Calio

It's quite possibly a "bitsa". The thing is, it has 26 inch wheels & the fenders seem original & match the bike perfectly 🤷🏼‍♂️

So it seems very unlikely that it was built as anything other than a 3 speed originally. That said It's quite strange that the bike's hub is from 1960 but the shifter is from the 70's. Also I can't find an example of another Dawes 3 speed anywhere

Tyres

Why has nobody gotten the vinyl transfer guys to produce sturmey shifter face graphics individually or in rolls of 10 for those of us with fleets of broken faces. sounds like a song by Tom Waits. Maybe a template one could Testor paint or nail polish the graphics remove template clear coat. Shi#why not blank brass plates to glue to shifter face stencil or enamal. Just a thought

gster

Yeah,
I thought about the fenders after I posted....
Triggers do get dammaged when the bike falls over.
Hmmmmm......

clubman 

Let's hope! Dawes also dabbled in 3 speeds with compact models like the Kingpin, perhaps yours is another market?

gster

From Wikipedia:
"Primarily marketing itself a racing cycle manufacturer, Dawes made its money and impact through a combination of noted customer service (it would even undertake repairs at the factory), and a broader range of bicycles calculated to meet real working, commuting and leisure needs. "
Suggests more that racing bikes.
A blurb at the bottom of this page mentions 3 speeds
Dawes main
"....the bike that got me back into cycling in general and vintage bikes in particular. It is anything but a generic roadster..."
"Most of the Realmriders came stock with drop bars and 4, 5, 8 or 10-speed derailleur setups. It's some sort of unnamed tubing that is better than gaspipe - the bike is suprisingly light and nimble, and rides more like a mid-grade 10-speed from the 70s than a 3-speed. Racelite lugs, the fancy torch head badge, stamped Stallard dropouts (I think that's the pattern, anyway!), 42-in wheelbase, and a really comfy ride that still will get up and go when asked. It's a surprising machine."

clubman 

And Martin H. (Sturmey triggers) owns some clean 3 speeds including this sweet '50 step-through Dawes, 531 tubes
with upgraded wheel-set.

I could retire on that bike. (not from selling it in case the 50K auction comes to mind))

SirMike1983 

For just the fork, the tools would be the Park FFS frame arm, the Park dropout sticks, and the Park fork alignment jig/gauge. If you need to straighten the frame due to bends in the top and down tubes, Park made the HTS head tube straightener that featured a bar running through the head tube. The frame arm and dropout sticks are still made, but the fork jig/gauge and the head tube straightener are old, bike shop type tools that are out of production.

For a low value, one-off project, I'd be inclined to try a homemade rig like the one shown above. If you're getting into rescuing several bikes with bent frames and forks, you'll want to look for the Park shop tools on the used market. It depends on what your intent is in doing repairs.

Unfortunately, the days of every bike shop straightening steel frames and forks with the Park shop tools are pretty much gone.

thumpism

Three 3s (and a derailleur 5) for $100 in RI.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...22274568708019

Tyres

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned war ravaged Ukrainian president Zalesky skyrocketed to fame and the presidency after starring in a sitcom whose opening scenes have him riding to work on a 3 speed , waving at every one he met. Reminded me somewhat of the King of Kensington. I'm sending part of my Ford conservative vote buying license fee rebate to help the Ukranian war effort, and then l'm not going to vote him. Where is our rebate for not polluting the air, minimally damaging infrastructure,contributing to good health and doing the same thing a licence free 2 ton pollution belching pedestrian killing behemoth (cars) does Move people. Sorry woke on the wrong side of the bed. Support Ukraine!

gster

Worth it for the saddles and pumps alone.

swampyankee2 

im about 15-20 minutes away from that cache of early 70s Raleighs. The Sprite caught my eye in particular since I'm working on something similar. Looks like there are a couple rims that would be an upgrade for my Sports as well, not to mention 3 OE pumps and the Brooks saddles.
kind of promised a moratorium on bike purchases though, so I'd need to make some quick money back on them to attain forgiveness.

gster

swampyankee2 

My life in a nutshell 🤣

Tyres

and fenders and grips pedals and those rear reflectors...

clubman 

And there's the rabbit hole Neo.
IMO, they're a little new to harvest or clean up. I'd hold out from something earlier.

SirMike1983 

The thing is, look at the bike and ask yourself if it adds to your collection in an enjoyable way, or it has something you need to complete a bike core to your collection. Some people collect one type of bike but look for different subtypes, some collect wildly different bikes because they like the variety, some have many bikes, some have far fewer. Be careful not to fall into the trap of buying it solely because it seems cheap. You're in for a world of hurt if you stock up on garage sale bikes only to find they're not adding much to your collection or they're just kind of "meh" when you ride them. I don't mean to be discouraging anyone, but I do mean to encourage being selective with your time, space, and money. I have two 1970s Raleighs I love and that ride well. I wouldn't want 4 or 5 duplicates of them though, pulled from various garages. A selective mindset is good once you get beyond the first bike or two. Don't be afraid to sell off if they aren't adding much to your collection as well.

swampyankee2 

Yes, I'm the type that likes to collect one of each, whether it's guitars, motorcycles or bicycles. I've had a couple bikes bought new with no intention of collecting. Then the Fongers bike was bought just because its a namesake brand. My Raleigh Sport was pulled from the cellar and restored as a challenge and because I value vintage stuff. I only seek to improve and complete it at this point so the wiser choice would be to purchase the components I need rather than clutter the barn with parts bikes.
Although I did buy a bike for parts for my Robin Hood Lenton Sports, I should really be focused on getting higher quality parts that I need at this point.
I'm pretty new to the C&V bike scene so I'm low on the learning curve.

gster

Good advice! My collection has (at times) gotten the best of me and I look around and say "what the hell am I going to do with all of these bikes?"
In reality I actually only ride 2 or 3 of them.
I sold a few last summer and just sold one last week. One of my problems is I'm the neighbourhood "Bike Guy" and bikes often just show up here.
I fixed up and gave away 2 kids bikes last week and then another one showed up!
For me, a ladies' bike would be a good parts bike. They tend to be cheaper and less beat up. The rims tend to be cleaner and truer (more true?)

thumpism

Looks like a girls' Space Rider in almost brand new condition but missing some parts. Look at that chrome! Might be worth it for someone. Eighty bucks in NY.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...81645935194264

swampyankee2 

Interesting 3 speed. Not English but European. I saw alot of this type in Holland when I visited

Hartog

gster

For anyone in the Toronto area

nlerner

A very original (including B72 saddle) lady's 3-speed in the Boston suburbs for small money--looks to be a rare 23" frame, too, based on the long headtube:

https://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/bi...475239338.html

swampyankee2 

I'd love a poster of that hanging in my bike section in the barn! Especially as its my birthday. And it would be cool to attend but alas, too distant.

browngw 

Good advice! I'm finding it much easier to let go these days it seems. I sold many of my "extra" bikes during the last couple of years as they were in high demand. A gentleman who had seen my DL1 (SWAT)on BF cold called me and asked to buy. I truly had not ridden it for a year. I have kept my Robin Hood Sports Model dropbar and my 1956 Royal Nord President with Brampton three speed. A very sweet '72 CCM Turismo has joined the fleet along with the the Dilecta and Excalibur. Even my long service, 27 years, TR7 is sold. It is kind of refreshing and fun to find new bike projects including an upcoming ebike conversion.

gster

You can drag and drop this file onto your desktop and then have it printed locally.
I'm not sure on the resolution but it should scale up to a reasonable size.