Delboy Avenger

Thanks for the reply on the brakes, I was doing something similar myself.
As you said a bit of trial and error is called for.

gster

Good advice. Start with a small bit and work up gradually to larger bits until there's very little metal left.

gster

Indicator chains are still readily available new.

greg3rd48 

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I know that it s not an English 3 speed but I must say that your PX10 build is gorgeous. Your threads are great to follow.

BigChief 

The AM isn't listed on Sheldon Brown's indicator page, but I'm pretty sure a regular HSA 125 spindle for a 5 1/2" axle AW should work. Here's a picture of an AM with a new looking indicator that seems to be the normal, readily available ones
Sturmey Archer AM 3-speed hub

BigChief 

Ah, I see. Since those chain pins are peened, you could buy a new AW indicator, grind the peened end of the link pin holding the chain onto the indicator enough to drift it through without damaging the link. Then you would have the chain off the existing pin and a length of new chain to work with. The challenge then would be trying to salvage or make a new rivet to attach the new chain to the old pin.

ollo_ollo

Well, I have a 3 speed Raleigh again, and I thank/blame this thread: I shared earlier how just reading about other's experiences & seeing the many fine pics had stirred up memories of my 1st "English Racer" as well as the Raleigh Sports that had been my work and school commuter back in the early 80's, so no surprise that I began checking out CL and the Bay to see what was out there now.

After I recovered from the sticker shock, I ran across a Superbe from an estate sale. Years of dust, but most everything was still there. The asking price of $300 still seemed a lot, but more reasonable than anything nice in our area. I watched & waited until last Saturday there was a 20% cut so I bit. Today I had time to drive up to Puyallup, WA and get the bike. Here's a few pics from the listing. I'll take more tomorrow.
Don

ollo_ollo

I wiped off the hub enough to find it's a 74. The one I had back in the 80's was a 69. Don

DQRider 

Congrats on a beautiful find! These are such good, honest bikes; and so nice to work on, once you get the hang of cottered crankiness.

I'm sure you will get many years of enjoyment out of it.

gster

That price sounds reasonable considering the leather saddle and saddle bag. You just need a frame pump to complete.

BigChief 

I think you got a good deal, this is an especially nice one.

markk900

I think if you take out the last rivet (closest to the pin, so to speak), you could get away with practically anything because that link isn't one that swivels much. So replacing the whole chain is viable, and would eliminate the worry about them being different sizes.

ollo_ollo

Yeah, that was the only real negative. Ad copy: "From Estate...All original... Vintage mens Raleigh Superbe bike, size looks to be a large. Fantastic metallic green color, leather Brooks saddle, 3-speed rear hub with shifter on handlebars, headlight, frame pump, and rear rack...."

But when I asked about the pump, the antique store seller apologized & said they copied another ad's description.

It wasn't a big deal, since the bike looked better in person than the pics, plus the description saying "size looks to be a large" meant I was expecting it would be for my 6'1" son. He will be disappointed, as bike is a 21" C to T & fits my aged body well. All my bikes are 51cm to 54cm C to C, so I'm very pleased with this one.

The saddle is good and will clean up nicely. I prefer the B72 over a B17 for upright riding and have a nice one currently on loan to a grand daughter, but I will try this B66 to see how it rides. Don

markk900

Around here they are going for a lot more, though occasionally a deal can be found. Nice score and I think worth the money and the drive.

adventurepdx

Nice score!
As others have said, you got a good deal on a great bike. $240 (if that's what you actually did pay) is a bargain on a Superbe in good shape, PLUS all the extras. Even if the pump wasn't included! (I've used a new Zefal for those pegs, but honestly, I prefer a modern pump.)

While you can find some decent three speeds on Portland Craigslist, anytime a Superbe comes up the price tends to be WAY inflated. Many people interpret "better than a Sports" as "much much MUCH better than a Sports". And really, what makes the Superbe so superb are the extras. It's not as if the frame and hub was magically better. For instance, there's a Superbe that pops up every once in awhile over the past couple years. Nice shape, but the owner wants $600, and it lacks the extras. I feel like I'll keep seeing that for awhile...

ollo_ollo

Store was playing the "9" game, so I paid $239.99 plus my time & gas. Car I drove gets 25 mpg + burns premium, so $46 for gas. I'm happy.
attached are pics this morning before and after a wash. Problems: missing cable clamp bolt for front brake(easy fix), bottom of rear fender was flattened & missing paint & rusted(fixable, but a bit of work). Decals cleaned up nicely!

Tires are cracked but held when I aired them up. Bike's been ridden enough to have replacement Taiwan rear tire. The front gumwall is labeled Raleigh, probably original. Shifter cable looks good, but way too long to work, has about 2" of slack & measures 53" long, maybe would fit a bigger frame & was a wrong sized replacement. I put a few squirts of 30wt non-detergent oil in the hub & rode the bike around on my driveway. By pulling the slack shifter cable by hand I could get a lower gear, either 2nd or 1st. I plan to do a complete tear down once the rainy season starts. Until then, I hope to build an 8' X 12' shed so I can move all my small power equipment out of the garage and workshop.

After cleaning up the Raleigh, I aired up the tires on my Grand Jubile for a ride later today. Don

ollo_ollo

Forgot to add: after cleaning & adjusting headlight contacts, I confirmed DynoHub is working. Don

BigChief 

This bike is going to sparkle when it's cleaned up. The old fashioned enamel paint dulls over the years. I usually use a polishing compound to bring back some luster before I wax. Also, a polish will blend in touch ups. Like the white on your rear fender where you want to protect the bare steel. I use Testors enamel. What happens is after you match the color and the touch up dries, the touch ups stand out because the gloss doesn't match. When you polish the whole fender, it evens out the gloss and makes the touch ups barely noticeable.

ollo_ollo

Thanks for the tips. I went over the saddle with glycerine saddle soap followed by a light application of a proofide substitute I use and already it looks much better. I'm looking forward to overhauling the Superbe this Winter. Don

gster

This one literally showed up in my backyard yesterday...

My neighbour, Dan had bought it last week, removed the dynohub and decided he didn't want it. We agreed on a price, $50.00 and there you have it.
It's a tall bike, fairly complete with chromed fork tips.
It's been poorly painted and has the old style calipers that will only accept the proprietary Raleigh cable.
Anyone know of a clean solution to these cables?
The Dynohub is missing but I have a spare in the shed.
Anyone know what the original colour should be?

BigChief 

Wow, that's great! What luck. Most every one I've seen is green. I wouldn't know how to reproduce those Raleigh colors. I have had good results painting frames black. What I lack in skill and pro equipment can be made up, well almost, with lots of wet sanding and polishing.

gster

I'm thinking black is the way to go as well.

BigChief 

You can use these to make your own brake cables. A more elegant solution is to silver braze an original ball end on a new cable.
4 Minibike Hex Universal Throttle Brake Cable Clamp Wire Stop Garden Tractor | eBay

gster

Excellent suggestion!
Further research leads me to believe this to be an English built Superbe for the Canadian market (white head tube detail). Original decals revealed during a light sanding.

BigChief 

Check out this Superbe on the 1962 catalog. https://www.kurtkaminer.com/1962raleighcat_us_03_lg.jpg
Chrome fork ends, white steering tube and it looks, hard to tell from this picture, like the Superbe logo might be on the seat tube with the serif font Raleigh on the down tube. You should be sanding down to green paint though. From what I understand, all Superbes were bronze green.