jamesj

paulb_in_bkln

Yes, I've read those pages. Good history, there. My conclusion is that the AW has so much margin for error in its design that even made with worn out tooling it still works just fine.

paulb_in_bkln

[QUOTE=arty dave;20756675]It does let the two-rail saddle fit a conventional seatpost, but in some way it stresses the B72s thin rails, and they break. Crazy thing? The first time it happened, Brooks replaced the saddle! Even though I told them I'd used the seat sandwich! They warned me the replacement would break if I did the same thing. So what did I do? I did the same thing. And the second one broke, too. (I took my losses with that one.) Brooks made the B68 for awhile, a B72 with single rails (like how they now make the B66 and B67). I intended to buy one eventually. Then Brooks ceased production. Frustrating. I wonder if someone at Brooks would answer the question, if asked why.

paulb_in_bkln

Hey, let's go for a bike ride! Never a bad time!

JaccoW

Picked up a Koga-Miyata SilverAce today. Drum brakes, Sturmey Archer "Elite" 3-speed and more importantly, in my size!

No pics as of yet, but it's basically this model:


It's made of Koga's Hardtlite Hi-Magna HM-2 forks and FM-2 chromo tubing and lots of little details are made of stainless steel like the rear carier, rims and handlebars.
I've always wanted a steel 3-speed commuter and it seems like I found something. Mine isn't as pristine as the model above (resprayed top tube and mismatched rims). But a initial test ride shows it is a solid comfortable ride which should be great for riding around town.

clubman 

You Dutch guys get all the nice Kogas

Should be a sweet ride. Hele louke!

gster

If these bikes are left outside for a long time I suspect that water can get in the hub and do some damage. The majority of the damage is from poor maintenance and "Bike Mechanics" over tightening the cones. They really need to be finger tight with a little play (looseness). It's an acquired skill. With the bike inverted, the wheel should spin freely while the pedals don't spin, or spin a bit then stop. That's where those little cone spanners come in handy.

JaccoW

We do but I've seen a few on places like eBay on the other side of the pond.

Mine is a SilverAce or a RoadAce (1982-1992), which is made from Hi-Magna HM-2 double butted tubing with stainless parts (~17.2 Kg). Earlier versions (1982) were available with aluminum parts (16.8 Kg).
I'll have to check the exact model in daylight The frame-tubing sticker and the actual name was sprayed over.

For the slightly lighter (16.5 Kg) Hardtlite FM-2 chromoly frames and Hi-Magna HM-2 forks check out the RoadAce (1985-1994) and RoadTourer (1994).

Later version were even made from FM-1 or FM-3 chromoly spiral splined triple buttedtubing. Many had Sturmey Archer 3-speed and 5-speed hubs. From 1998 they switched to aluminum... and a Sachs Elan 12-speed hub!

I don't remember all of this from the top of my head but Koga has an awesome collection of brochures spanning all the way back to 1976!

paulb_in_bkln

Yes, only a very thin cone wrench will get in there. On the old hubs I've opened, the grease and oil dried and turned to crusty sludge might have helped ward off corrosion. But sprockets, spacers, dustcap are all out in the open and all oil or grease washed off by exposure yet nothing but very superficial fine powdery rust. Well, the dustcap is galvanized, I think. This isn't "stainless" steel but it is very durable. Come to think, it would be interesting to know the alloy.

clubman 

Up until the 90's there we're many Euro manufacturers using cadmium plating, providing good resistance to oxidation. BMW used it on all their exposed steel (motorcycle) hardware. Maybe SA/Raleigh used it too? It's banned now.

BigChief 

The older outer dust caps had a black finish like the cogs. There were many black finished parts on the older Raleighs, but they slowly changed to that silver/gray finish or chrome over the years. Raleigh seemed to take finishing their steel parts seriously. All of them were of high quality.

paulb_in_bkln

I hadn't noticed that one dustcap is galvanized, one not. All these pieces are off bikes that were outside untouched for months. They got some soaking in mineral spirits, and some attention with a brass brush. The black finish is worn thin on some of the gear teeth.

gster

Interesting Bike for sale

Listed as a Canadian built Gold Medal circa 1954 with SA components.
A sharp looking bike with good paint.

