roseskunk

okay, now that i have your attention... here's the question- and maybe i should post this in 'commuting'... i love my raleigh three-speeds, but i'm wondering what would be the ultimate three-speed today? i've seen sheloon's competition superbe and am wondering- if you were going to make the ultimate three-speed, what would it be? take an old raleigh and stick new components on her? build up a new frame? i'm thinking that it has to be a upright riding style, a commuter with racks and or baskets etc, lights, chainguard, fenders, internal gears... i'll ever get rid of my raleighs, but i know there are lighter more efficient bikes out there...opinions please?! thanks!

Sammyboy

I hope that you'll forgive me for this not being a Raleigh...

Here is my in-progress superlightweight 3 speed. It's a 70's Dawes Galaxy full 531 frame, the wheels are alloy rimmed 27"ers, with a Sturmey Archer AG 3 speed generator hub, and a Brooks saddle. The bars, stem, shifter etc are from an old Viscount, which will also donate a chainguard. All it needs is a BB and a set of cotterless cranks, and I'm good to go. Even the fenders are lightweight plastic items, but with a natty chrome look trim strip. It's gonna be gorgeous, if it ever gets back to the front of my list of bike projects....

viscount

Like it!
Well done (when it is)!
Always wondered what a lightweight 3 speed would be like.
Could always have a double chain-wheel with it to extend the range.

I always wanted a Galaxy....
Never even ridden one.

viscount

Addenda.
Did you get it with the hub already laced into the alloy rims?
Or do it yourself?

I just bought (yesterday) wheel truing jig to try something similar!

ollo_ollo

I've put thousands of miles on several Raleigh Sports. If I wanted an ultimate version, I would start with an 80's touring frame like a Specialized Expedition, Miyata 1000 or Centurion Pro Tour and build it with some classy alloy crank, North road bars, a Schmid or Shimano generator hub with LED head/tail lights, Super Champion or Rigida alloy rims, Simplex or other classy alloy chaingaurd, a Brooks B72 saddle on an alloy post, SunTour Superbe brake levers & Mafac or Shimano cantilever brakes, Honjo or Berthaud fenders, Tubus racks with a classy bar & saddle bag set....Since I have the Expedidtion, I just may start accumulating some parts for a conversion in 10 years or so. Don

roseskunk

[QUOTE=Sammyboy;5665386]I hope that you'll forgive me for this not being a Raleigh...

no problem with it not being a raleigh, maybe the ultimate isn't?! god forbid that i'd actually go with a new frame like a kogswell...maybe though a nice old frame is the answer. i do have an international but i'm setting her up as a short range tourer/randonneuring bike. maybe if i find a second international?!?

Sammyboy

If you think about it, having a double chain-wheel means having a derailleur like chain tensioner too - not a good solution in my view. This Galaxy was rather different to the late 70's/80's ones that became more famous. I got the wheels in their entirety from a Viscount (!) 3 speed that I got for a fiver from the dump. The spokes are a little tired, and I've just bought a truing stand too, so in time, they may get some love. Below is the bike I cannibalised for parts - regular trips to the tip are worth it for the chance of occasionally turning something like this up. I've no doubt I'll end up using the frame for some other project, probably a porteur.

Grand Bois

For years I've thought about building a lightweight with a SA three speed. I like three speeds, but I don't like the clunky frames that are usually equipped with them. I finally got around to building the bike after I stumbled onto a '59 Carlton with a Reynolds 531 frame. I didn't get a fork with it, so I used one from a Raleigh Competition. I had the wheels built on my hubs by a local shop for $168. The rims are Sun CR-18 and the spokes are DT Competition. The front hub is an old Lambert with Japanese cartridge bearings and is incredibly smooth. I haven't calculated what I spent on the bike, but whatever the amount it was worth it to me. It's a wonderful ride!

https://good-times.webshots.com/album/560796524cQRWSB

Some of the shots were taken when I first built the bike as a single speed on fat tubulars. It was fun and very light, but it just wasn't practical for me.

roseskunk

aw, dirt, that thing is sweet! i'd love to find an old carlton and do what you did.

Grand Bois

It doesn't have to be a Carlton. Use any lightweight frame you like. It just has to have horizonal dropouts. Carltons had lots of brazed on fittings, even in the fifties. It even had Cyclo shifter bosses. I cut off everything I didn't need. Some people don't like that idea, but I don't care. It's my bike. I think it would look stupid if I left them on.

