auchencrow

Definitely get a point for that one, Sixty! That's really pretty rad.
Is that your goin' fishin' bike?

Sixty Fiver

It should be a nice bike for that 100 mile ride to the fishing hole.

steve tdi

More info over at Society of Three Speeds.

And the poster I whipped up for it:

larger image here.[/QUOTE]


Nice artwork on the poster. I also like your website.



Well, for all you 3 speedsters that are in and around SE Michigan I have a website developed to serve as an info hub for my rides. The first one is April 21st. I may do more if there is interest. More info at www.scr3sptour.weebly.com. It's not 100% complete but it's a start.

PalmettoUpstate 

Hi Tom, pics of the '67 Hercules to follow...

PalmettoUpstate 

Here we have an extremely nice all-original Gold & Chrome Hercules from the "SUMMER of LOVE" - 1967.

When I bought it I also bought a basket case Raleigh-Nottingham-built Western Auto from the year that the BEATLES invaded the USA in earnest - 1964 - hence "MEET THE BEATLES" from their iconic 1964 album of that name.

There are some really interesting things about these bikes that are worth discussing on this, the best of the English 3-speed threads.

Other pics to follow; with notes and questions about the build parts differences and similarities...

BTW, I have one pic showing the two bikes side-by-side, a nice picture it is too, but it is 2.2MB and the BF format will not accept anything larger than 2.0MB. Anyone able to recommend any free and user-friendly photo-editing software either online or downloadable?

PalmettoUpstate 

.
FIRST PIC
Sorry that this one is out of focus; a decal on the seat tube; commonly seen on Raleigh-built machines that are NOT Raleighs.

SECOND PIC
The Wrights saddle on the beater bike was made in Poland.

THIRD PIC
The Persons saddle on the Hercules was made in the USA.

PalmettoUpstate 

.
The Hercules chainguard is, to me, a thing of beauty - with its "Tron-like" trapezoidal shape and in chrome.

Like the Western Auto bike, and unlike a true Raleigh, with their two braised-on front tabs on the frame, the Herc's guard is affixed at two points only, as opposed to the true Raleigh's three. The shape of the WA's guard is pretty much the same as a Raleigh's from that time.

PalmettoUpstate 

THE ALL-PURPOSE CHAINRING

Notice that the chainring is the same in the two pics above. This seems to be the all-purpose chainring produced by Raleigh Industries.

auchencrow

Irfanview

PalmettoUpstate 

.
We own a number of 70's Raleigh Sports bicycles now and they all seem to have come with the oft-imitated, never excelled Swiss PLETSCHER single-leg kickstand.

The two bikes here, Hercules and Western Auto, came OEM with two variations of a kickstand made by a firm that called had XPT cast into the cast aluminum receiver. The leg on the Hercules is adjustable, that on the Western Auto is not, otherwise they appear to be exactly the same.

PalmettoUpstate 

Gracias.

We've had our houseplants outside [no lower than 33 F nights] since the 5th of this month. I understand y'all have not fared as clemently.

https://greenvillerec.com/swamprabbit

PalmettoUpstate 

.
Well, everyone can see the pic.

This little thingy clamped to the frame is a part from a Raleigh-built-in-Nottingham Western Auto bicycle from 1964.

The little thingy clamped to the frame is made of metal.

Later, these parts became to be made by Raleigh of plastic instead of metal. Mistake.

Question for ye graybeards in 3-speed lore out there....

What was/were the year[s] that Raleigh switched to plastic?

Howard

Looks nice, but mine often catches on the cuff of my trousers ... I guess I have mixed feelings about it.
Also, the chainring on my '66 Hercules is different to that.

Put about 30 miles on it this weekend :-)

PalmettoUpstate 

I hadn't thought about that but I can see where it could... Thanks!

BTW, do you have a pic of the guard on your '66?

PalmettoUpstate 

Oops, I meant to put a pic of the "adjustable" part. Here it is:

elcraft

In Sturmey Archer parlance, this is a "Fulcrum clamp". It is a two part (not counting the clamping nut and bolt) cable stop for the three speed cable the cable housing from the shifter would end here and the cable would continue on to a small grey plastic pulley wheel clamped at the bottom of the seat tube. The cable then went to the "indicator spindle" which actually shifted the hub. All of these parts are still available, if anything is missing. Some of the Raleigh-made clones (with other branding , like Hercules,etc.) would have a complete cable housing run all the way from the shifter down to a cable stop, clamped on the chain stay. If you are in a harsh weather environment, the full cable housing method was better, otherwise the little pulley system seemed to be better. The plastic was introduced around '68 0r '69 on the clones, I think.

wahoonc

Both the pulley and the fulcrum sleeve were both steel prior to about 1963, around 1964 the pulleys became plastic the fulcrum sleeve followed by about 1965/66. FWIW I convert all of my bikes back to the steel for longevity and reduced maintenance.

Aaron

w1gfh

Finally found the headlamp of my dreams, a 1960's Elite. Now hunting for a 3V LED bulb with an E10 screw-type base to replace the relatively dim tungsten bulb. (Never satisfied!)

clasher

There are some cheap but bright ones on ebay and they work, but no standlight like the gentleman cyclist ones.

PalmettoUpstate 

Thanks, I'll have a bit more on this later. See my note to Aaron below; tx.

PalmettoUpstate 

I had noted your advice earlier in the thread and am doing the same. The metal fulcrum sleeve from the Western Auto bike will be going on my wife's practically perfect Raleigh Sports.

Speaking of GC [Gentleman Cyclist] just wanted to put in a plug for them here. Reproduction and VHQ fulcrum sleeves, pulley wheels, brass Schrader valve caps and more... https://www.home.earthlink.net/~stein...erchandise.htm

biglee67

Hubby bought a women's '67 Raleigh Sprite 5-spd at an auction this wknd for $10. It's in pretty rough shape as it appears to have been left outside for about 10 yrs! The tires are shot and the chain is pretty rusty, as are the fenders and chain guard. It is complete, tho'.

My thought was to try to clean it up as best as I can to see if everything is operable.

Are there any thoughts/comments out there about how functional or reliable the 5-spd is, before I get into doing alot of work on it. I now have a Sport 3-sp that I've refubished, but thought a 5 spd was interesting.

ecsjr

The early Sprites are great. I have a pair from 1967. I don't really use the left side shifter much, ride it like a 3-speed. I think $10 is a steal, just for parts.

PalmettoUpstate 

https://greenville.craigslist.org/bid/3575218212.html

This one's a basket case but it does have a basket.

The guy that has it isn't from around here. If he's here in 2 more years I'd be surprised.

Quality and honesty sells. Scams & scammers don't.

gna

The S5 hub on the Sprites is very nice. Worth the price of admission alone. Even if everything else is shot, S5 innards will fit in an AW shell, so you could upgrade your current bike if you can't bring back the other bike or salvage the rear wheel.