1. Found in trash Sakine (dont know what year or model) Has a cotterless three piece crank 10 speed, it either has suntour or shimano shifters and components. Seat is a Brooks Competition.

2. Peugeot UA-8? Its white with Rigida quick release wheels, Prestige simplex rear derailer, and center pull brakes. $3 at auction. First bike sold for $30 ( it was a Murray mountain bike, they had their choice between the two).

3. Viscount Gran Touring Aerospace, $5 good will, Total frame weight is 3 lbs. Cotterless three piece crank, center pull brakes, its cute, baby blue

By Request: My 1969 Raleigh Armstrong with a Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub. All original.

I got it a yard sale about 12+ years ago for 25 bucks,
which was a lot then. We only had one car and I needed this to do groceries.
She has spent the last 8 years in the garage getting more vintage.

I took her out in May and gave her new tires and a good chrome cleaning.
I'd like to give her paintwork some kind of coating,
she has scratches with a veneer of rust, but only I see that.

I don't get to ride as much as I want, the hills kill my knee.
BTW i couldn't find a seat bag I liked that I could afford
That is my old Domke Camera bag, which is about the same size with d-rings in all the right places.
now i need to find some straps to attach it with instead of bungee.

Nice Armstrong. If the hills are killing your knees, try raising your seat a bit

Pretty bike.
For the paint/rust, rub the bike down with an oiled rag.

For the hills swap the rear cog out for something with more teeth. The English 3 speeds were geared ridiculously high from the factory. I typically put a 20 or 22 tooth cog on the rear.

That $25 price tag may have seemed high at the time, but it has paid for itself several times over if it is like my old Raleigh Mine was the same price in 1982 and has been ridden and ridden hard, it is still ridable, just needs some serious TLC.

Aaron

2whls3spds

Grab 3 dog or cat collars at the dollar store for straps.. or 3 belts from the thrift store (cut them down).

Thanks I will try that, since I am a bit too short for my bike, the general opinion was to lower the seat.
But i will try anything and everything to get more comfortable with her.

This is way beyond my skill set.
I will see if i can find a bikehead who knows what that's all about.
I don't know anyone else on a vintage bike where I live.

many thanks
j

Is that a Raleigh? I have a mens Ross Armstrong english lightweight that looks incredibly similar in the Armstrong logo as well as the chainguard, saddle, and handgrips but different pedals. I realize there may be many bike makers with an 'armstrong' model, but the logo looks so similar. I also have a Raleigh Sports that's similar to appearance but with a vinyl brooks saddle. Nice bike though, I love the style and grace of a classic.

show me your headbadge. and I will show you mine.


My research told me it was made in the Nottingham factory by Raleigh
I have had a lot of folks who know what they are looking at it agree with what i found out.
I have seen 2 other women's and a man's version and they all look more or less the same.

Thanks for the pics, I love that headbadge it's full of character and really adds to the bike. I'll take photos this weekend and post, but in my mind's eye the headbadge is the same but the bike is at home and I am at work. I could also be totally wrong as I have done no research at all but I thought my bike had a 'Ross' label on it somewhere. I wonder if one was owned or distributed by the other somewhere along the line.

I can't find any data on 'Ross' you would have to point me towards it.

My understanding (mostly from Sheldon's site) is that 'Armstrong' was just another in the long line of middle brands that the Raleigh company bought up after the war. made in the Nottingham factory until the early 70s, it was produced for the department store export market in the US, which explains how it got here. I would have sworn that somewhere on my bike it says made in Nottingham, perhaps it is on the Hub with the Sturmey Archer model nos?. I have cleaned every inch of it and read every marking. I specifically bought it because of the 2 Made in England labels.

A friend was concerned that it had a Messinger saddle instead of a Brooks. Well I am not surprised it doesn't have a Brooks and wouldn't want one if it did. This is a woman's bike, and the Messinger is a padded seat just right for a woman of a certain size rump. A Brooks would probably drive me to drink.

I wish I could find a place to put a water bottle that wasn't in the usual places, I still need that space for clearance to mount. (stop laughing i'm short) Perhaps I will get a beer hat.

I wish I had a photo account to link pics but for now I had to throw the pics up on my geocities

https://www.geocities.com/bigpolishjimmy/Armstrong.html

Sorry if it's short and full of misspellings, I'm got to rush out the door. I wonder if Ross was a US distributor of Armstrong bicycles. I don't know but I do know there are some strong similarities between my Ross and my Raleigh Sports(I was mistaken, it's not a Superbe).

In any case your bike looks awesome and I'm glad to have met another Armstrong owner.

I got a serious vibe when i saw this, that the Ross decal was put on afterward for distribution to a different market. but that's just my guess from years of working with antiques.
As I said I have seen pix of other bikes like mine ...and yours but with no evidence of an additional sticker.
So really I am gonna stick with my instincts, hell the sticker just 'looks' odd, it has different aesthetic design.

But I am inclined to believe Sheldon Brown on all things 3 speed.
https://en.allexperts.com/q/Bicycle-R...g-Bicycles.htm

AHA light dawns.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_(bicycles)
Ross must have bought these B grade Raleighs and put their label on them to sell in the US market.
because their bikes were domestic made.

I think my handlebars are what sheldon called North Road Handlebar
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/english-3.html

I agree, the sticker looks out of place and I can't imagine anyone with a sensible mind putting a Ross sticker on their bike unless they worked for the Ross. This would also expain why the badge is a nicely detailed Armstrong badge and not a 'Ross' badge.