1935 Hercules Model G with a preserved and restored to road-going status.

http://www.bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2...d-model-g.html

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What a beauty!

Excellent work [as usual]. That black-out paint scheme is arresting to say the least. Would the bike have come with - or optionally had available - that "clydesdale" 3 rail Brooks saddle?

Thanks for the good word. The catalog lists the original as a Hercules mattress saddle with Brooks 66 style set up. I had this saddle sitting unused and it seemed to look the part. It's overkill for me, but it's comfortable enough.

This one is a bit of a mongrel. A decade ago, I bought this 55 Humber Sports in very sad shape missing a bunch of parts with a bent bifurcated fork. I had a reputable frame guy straighten the fork and salvaged a drive train from a bent frame 64 Superbe. I slapped a set of those ebay decals right over the existing decals, rust and faded paint. Looks decent. I intend to collect the rest of it but for now, a neighbour needs a bike to ride on doctors orders. I'll let her have her way with this until I find some Humber pedals, proper hubs, lights etc.
The exterior is ratty but the chrome is thick and lustrous and every thing buttoned up smoothly. Great quality frames.
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I hope you all can excuse a slightly off topic post........I think it fits the intent of the thread.


So what do you do if you have a nice Dunelt frame with good patina but no 3 speed rear wheel? Instead of leaving it languish and wait for parts I decided a 5 speed commuter would be a good idea considering I already had a proper sized rim built up with a 6 speed freewheel hub. I am still working on this so more pics will be coming if there is enough interest (not to far off topic).

http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/a...d/DSCN4654.jpg
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Beautiful Hercules! Here is another classic quadrant shifter, rod brake equipped, with AW hub a 1949 Comrade Roadster Model, built by the Comrade Cycles Company Darlaston, England. If anyone had information about this company please let me know. More pictures on Flicker http://www.flickr.com/photos/73emgee...7624401628722/ Also on my blog http://classicthreespeeds.blogspot.comhttp://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=329978http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=329979http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=329980

So many great bikes... really like the Dunelt even though it has one of those funny derailleur thingies.

Thanks, I am pleased with how it is turning out. I have done a bit more to it. I will try to get some new pics.

Fixed1313, perhaps I'm a bit biased, (see link below!) but I like what you've done with your Dunelt, it looks great. However, that nylon bag has to go!! This bike needs a proper British saddle bag like a a Brooks to match your saddle or a Carradice Barley.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...rts?highlight=

For the love of English 3 speeds...
 

I agree completely, just need the cash to do it. It will most likely be a Caradice bag, already need to order the long flap camper for another bike, will most likely put the Barley on this one. The canvas bag is really a handlebar bag that was on my winter commuter/drop bar MTB. Just looked the part and was in the shop already, and I needed a new seat more than a bag at the moment.

Yours looks great as well.

In case you are not aware, a British company called Wiggles is probably the best place to buy your Carradice bag(s) when it's time. I bought (2) Barley's from them each at about half of what I would have paid through a dealer here in the states and shipping was free. Current price for a Barley here is about $109.00 plus shipping. Wiggles price is $65.00 and shipping is free once you spend a total of $77.35. Here's a link for you:

http://www.wiggle.com/carradice-barley-saddle-bag/

Excellent price, thanks for sharing the link.

Always glad to share with my fellow CV'ers. I might add that after I bought my two Barley's, I decided to offer one for sale. The buyer got a new Carradice for a lot less than what he would have spent and I broke even with a new bag for my Raleigh Sports.

For the love of English 3 speeds...
 

Thanks for the link, looks like they are out of stock at the moment though. I will have to check back, great price.

Here's a link to some photos of the 2013 Toronto Vintage Bicycle Show.
http://threespeedmania.wordpress.com...icycle-show-2/
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Here are some photos of my Dunelt rat/city bike.
Original cost $40.00 plus about $50.00 in upgrades.
I tried it out as a path racer but found the bars uncomfortable so swapped them out for some modified wide bars to help negotiate curbs and streetcar tracks.
Currently it's my everyday street bike.
"Ride a Wheel on Sheffield Steel"
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Just a quick share, Last night my wife and I went to a screening of short films in the East Village in Manhattan (my stepson was in one of them, his first big-screen role!) I parked right outside the venue where loads of bikes were locked up, including a 1964 Sports in beautiful condition. After we admired it for a bit we went around the corner and sat ouside a bar for a drink as evening fell, watching scores of folks on bikes going downtown. Many of them were riding Citibikes, the popular new ride-share bikes. And yet, lots of folks went by on their white-tail vintage 3-speeds. It's always great to see so many of these reliable old machines in active duty around the city.