Could be a CCM sub brand.
Seller is asking $180.00

JaccoW

Still looks good in daylight!

It still needs some work but I started a thread with some more info.

Turns out is is a 1989 RoadAce.

gster

Here's another one.
Badge says D.F.H. MFG. CO.


Anyone know about these?

gster

Answering my own question..
D.P.Harris..

paulb_in_bkln

All I know is it's speedy just looking at it.

sd5782 

New poster here. I have seen quite a few posts on this site while researching my recent purchase of a Huffy Sportsman. The SA hub says 1964. It was in fairly nice original condition. The add was up for months for $200, but I finally bought it for $100 which is probably too much for a Huffy. I just wanted to try a quality 3 speed.

Kinda fun to mess with, and in nice enough condition to have patina but not be a junker. Needs teardown I suppose for lube, but rides/shifts decent after some oil in the hub, and ditching the twist shift for a vintage thumb lever shifter. I recently bought a nice Brooks B72 from the era to replace the uncomfortable ugly tan springer small triangular 80s seat that was on it.

A nice casual ride for around the urban neighborhoods. I also swapped out the rear sprocket to get a bit easier gearing for this old man thanks to the info I found here. Winter here in NW Ohio, so little riding and just more reading and wrenching.

BigChief 

It might actually be a Raleigh. Huffy Sportsman was one of the many re-badged Raleigh light roadsters that were imported here in the 50s and early 60s. This changed later. Not sure about 1964, but if it has a cottered crank, it's probably a Nottingham made re-badge.

adventurepdx

Yeah, the Raleigh made Huffy Sportsman is a nice bike, basically a Raleigh Sports without any special features. $100 isn't a bad price for it. Here's an example of a Raleigh made one:

The Raleigh made ones will have the cottered cranks like @BigChief mentioned, and have lugs. They should also have a "Made in England" indicator somewhere (if it didn't wear off):



The American made Huffy Sportsman will have a one piece crank and lack lugs. It'll more likely have a Shimano three speed hub (but not always.) It'll look something like this.


In any case, @sd5782 please post a pic!

markk900

BigChief 

Bicycles remind me of musical instruments. They're different from other machines in the way that they require constant input and close contact to operate. Just like musical instruments, seemingly minor details make large differences in the overall feeling you get from using them. I put a lot of miles on my 51 Rudge during my visit to Florida. It gave me a chance to really bond with this bike. I've never had a Raleigh this old before and now I'm ready to relay an opinion to my fellow roadster enthusiasts. I am now going to make a distinction between 2030 and pre 2030 Raleighs. In the 1954 catalog, Raleigh states " Most Raleigh cycles are now built of 2030 the new high carbon content steel tubing. 2030 gives a stronger and more rigid cycle combined with extra liveliness" I believe this is accurate. When I had the 51 Rudge apart, I noticed that the frame felt heavier than other 23" Raleigh Sports frames. Riding, this bike doesn't feel as "lively" as later light roadsters. The feeling is more old fashioned. Not bad at all, enjoyable in it's own way, like a DL-1, but not as sporty as the 2030 framed bikes.

markk900

Slowride79

sd5782 

Yes, mine is a Huffeigh, and nearly identical to the black one pictured by Adventurepdx. I knew it was a Raleigh actually, but didn't think the Huffy branded ones were as desirable in the collecting world, and hence my reluctance to pay too much. The condition is very similar to the one pictured. It had a cheap "Persons" 80s tan triangular compact springer seat similar in style to the two tone one pictured. Will try to get a couple pics up soon too.

Slowride is also correct about seeing the bike listed for sale. It was posted for months with no takers, and did have the basket on the front which interfered greatly with the cables. I was able to engineer the basket to the rear. The twist grip shifting worked poorly. I was able to get a nice vintage SA thumb shift and a NOS shift cable. One NOS brake cable too. I did manage to find a very nice vintage B72 saddle for it, but haven't ridden on it much yet. Pics soon.