offset that, since that system is lighter than a Sturmey Archer AW hub.

I don't want to ride it with the original rear wheel now. It would work, but it's terribly heavy, and the rim won't offer any good braking, either.

For clarity on the weight issue, I guess I should weigh (1) an AW hub, 3-speed shifter, plus a brake caliper against (2) the cassette/brake hub, cassette, 8-speed shifter, plus derailleur. I suspect package 2 will weigh less.

fender1

Step One: Sell the Raleigh.
Step Two: Buy a used Dahon
Step Three: Be happy you did not start another "money pit" project, you will never finish.

noglider 

I'm going to finish this eventually. It's just a project. It's not important that it be timely or useful. The fact that it's entertaining and enjoyable means it's worth a small amount of money to me.

wahoonc

I kept the Raleigh and bought TWO Dahons....that I can't find parts for

FWIW I like both the Raleigh and Dahon, they are different bikes for different uses.

Aaron

noglider 

OK, I'm pretty much done. These handlebars are too wide, so I'll either chop them or replace them.

I had to shove the seat pretty far forward to get it the right distance behind the crank spindle. On my road bikes, I usually like it as far back as it goes.

The stem is long, so I swung the handlebars back. The brake levers hang down almost vertically, but I determined it's best for me this way.

I will eventually rebuild the rear wheel with the alloy rim and snazzy tire. For now, it rides OK with monstrously heavy steel rim and garden variety tire.

Front (drum) brake works like a champ. I have enough confidence to ride the bike fast now. Rear brake kinda sorta works, which is OK with me. I'll probably do nothing to improve or replace it.

I have approximated the fit on this bike to mimic the fit on my road bikes. Handlebars are slightly lower than seat. It feels nice.

The right crank feels bent. I'll check that eventually.

Pictures will come in an hour or so, after I shoot and process them.

noglider 

That's a red rubber band hanging from the shell of the front hub. I put rubber bands on the hub when I remember to, when building a wheel, just as a funny trademark.

noglider 

Between pictures in this shooting session, I installed the big ding-dong bell on the handlebar. It's loud!

The seat is an old Italian racing saddle with a suede cover, which makes too much friction. I added this nylon, removable-shower-cap type seat cover.

noglider 

Housemate Al takes it for a test flight.

aixaix 

I admire your skill and perseverance while questioning your taste and sanity.

Back in the day, I worked for a Raleigh dealer and sold a few of these. They were awful then and I don't expect age has improved them. In all fairness, the first Dahons made the Raleigh 20s look like Cinellis by comparison. But Dahon got better. And better. The current ones are mighty fine indeed; even their entry level models are well equipped and beautifully finished.

I realize this is no silk-purse/sow's-ear project and all kidding aside, you deserve credit for restoring and improving this funky machine.

noglider 

Well, I've only ridden it around the block since finishing it today, but it seems comfy and efficient enough. I refurbished and updated a Twenty back in 1981, and I didn't like the result then, so it was insane to try again. The first one was closer to John S Allen's. It had an S-5 (5-speed) IGH and drop handlebars. The really bad brakes were one problem, and I've now solved it.

I have a Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub with drum brake built in, but I probably won't use it. Braking is now good, and I don't want to add more weight.

noglider 

If I end up using this bike, it will need lights.

wahoonc

Looks good Tom... BTW LOVE the porch!

I am swapping out my current B&M Cyo(mine has the silver housing) head light for a B&M Classic on my Twenty. I think it will look pretty good. You should have used an XL-FDD on the front.

Aaron

folder fanatic

I did just the opposite. The money and work I did on my own Twenty was worth it. I don't miss my Dahons at all.

Huh

Just beautiful! Great result. Yours looks almost like mine does. I came to similar conclusions when I set out on this journey. I just love my Raleigh just the way it is with the improvements I have done on it: https://sites.google.com/site/compac...raleigh-twenty

folder fanatic

As for my own unique adaptation to making my Twenty more like a modern folding bike (i.e. Dahons), here is my own take on keeping the parts together when it is folded up:

Grand Bois

I suppose you have the brake levers so far from the grips because you plan to chop the bars. It looks goofy!

noglider 

I love the porch, too. I am very sad to be leaving this house here in Maplewood, NJ. It's an amazing house, and the porch is huge. We have sat on it during thunderstorms and not gotten wet. It's sad that not many houses have front porches like this any more. We now have a sale contract and will probably be moving in 5 or 6 weeks. Our primary residence will be in Manhattan, and we have a weekend home in High Falls, NY.