It was originally going to have a Raleigh Competition frame, but that one turned out to be cracked. That's where I got the fork.

cmdr

Seems to be missing the lockring on the adjustable cup. Might cause problems down the road. (no pun intended)

nopinkbikes

For me, an ANT Boston Roadster. Nice commuter frame.

Grand Bois

That's a Miche Primato track cartridge bottom bracket and they don't use lockrings or cups. They use adapter rings like Phil Wood. It allows for an adjustable chainline, although it worked out that the cartridge is centered in this application. The rings are aluminum and the threads are cut so that they fit tightly in the BB shell.

Mooo

I'm kind of sort of hunting for a late '80's, early 90's Schwinn Traveler.
(waits politely for the laughter to die down).
Think about it, through about 1970 the Traveler was an upright 3 speed - then from the mid 70's through the mid-80's it was a carbon steel frame with what amounts to a touring geometry, but starting in the mid 80's...
Either 4130 straight or True Temper butted main tubes with the classic "sports touring" geometry of the 1980's - long enough to be comfortable, short enough to be responsive. Strong enough to load up for a tour, light enough to go play...
And who would suspect a Traveler? It hasn't much provenance, but it has all the right stuff.

To be fair, a Le Tour or one of the 91 "World Sports" (I think, it's been a while since I surfed TRFindlays pages) also came in chromoly, but I think it would be kind of neat to have a couple of 3 speed Travelers separated by 25-30 years.

It ought to be deceptively quick.

https://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1...0/1991_25.html

https://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1...983Ltwt09.html

nlerner

Dirtdrop's Carlton is very cool. I've done similar retrofitting on 70s lightweight Raleigh road bikes over the years, most of which I've sold, but the pics remain.

Here's a 1971 Raleigh Competition with a Gran Sport paint job, set up as a 3-speed:


The same bike set up as a club racer, now owned by a BF member:


A mid-70s Raleigh International set up as a 4-speed with an SA FW rear hub:


A 1971 Raleigh Super Course repainted Krylon metallic blue with matching painted fenders (SKS plastic ones). This is set up as a 3-speed:


A 70s fillet-brazed Viscount set up as a 4-speed:


Neal

Grand Bois

I built my Carlton after looking at Neal's site. I'd had the idea for years, but his bikes inspired me to go ahead and do it. Neal contributed the cool vintage steel cable pulley wheel to my bike.

bbattle

My Raleigh 3-speed.


A set of alloy wheels with new SA hub are on the way. I've also enlisted the assistance of a venerable pack rat down at the LBS; he may have some suitable spindles so I can get rid of the cottered cranks. I figure I can drop 5 pounds off the bike with these upgrades.

Mooo

Yes, you're both bad influences!

Was it on this forum or in the folders where they mentioned taking one of the new SRF3 hubs and once it's broken in drilling and tapping it for an oil port. The theory goes that an oil lubed epicyclic hub is less draggy than a greased one.

Don't know, but it's bonus style points.

wahoonc

I am going along with Sammy's build. I have a 1975 (or so) Dawes Galaxy that is getting a similar build, but I have a 4 speed FG hub that is getting used instead of the AG (got to cater to those old knees) Other than that it is going to look much like a British built club racer from the 30's and yes I build my own wheels. BTW anybody know where to find a 40 hole 26x1-3/8" alloy rim

Aaron

Grand Bois

I don't think you read it here. I'm going to look for it in folders. It's an interesting idea. It would be difficult, but not impossible to perform that modification on my built-up wheel. I'm thinking angle drill.

I was looking at a late English-built SA hub at a bike swap. I was surprised to see that it had no oil port.

Mooo

Found it:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=348873&page=2

It's a thread about a Raleigh 20 with an 8 spd SA hub.

nlerner

Aaron, I think you have a slightly better chance of finding an alloy 40-hole EA1/597mm ERD rim. I have Weinmann alloy EA1 rims in 40/32 drilling on a couple of pre-50s English bikes.

Neal

roseskunk

i knew you'd be around sooner or later neal, and now that i've cleaned the drool from the keyboard, all i can say is, "uh, that little blue super course wouldn't be for sale, would it?!"

nlerner

Actually, I've sold all of those bikes over the last year or so (mostly in an effort to finance my Kogswell P/R). However, the one conversion I still own is below: a 1971 bronze green Super Course with an SA FW hub built into a 27" wheel.

Neal

roseskunk

neal- how dos the kogswell compare to the sports? i mean is it that much better? the extra gears don't mean much to me, three is plenty, but obviously it's a much lighter bike...i just ordered alloy rims for two of my sports to see what difference that makes, and i'm wondering if something like the kogs or even the green super course is like night and day compared to the sports... thanks! v