scrubsfan5424

I'm looking to upgrade my beloved '73 Raleigh 3-speed Sports with a new set of wheels. I want to keep the stock fenders and am leaning toward using CR-18 rims. I would like to use the Sturmey-Archer dyno hub with drum brake in the front and upgrade the rear hub to either a SA 8-speed rear hub or a Nexus. Will these hubs fit in the bike? Do you have any other recommendations for wheel upgrades? Thanks in advance for any replies.

frameteam2003

73 means your running 36/36 hubs so any modern aloy rims in 26"(narrow) would work the sun rims come in 1&3/8 size same as the raleigh steel ones so would work great.The sun rims also come 32/40 if needed.You could also add two sprockets and a derailer to your SA hub for more gears.

amnomad

I had a similar question, Harris has a SA 8 speed hub and states the spacing can go from 118mm to 135mm. The bike I am working on has a 110 rear spacing, I don't know if that is the same situation on your 73, but I wonder if it is ok to spread a frame 8mm. They also have the rims for $35 each.

nlerner

I would think dropout spacing would be the issue as standard SA is a 110mm axle. I don't think it should be a big deal to cold set to 118mm, whether to do it yourself or have a shop do it for you. I've gone the opposite direction--from 120mm to 110mm--without a problem.

Neal

cudak888 

Careful Sam, some '73s - usually early examples - did come with 32/40s. Raleigh using up their excess stock of wheels, no doubt. Would suggest that the OP check his wheels before counting on them being 36/36'ers.

I remember one of the LBS owners made that mistake once. Had two '73s in - one 36/36, the other 32/40. Bought four 36h rims, and found out he could only do one set.

-Kurt

scrubsfan5424

Thanks for the replies so far. The bike has 36/36 hubs. Would any of you recommend the hub choices that I listed (SA dyno/drum and SA 8-speed) or should I consider something else? Thanks

SteakKnifeSally

I've been thinking of upgrading the wheels on my old three speed as well, so let me raise another issue. Tires for the old 650A size are pretty hard to get in anything besides the basic stuff. there has been a revival of the 650B size. The rim of 650B is just 6 mm less in diameter than the 650A, so if you have 3mm of play left in the brake shoe slot, the brakes should be perfect. The tire choices are a lot nicer.

See also:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/650b.html
https://www.bikeman.com/content/view/1010/33/
https://www.rivbike.com/webalog/tires_tubes/10063.html
beauty.nagog.smasher.net:81/bike/3speedupdate/index.shtml
though the last was working last week, it was broken this morning

frameteam2003

650B also soon at:
https://www.cyclesvalhalla.com./

nlerner

Someone on the 650B list recently made the point that 650A is still very popular in Japan and that many tire manufacturers have several models in that size. Here's an excerpt:

"650A is - and has for some time been - the
default tire size in Japan. Of course there are heavier tires, for
work bikes and mama-chari's, but also dozens of other great tires.
As you (finally) mentioned, there is the Col de la Vie (at 35 mm), or
two versions of everybody's favorite Mitsuboshi Trimline (34 mm and
35 mm), or the Alps Randonneur (32 mm), and so many others. They
aren't hard to find. The world's bicycle cornucopia includes much
more than the slim pickings available in America."

Unfortunately, no one has indicated any retail sources for these.

Neal

SteakKnifeSally

Does anyone know of an internet source for 650A Col de la Vie, or for that matter any of the other fine 650A offerings? It's an international list; hopefully someone can help the Americans out. Unfortunately, since we are Americans, it would help if the site were in English.

reverborama

I saw a 3-speed Raleigh with rod brakes just last summer that had been converted to a Shimano Nexus 7-speed. Sadly I didn't have my camera along. It was a tidy job and unless you knew what you were looking at you wouldn't have known anything was amiss. He said it made it a whole new bike.