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For the love of English 3 speeds...

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For the love of English 3 speeds...

Old 04-24-19, 08:40 AM
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How best to secure vintage rubber grips?

I've used gorilla glue with cork grips, but the residue left on the bar - or even trying to remove the grip, is terrible.

One of the grips on my Raleigh slips around. What is the best way to secure a vintage rubber grip so that it doesn't slide, but also so that you can remove and replace it with reasonable ease?

I've seen references to hairspray, (though I'm not sure I want to buy an entire can to secure one grip), and also to silicone. What does everyone else in 3-speed land use?
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Old 04-24-19, 09:04 AM
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Originally Posted by carfreefamily
How best to secure vintage rubber grips?
<-------->
What is the best way to secure a vintage rubber grip so that it doesn't slide, but also so that you can remove and replace it with reasonable ease?
<-------->
I would never use glue of any kind. I'm vintage as well, and we always used dish soap to slip the rubber grips on, then leave to set up for an hour or more.
This always worked well for me.
Note, my old bikes were old one speed coaster brake style bikes, but handle bars are handle bars.
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Old 04-24-19, 11:21 AM
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I use the new windex stuff which has the vinegar base. Grips slip right on and set up. Your old grip might have been removed at one time then put back on with an oil based product. Removing, cleaning and restoring could be the best thing. If in a shop, we use high pressure air.
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Old 04-24-19, 04:24 PM
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I use plain Windex or any generic that is similar. It works with removing grips as well as installing them. When installing grips, don't be too generous with the Windex - the grips won't "grip" until it dries.
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Old 04-24-19, 06:06 PM
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@3speedslow - nice use of Carradice bags. I’ve got a “Barley” on the back of mine. Never thought about putting one up front.
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Old 04-24-19, 06:10 PM
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You can buy a travel size hair spray for <$1 at wallyworld that will do a few dozen bikes. Dish soap is okay if you live in the desert but it will let loose without warning if you ride in the rain or leave your bike out in the rain. Any kind of oil or silicon lube won't 'set up'. Old dried out or hardened plastic grips won't hold without some sort of sticky stuff. If you do use any kind of glue, don't put any on the bars, just in the grip so the excess doesn't get pushed by the leading edge of the grip and leave a blob.

I'd only use Gorilla glue on grips to prank the next mechanic. I do use Gorilla glue for construction wood work. Its a near permanent product and often stronger than the wood. Once dried, you can trim the excess with a sharp knife blade. My professional wood working friends avoid it completely. It doesn't seem to matter how careful you are, it gets on your hands and turns black and it takes a few days to wear off the skin.
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Old 04-24-19, 07:28 PM
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1930 Hercules
Very little progress this week...
The new chain didn't sit properly so I bought
a half link to try. I've never needed one before
but with the age and changes to this drive train
it seemed the only solution.

Someone swiped my camera last week so I'm not used to the
new one.


The rear wheel sits more evenly now.
More to follow.
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Old 04-24-19, 07:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Velocivixen
@3speedslow - nice use of Carradice bags. I’ve got a “Barley” on the back of mine. Never thought about putting one up front.
VV
You haven't been here for awhile.
Glad you're back.
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Old 04-24-19, 07:44 PM
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Originally Posted by rickpaulos
You can buy a travel size hair spray for <$1 at wallyworld that will do a few dozen bikes. Dish soap is okay if you live in the desert but it will let loose without warning if you ride in the rain or leave your bike out in the rain. Any kind of oil or silicon lube won't 'set up'. Old dried out or hardened plastic grips won't hold without some sort of sticky stuff. If you do use any kind of glue, don't put any on the bars, just in the grip so the excess doesn't get pushed by the leading edge of the grip and leave a blob.

I'd only use Gorilla glue on grips to prank the next mechanic. I do use Gorilla glue for construction wood work. Its a near permanent product and often stronger than the wood. Once dried, you can trim the excess with a sharp knife blade. My professional wood working friends avoid it completely. It doesn't seem to matter how careful you are, it gets on your hands and turns black and it takes a few days to wear off the skin.
I tried a number of adhesives on this sign and in the
end used Gorilla tape. Stainless steel mounted to pine.

