rudypyatt

Bumping this (favorite thread): Have any of you raced crits or time trials with your club bikes, or even done a fast group ride (in other words, the way they were used back in the day)? I’m used to riding alone, but I am thinking of getting involved in one of the NYC bike clubs and I don’t want to buy a new bike.

1989Pre

There used to be a time-trial series up here in mid-coast Maine, but it seems to have fallen by the wayside. If I were to race a t.t. or crit on the Barnard, I'd take all the accessories off; fenders, saddlebag, bottles & cages, lamp bracket, brake calipers and bell. I'd probably tie my spokes, too and try to find some light-weight 27" tires that are not gumwall. I do club rides on the Grubb, and it works out marvelously. I am grateful for every second that I am not riding carbon.

rudypyatt

Handsome Cycles has the Fredward series, including this special edition:

https://handsomecycles.com/products/...ssic-black-tan

Road Fan

1952 Rudge status:

I had planned to have it at least assembled for the Auburn show later this week, but I have some problems with spokes. I'm using the original 32h Raleigh Industries steel front hub with OLN about 88 mm - it rebuilt beautifully! Issue is the spoke holes are not all a match for the threaded section of my Sapim spokes - I NEVER imagined I would need to check this! Also I think I need to build with the original steel AW hub before trying one of my Alloy hubs (have AW and FM). I fed them each a little oil the other day and they loosened up a little, but I may need to open them up - we'll see! I need to make sure they are usable before going through the work of building up and maybe buying another set of spokes. Hope to have it for test rides and beauty pics in mid-September!

Fork and headset are installed, super-smooth with the old axial-contact headset! Saddle will be either a B17N Imp, an Ideale 92 from 1984, or a B15 Swallow. No mudguards to start - I'll see how she looks and have her help me decide on those colors. TA 5 vis chainset with a Pista 49t ring feels fantastic, but I may need to go up a few teeth on the rear cog, especially if I use the AW (Old Guy Gearing as someone else said!). I'm a big-time gear freak on anything with derailleurs, but this is the first time I've understood how adjusting gearing works on a three-speed!

Lightweighting: Modele 58 rims versus Dunlop Special Lightweight (about 200 gm), Kalloy Alloy seat pillar (100 gm), Pasela Protek tires rather than Specialized Road Sport (200 gm). Brakes will be GB Hiduminium calipers as original, possibly Mafac levers, TA chainset (200 gm). Bars will be GB rando style, unless I can find a more suitable MAES-style with a shorter reach. It's basically a real good fit for me.

Can't wait!

Bad Lag

I think what has changed over the last century, is the distances and time involved.

I would have to ride over 60 miles to get to any sort of undeveloped countryside.

By itself, that isn't the entire stumbling block. It is the time to go those 60 miles (120 miles round trip). It has typically taken about 4 hours and as many as 6 hours to go those 120 miles in my car. Although I am in a car, the traffic slows to to bicycle-type speeds (20 mph).

It can easily double what I mentioned, depending upon which way you want to go.

If I go up the coast towards Santa Barbara or farther up towards Cambria, once I get there, if I stay along the coast, the bike doesn't really matter that much.

The other thing that has changed is the proliferation of high quality, reliable derailleur-equipped bikes. Why limit yourself to a 3 speed IGH when you can have a 21 speed (or more)?

I like my IGH for its longevity without maintenance.

DQRider 

Shot on this morning's ride. Outfitted with a mix of new and old components, it rides like a new bicycle, only better.



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rudypyatt

Nice to see the real thing! For awhile, Linus made an imitation, complete with Sturmey Archer hub. Here’s mine:


Linus Gaston 3, an homage to the old club bikes.

Kilroy1988 

Eroica on my mind... Out with the '54 Carlton Super Python for this year's event in May.

DQRider 

This location, near the Robert Street Bridge over the Mississippi River in Saint Paul, MN, is my favorite for sunrise/sunset "golden hour" photography. The patina on my `49 really shines down here.