Where did you find Panaracer 37-590 tires? I have 650Bs on our French cyclotouriste tandem & I've been going with 650A Michelin World Tours for a similar (albeit stiffer) kind of ride on Nottingham 3-speeds.

I've run into a phenomena that I wonder if others have encountered. I have found that if I go fast enough, the front wheel can develop enough gyroscopic action to freeze in one plane. The first time this happened, I was gripping the handlebars fairly close to the stem. I was thrown off the bike at about 25 mph and got scraped up pretty good, but glad I didn't break any bones...

The second time it happened I was gripping the bars normally. That gave me enough leverage to overcome the front wheel's desire to stay in one plane so I didn't fall down. But is scared me good (it took a month to heal up the earlier scrapes).

This is really making me think that I have to be careful not to go too fast on this bike ('72 Raleigh Superbe), but it seems like it might also be solved by less mass in the wheel circumference. Right now I am using Sun CR-18s, with Sunlite tires. Would I be better off with those Specialized Trisports?? Anyone else run into this?

Check to make sure you have your front wheel in the forks properly. The adjusting cone should be on the left side of the bike. If you have it the other way around, it will/can seize up. Basically as you are riding you're tightening the cones, if it spins afterwards without you actually loosing the cones afterward it entirely possible you've done it enough to have ruined the some of the threads, but just enough threads remain to tighten to a point.

One of the major quirks of old Raleighs.

^^ the wheel spins fine and the bearings behave the same way as they did when I refurbished this bike 8 months ago. I've ridden it a lot- including the Lake Pepin 3-speed tour...

This does not sound normal, whether the rims are CR 18 or Westricks/Raleigh. Pull the front wheel, re-set the cone, and then re-set the wheel in the fork making sure everything is together correctly. The adjustable cone (with the flats) goes on the left/non-drive side of the bike for the reasons the previous poster mentioned. If necessary, open the cones and inspect the bearings. Inspect the tire and bead seating too.

Once you establish that it is not the wheel or tire, check the fork itself for alignment and the headset for adjustment.

Well, this post has been in the making for a couple of months really. It all started while I was out on a ride on my Superbe, and I got stopped near my house by a guy also riding by complimenting me on my bike. In the conversation I talked about how I've been slowing improving it etc. and he asked if I would be willing to do it for other people. I said sure, since I do flip a few bikes every now and then to support my little bike habit. And since we were pretty much in front of my house I just said stop by anytime. And we both peddled off.

Honestly I wasn't really expecting anything of it, especially as time wore on. But then suddenly (coincidentally the same day/time another friend was coming over to get some advice on selling his vintage 3 speed). The passer by peeks his head over my back fence while I was starting the BBQ for dinner and asked if it was a good time to bring over a couple bikes for me to look at. I said sure. Anyway a little while later he comes buy with 3 Tourists (from the hubs a 67, 73, and late 79/80 in various states of disrepair.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=332150http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=332151

(sorry I didn't take any pictures of the third frame near-grrrrr) And yes the bare frame is bent (top and down tube) but I think I might try to straighten them---gotta be a first time for everything.

We talked about how much and all that, though I'm still at a loss on that. I wanted to make sure we even had working bike before I started talking about that, and after a day of cleaning and parting I'm happy to announce that one is up and running. And yesterday he stopped by and dropped off some parts that I think will get a second one up and running as well (though no seat). And thus far there have been no signs of fenders or chain guards, for the bike he wants he likes the stripped down look (I'm thinking of doing the labor for trade for the remaining parts - any replacement parts he'd pay sound fair?).

Ride is amazing having done nothing but oil the hubs, kind of like floating on a raft made of clouds floating on a river of silk, and I haven't started lubing the headset or BB yet.

I'm going to try to finishing the one bike by this week end (stupid job keeps taking up my time). Better Pics then.

Best part is that he has hinted that he has other old bikes as well just sitting around.

I'd totally redo the front hub then, double check that you have the proper number of bearings and that they are the proper size and they are all good, clean, and installed the right way, lube the hell our of them with a good (I use marine) grease. And make sure the wheel sits in the forks true and isn't loose, check spoke tension/trueness. And make sure the front wheel stays put in the fork.

Could it be that your fork, wheel or both are out of alignment and the wheel is hanging up on the brakes when put under greater stresses? I say this because I know you're not going that fast on flats or up hill, and riding down hill you most likely (depending on your riding position) put more weight and stress on the front than you do while riding normally. Was there any rubbing or grinding sounds happening just before or as it was happening?

I typically go slowly on the down hills on my Superbe, but that's because I'm more concerned about burning out the old 6 volt lights. But when I didn't have the dyno, I had no problem going down hills fast and in Portland we've got some pretty good ones.