It's survived a Canadian summer and winter with no sign of failure.
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Old 04-24-19, 07:55 PM
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Originally Posted by rickpaulos
You can buy a travel size hair spray for <$1 at wallyworld that will do a few dozen bikes. Dish soap is okay if you live in the desert but it will let loose without warning if you ride in the rain or leave your bike out in the rain. Any kind of oil or silicon lube won't 'set up'. Old dried out or hardened plastic grips won't hold without some sort of sticky stuff. If you do use any kind of glue, don't put any on the bars, just in the grip so the excess doesn't get pushed by the leading edge of the grip and leave a blob.

I'd only use Gorilla glue on grips to prank the next mechanic. I do use Gorilla glue for construction wood work. Its a near permanent product and often stronger than the wood. Once dried, you can trim the excess with a sharp knife blade. My professional wood working friends avoid it completely. It doesn't seem to matter how careful you are, it gets on your hands and turns black and it takes a few days to wear off the skin.
I'm giving dish soap a try, since that is what I had on hand. I do live in the desert, so I'm good there, at least for now. I do ride in the rain, but the current plan is to use my newer three speed in the rain. (It's a 1978 Schwinn Super le Tour that had been converted to a single speed when we bought it at a garage sale, and I converted it to a three speed a little over a year ago, which has sent me down this three speed journey.)

I do find that I'm riding the bike more than I thought I would. Is it a vintage item for special occasions, or a venerable multi-purpose bike that continues to live on in daily use. Right now, it seems to be the latter.
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Old 04-25-19, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by gster
1930 Hercules
Very little progress this week...
The new chain didn't sit properly so I bought
a half link to try. I've never needed one before
but with the age and changes to this drive train
it seemed the only solution.
I never heard of a half link. Good thing to know. I might eventually need one on the mixte conversion.
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Old 04-25-19, 07:59 AM
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Originally Posted by paulb_in_bkln
I never heard of a half link. Good thing to know. I might eventually need one on the mixte conversion.
Most bike shops should have them.
I currently have a 16T freewheel on the back as that's
what I had on hand, with a 48T chain ring.
I may put a bigger freewheel on the back in
the future and not need the half link.
We'll see.
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Old 04-25-19, 08:05 AM
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Put 20 miles on the recently completed mixte AW conversion yesterday with the first of the season's rides to the beach at Riis Park. Everyone here knows this already but the AW hub is a great thing. I know some bike people have found fault, on paper, with its design. A low normal design might be better than a high normal design. And sure it would be nice if somehow epicyclic gear mechanics didn't make third gear a slightly larger jump from second gear than might be ideal. But in practice, riding day after day, it's a hard piece of bike engineering to fault. For utility and basic recreational riding it works so well and is so dependable. I never notice at all its so-called faults. Icing on the cake is something I only recently realized has always been part of the magic for me: the trigger shifter's two step click click from first to second gear. Love that!
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Old 04-25-19, 08:11 AM
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Originally Posted by Velocivixen
@3speedslow - nice use of Carradice bags. I’ve got a “Barley” on the back of mine. Never thought about putting one up front.
Hey,

When I need to use the Junior up front again, I will swing the lamp bracket around or flip it so the bag sits more centered. Not too bad as is but could be “perfect”... I still have the bushing HS which I like and with the added weight of a loaded bag I swear it swivels just like my other bikes. Very stable feeling.

Great to see your post, BTW! I would love to get a Barley for the casual riding I do on my Twenty. It’s a great size and has the side pockets for accessories. You have the green one right? I like the black Carradices but I think green would go better with the coffee for this.

would love to see a recent pic of your R20 with Barley if you have one.
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Old 04-25-19, 08:14 AM
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Any suggestions on keeping a seat post from slipping down (apart from that I lose 25 pounds). I've wiped away any grease inside the tube and on the post and I tighten the bolt to where I'm afraid I'll bust it if I tighten it any more and yet the post slips.
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Old 04-25-19, 08:17 AM
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Originally Posted by gster
Most bike shops should have them.
I currently have a 16T freewheel on the back as that's
what I had on hand, with a 48T chain ring.
I may put a bigger freewheel on the back in
the future and not need the half link.
We'll see.
That is a pretty high-geared bike.
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Old 04-25-19, 08:23 AM
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Originally Posted by paulb_in_bkln
Any suggestions on keeping a seat post from slipping down (apart from that I lose 25 pounds). I've wiped away any grease inside the tube and on the post and I tighten the bolt to where I'm afraid I'll bust it if I tighten it any more and yet the post slips.
After my question about how best to secure handlebar grips, I'm tempted to say hairspray.