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PlymouthJLA 

This is the third time posting my 1951 Raleigh Lenton Sports in this thread and I hope none of you are tired of seeing it. Here is my Lenton from a couple days back on its first ride in over two years.

The Sturmey FW is finally rebuilt and running correctly. The FW hub is dated to 1948 (I got this hub as an upgrade over the original AW), and it was quite clear this hub was well used prior to my ownership. After a parts replacement extravaganza two years back to renew many worn components, the hub kept slipping between bottom & low when it was in bottom gear. However, other life events took precedence and the Lenton got parked with this issue.

A month ago she was pulled out of mothballs and put on the bike stand to finally have the hub issues addressed. After looking over all the components, cleaning up a few roughly finished parts, and replacing all the springs with one from a donor hub it now performs flawlessly. New tires & tubes were in order as the oil from the hub did not do the tire rubber any favors. I always forget how well this bike rides. It's no lightweight, but a bike you want to ride at any time.

Anyway, here is my contribution to bump this thread full of bikes from a wonderful era of British cycling.

1989Pre

That's a beautiful Carlton. It looks like you may be pushing over 50 gear inches. How did that work out for you at L'Eroica?

1989Pre

Any new pics?

Road Fan

No new pics yet. Next steps are to lace the front wheel, wash the rear hub and decide between 3sp and 4sp, lace it and tire them both. then at lest it will look like a bicycle!

Needs: I think I need an indicator/shift rod for an FM. It’s original one has a floppy chain which could stand to be replaced. I have rims, spokes, nipples, washers, rims, rim ropes, a “3 or 4” shifter, and tubes. I have a pair of the well-fitting Sturmey rear wing nut quick-releases, and a set for the front wheel, but I need to make sure they fit the threads (9 mm x 26 tpi).

Salubrious

FWIW GB made very classy wingnuts for the Sturmey Archer hubs.

Road Fan

If you're talking about the internal gear hubs such as AW, those are different size from the front hubs.

Salubrious

Yes. For some reason the front wingnuts are harder to find.

rhm

If what you have is really an FM indicator, I'd suggest you do what it takes to keep it functional, 'cuz they don't make them any more! You may have to replace rivets in the little chain, or fix it with pieces of another chain. I tried running an FM hub for a while, but I never had the right indicator. I used an FW indicator, which works if it's adjusted right, but finding the right adjustment took a while.

Road Fan

Hi, Rudy!!

Well, I have an FM hub with an indicator in it, with some chain links which look and feel flaky. I can compare it to a NOS or at least new AW indicator, and the fit and motion of the AW links is several times better.

I have a S-A service manual which covers the FM so when I get into the project I'm equipped to try to do set the indicator right. Any case, I'm more interested in having a decent indicator before I try to install and set one. I also need to study the operations.

I wonder if anyone has done a blog note or something on repairing indicators for Sturmey Archer?

Salubrious

If a rivet is damaged its easy to fix using a nail of the right head size and shaft diameter. All you would need to do would be to flatten out the cut off end of the nail such that if acts and looks like a proper rivet.
If a chain link is worn or damaged get a new indicator/toggle chain for a three speed hub, remove its chain and use it as a donor; affix it to the indicator rod using the technique I just outlined.

Road Fan

Of these two, I would go with the latter option, to replace my worn chain with a length of new chain borrowed from an available AW.

Salubrious

1954 Raleigh Record Ace with 531 tubing and Sturmey Archer FW hub. Note the lack of a bolt head on the stem. The stem (made also of 531 and lugged) height is adjusted by loosening the collar on the headset, not unlike a modern threadless steering tube system. Another 'modern' feature is the front hub, which employs pressed-in bearing races rather than free bearings with adjustable cones. There is a braze-on for the shift cable pulley. Additional braze-ons include pegs to mount the seat bag rack which keeps it off of the rear wheel and a fitting for the taillight. Brakes and brake levers are GB, adjustable at the top of the lever.

rudypyatt

Ah, another example of The Real Thing! Very nice!