Velocivixen

@clubman - crank arms are 165mm.
@dweenk what are “extra chainwheel braces” you mentioned?

The adjustable cup is coming out very slowly. I’m having to try to hold the tool on and hit the other end with a hammer......it’s coming, but the threads are extremely clean and dry!

Any tricks to get my thin tool to stay on that adjustable cup? And yes, I have the correct tool.

BigChief 

I had a project bike with a crabby adjustable BB cup. It is a pest to unscrew it with the thin Park Tool spanner if the threads are tight. I just kept holding the spanner tight against the cup and tapping with the hammer. The bigger problem was reinstalling the cup. It was so tight that I couldn't really tell if I was cross threading it or not. I did my best to feel if the thread was engaging with one hand while I was holding the spindle in place with the other. After a while, I decided to just bite the bullet and start tapping the spanner to screw it back in. I was lucky.
edit...It wasn't until after I went through all this that I remembered that I had a Bikesmith fixed cup tool. That has a big square block with a channel that fits the raised section of the cup. I think the hole in the block would fit over the spindle. Don't know, but I'll give it a try next time I run into a tight adjustable cup. It would be much easier to hold that block than the Park tool.

browngw 

I have an old humongous 18" Adjustable spanner with clean sharp jaws that will grab the raised portion of the adjustable bearing. I gives lots of leverage and a little ATF (Transmission fluid) is a good lube for the threads. It seeps in a bit.

JohnDThompson 

Yes, it does work. I've used the Bikesmith tool on several BSOs with tight adjustable cups that the Park HCW-11 couldn't move.

Velocivixen

I got the adjustable cup out. I was using the wrong type of hammer. The threads looked clean and very dry. I used a Dremel with a wire brush to go over the threads, degreaser then dried. Greased up the threads and used the cup as a thread chaser.....

Done for the night. Thanks for all the support.

Chaser95

Yesterday I asked about the gearing of the AW and S3C hubs. I heeded Mooo's advice about the Sturmey Archer heritage site and found they are both geared the same. -25%/ D /+33.3% So I will call my perceived difference a change of bikes and lack of experience. I may be getting some drag from the BB if the grease in it looks anything like the headset did. It was very hard and dry. I expect to find the same condition with the front wheel. I have contacted RHM and we will discuss my saddle options next week. I still have the Western Flyer in pieces so I will borrow its cheap saddle for more fine tuning of the 72 Sports. At least I will be able to ride it. On the subject of it being a '72, according to a Raleigh catalog on another site, the '72s had adjustable brakes.......mine does not. Maybe it is because it has the S3C? Lastly, as I search for a rear brake assembly and handle what will be period correct for the 72? Thanks!

BigChief 

Raleigh used essentially the same made in house levers and calipers on the Sports since the 1930s with only a few differences. For a long time, these required a cable with a barrel end for the lever and a ball end for the caliper. Replacement cables were sold as complete units with adjusters attached. As you can imagine, these are a pest in 2018. You have to either silver braze a ball end onto a plain cable or use a knarp if you can't find the correct length original. Sometime, I think in the late 60s, they changed to a simple pinch bolt on the caliper. These are what you want. Pretty sure this is what you have on the front of your 72 now. I don't think the auto adjust levers came out until 74 or so. I don't care for them myself. If you find a caliper that originally came with an auto adjust lever, you will need to add a cable adjuster bolt so try to find a caliper with one already in place or another rusty caliper you can take it from.

Mooo

I look at what the antique airplane guys do - they have a really practical approach to this. Basically, if it affects safe operation, then modern replacements are OK.

This is a little deeper than it first appears. If you are willing to control how it's operated, then you can live with things like expander tube brakes, no radio, no starter, etc. But if you're going to take the occasional passenger out of a tower-controlled field, then nobody's going to give you any grief at all for things like swapping those out for something a little more modern. ... and in general, far better that it should be lightly modified and flown than sit in storage.

In this case, I'd probably put a lever and back brake from an old Schwinn Varsity on it until I found a lever & brake from a 1970's Raleigh (that matches your front, or do both brakes) at your local bike coop.

markk900

The B67 was the first new Brooks I ever bought....while it was fine out of the box I will say I clearly remember the day I went out for a ride and it was finally "broken in" - it was noticeable how not noticeable it was! That saddle now moves around as I love it so much. Took maybe 200km of riding and it helped to sweat a bit...

Have not yet managed to get the same result on the almost new Flyer Special I have (hard as a rock), and I am working on the RHM special (effectively new) but not enough miles yet......

markk900

100% agree!

BigChief 

The B67 looks to be a fine saddle. From the pictures it looks the same as the B66 but with a single rail. Up until recently, well 10 or so years, to me that's recently, I was prejudiced against sprung saddles from the experience I had back in the day with those awful mattress saddles that came on the lower priced 3 speeds. After I had a chance to ride one, the B66 was like a revelation. Now, I think they're the perfect saddle for upright roadster riding, even for longer distances.

dweenk 

I have a Sports camelback with rounded crank arms (145mm long), maybe the short crank arms were rounded.

BigChief 

As for the timeline of plastic oil ports goes, with the AW hubs I have on hand I can only narrow it down to 1956 (steel) 1964 (plastic)

Mooo

I have a 61-8 TCW with a metal port, which I believe to be original. Can't help much past that.

Ballenxj

Spoke to a guy selling a Raleigh Sports with a Sturmy Archer 3 spd yesterday. He tried to talk me into a more expensive bike called an Electra with a Shimano nexus hub, stating that the old SA hubs are known to malfunction for no reason, and almost impossible to rebuild?

Velocivixen

Now that’s a hoot! So what did you say?

markk900

Tell him you feel so badly about his having that unreliable Raleigh around that you will help him out and take it off his hands - and you'll only charge him $20 for doing him this favour.....

Ballenxj

It was a phone conversation about me thinking about buying the bike. I didn't say anything since he was the "expert."
I will use the information he gave me when making an offer on that bike with the worthless 3 speed hub. But only after looking at the bike first. He says I need to make an appointment as he's in an out a lot. Fair enough. I'm in no hurry. He sounded like a dealer while stating he is not, but does have around 200 bikes to sell. I almost admire the guy.

dweenk 

@Velocivixen

Sorry I missed your reply about "extra braces". I was referring to the chainwheel arms between the herons.

'The Headbadge': Raleigh Sports Component Evolution Chart

paulb_in_bkln

Not metric?

JohnDThompson 

FWIW, I have a '69 AW with a metal port, and a '66 AW with a plastic port.

Go figure.

Velocivixen

I have the correct spanner for that bottom bracket - it's very thin, but the adjustable cup threads were so dry and so tight that I had to try to hold the spanner in place, then hit the end of it with a hammer to get it to even move. I was using like a ball peen hammer. I switched to a heavy sledge hammer? type hammer with some heft to it and it made a huge difference.

Here's a photo of the "before".
1971 Raleigh Twenty bottom bracket spindle, lock washer and adjustable cup prior to overhaul. by velocivixen, on Flickr

Velocivixen

@dweenk - thanks for that link. Interesting. My chainwheel measures 3/32", 44t. My bike does have the "R Nuts" on cotters and front wheels.

Mooo

At the risk of sounding condescending - NOT my intention by the way - did you try using a lockring spanner like this one? https://www.parktool.com/product/cra...t-wrench-hcw-5

If the lockring is seized to the adjustable cup, loosening the lockring ought to extract the cup.

Velocivixen

@Mooo - I do have that tool and used it to remove the lock ring first. There is a specific shaped spanner for those adjustable cups which I also own. The lock ring came off easily but it was the cup that was tight.