I wonder if someone put the wrong-sized seatpost on your bike at some point. I've had seatposts get stuck, but I don't think I'v had one slip. It doesn't seem you should have to tighten it until fear of damage begins to settle in.
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Old 04-25-19, 08:28 AM
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Dunlop inner tube
From the 1930 Hercules...

back when we used to make things in Canada...
Still holds air!
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Old 04-25-19, 08:29 AM
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Originally Posted by paulb_in_bkln
That is a pretty high-geared bike.
Yeah...
I haven't even ridden it yet.
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Old 04-25-19, 08:37 AM
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Originally Posted by paulb_in_bkln
Any suggestions on keeping a seat post from slipping down (apart from that I lose 25 pounds). I've wiped away any grease inside the tube and on the post and I tighten the bolt to where I'm afraid I'll bust it if I tighten it any more and yet the post slips.
Could be the wrong size.
Sheldon says:
Most steel bicycle frames have tubing of standard outside diameter. Frames made to British or Italian standards will typically have 1 1/8" (28.6 mm) seat tubes.
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Old 04-25-19, 08:45 AM
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Dunlop Rubber Factory circa 1920
Booth Street, Toronto


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Old 04-25-19, 09:05 AM
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Originally Posted by carfreefamily
After my question about how best to secure handlebar grips, I'm tempted to say hairspray.
That's a good one!
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Old 04-25-19, 09:08 AM
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Originally Posted by gster
Could be the wrong size.
Sheldon says:
Most steel bicycle frames have tubing of standard outside diameter. Frames made to British or Italian standards will typically have 1 1/8" (28.6 mm) seat tubes.
The Pug has a built-in shim, which supposedly can be removed easily to go up to a 1 inch (25.4 mm) post from the 22mm post used with the shim. Mine has the shim and I think the 22 mm post, which is a good snug fit except it slips! Gonna try cleaning post and inside of tube again with some solvent.
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Old 04-25-19, 09:32 AM
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Originally Posted by paulb_in_bkln
Any suggestions on keeping a seat post from slipping down (apart from that I lose 25 pounds). I've wiped away any grease inside the tube and on the post and I tighten the bolt to where I'm afraid I'll bust it if I tighten it any more and yet the post slips.
Another solution is that sticky grease used for carbon fiber parts.
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Old 04-25-19, 10:26 AM
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Three Speed Century?

The Santa Fe Century is coming up next month, and of course that has me thinking about doing it on a three speed. I am fairly certain the 50 mile ride would be pleasant enough. 100 miles seems like it would be possible, and for some reason, every time I think something might be difficult and taxing, but possible, I want to give it a try to see if I'm right - if it really is possible. The last time I rode the full 100 miles, I used an '84 Trek 520, and I know I appreciated both the extra high gearing, for booking along downhill and on the flats, (I found I could easily catch up to people on carbon bikes, well, maybe easily is an exaggeration), and the granny gear for getting up Heartbreak Hill, specifically, but also the long climb over the Ortiz Mountains outside of Madrid, NM. My questions to myself are, how much would I be walking, (certainly up Heartbreak), and would my top speed be reduced to the point where I would take way too long to complete the full 100. I guess I have to throw in that the date of the century is my 23rd wedding anniversary - so maybe the 50 miles with my wife would contribute more toward marital harmony than a 100 mile ride - this year.

Still, in thinking about it, I'm surprised that Googling "Century Ride on a Three Speed" does not turn up any stories, beyond that of a 90 year old grandmother. Do people on this list do any century rides on their English 3-speeds? Right now it seems "different" to me, but not crazy. Please let me know if I'm verging into crazy.
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