Darned right I should have used an XL-FDD. Now I'm looking at bottle generators, which are less than ideal, to say the least. I guess I could sell this front hub and rebuild with an XL-FDD. Maybe that's the best plan, long term. Do people buy hubs like mine, lightly used?


Why thank you! This is the only bike I've had where, for some reason, the 3 speeds are fine and I don't want any more. Maybe it's because I have the rider position right for me.

I'm thinking I should use a stem with a more vertical angle and use handlebars with less rise. I want the height of the grips to be what it is now, but these are aluminum handlebars, and since they're so big, they flex a lot.

On your web page, I see the "before" pictures, but where are the "after" pictures?


Yes, that's why they're so far in. When they're aligned with the grips, my hands are way out on the ends of the bars, and I have too much leverage on the steering.

I see these bottle generators. Should I buy one and use it as a stopgap or just redo the front wheel with an XL-FDD?

This bell gets me a lot of respect because it's so loud. I didn't know I would like it this much.

noglider 

Dynamos:

dynamo only, only $7
dynamo only, $30, but it says 12V. That's not right, is it?
dynamo with head light and tail light, $14

wahoonc

Maybe, they do make 12v dyno's but they are the exception.

I use Axa or Nordlicht dynos. You can buy an Axa here in the US or the Nordlicht or Axa from Dutch Bike Bits.

I agree that a bottle generator maybe a bit more cost effective than selling the drum hub. However... depending on what kind of weather you ride in, in extreme wet/icy weather sidewall dynos can slip.

Aaron

noglider 

I'm going to put the original handlebars on and maybe the original brake levers, too. These are too wide and flexy. The originals may not have enough rise, though. I'll deal with that eventually.

I'm not going to spend money on lights yet. I'll just mount a flashlight for the time being. I have to put miles on it to see if it's worth investing further in it. I suspect I'll find it to be a very worthy hauler.

I have to attach a nice box to the top of the rack that doesn't interfere with pedaling. I put a cardboard box on it, and it was nice and tall, but the front edge of the bottom of the box was in the way of my heels. The box has to be pushed back a bit on the rack.

noglider 

Aaron, those bottle dynamos are much more expensive than the Chinese one I cited. Are they really excellent in some way? Probably more durable.

Hmm, I need a concept, then to prove it. This bike seems like a worthy hauler, but I don't know if I want to put more money in it for the time being.

One mistake I often make is to buy something cheap, become dissatisfied with it, then buy something moderately-priced, become dissatisfied with it, then buy something expensive and well made. If I just skipped the first two steps, I would save money. So perhaps the wise thing is to skip to the nice dynamo. The hub, or one of the two you cited?

wahoonc

I would ride with a decent set of battery lights and see if the bike works for you, then worry about a dyno or generator hub. FWIW I use the PB Blaze 1/2 watt set as my go to set for general riding on bikes without the dynos. I have been keeping my eyes open for a USB rechargeable light set for ~$75, but haven't run across anything that I really like yet, but Serfas is getting close. I usually buy last year's model at a discount.

I can highly recommend the Nordlicht dyno from DBB, I have one that my son brought me 6 years ago, I put on a Huffy Baypoint 3 speed for a friend of mine and it has seen nearly daily use and is still going fine.

Aaron

noglider 

I brought my Bianchi Volpe up to the country house. I've been using it as my commuting and hauling bike. Now that I won't have it in NJ (my primary residence), I'll be forced to ride the Twenty and shake it out.

i was packing my car with all my "spare" bikes that I plan to fix up and sell. I noticed that one bike -- that I got in a trade for my labor -- has a complete dyno set: it's a Schwinn-approved bottle dyno, bullet head light and tail light. They work! Not sure if I'll use the lights. Still, I'm impressed. I'll try an LED flashlight replacement bulb in the headlight. I have one in an old flashlight. I'll also fashion a collar around the wheel on the dyno, to increase its diameter, to slow it down. It's designed for a big wheel, and having my 20" spin it will be an excessive energy drain. I'm not going to worry yet about slippage in bad weather. I'll deal with that if it happens.

woohoo!

noglider 

Oh, and the dynamo light set has the Union brand, made in Germany. Well made, of steel. I suspect I'll be at least moderately satisfied with it on the Twenty.