nlerner

BigChief 

The way I figure it, I'd have a better chance of success with only two, but who knows? I guess I'd have lots of problems to deal with and that's what is appealing to me. Most of my projects last me a week or less. Here I'd have to modify a derailleur to work with a 1/8" chain, route a cable, do some cold setting to center the wheel and set a chain line, decide on cogs and come up with some sort of roadsterish method of shifting. How about a TT mounted quadrant? It might be a better project than the light weight roadster project I never got around to.

gster

He's got an ad posted on Kijiji.
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details...dId=1421651966

gster

Those guys in Owen Sound have an NOS Cyclo derailleur that you might like..

https://www.hoopriderparts.com/produ...leur%20-%20nos

I imagine most derailleurs could be set to limit their travel over 2 or 3 cogs.

Ged117 

I wasn't able to stop for a photo since I was heading back to work from a meeting downtown, but I happened upon a Raleigh Tourist secured to a city bike loop. The machine was in really nice shape. The hub was facing down, so I couldn't spot the date of manufacture. That is the second functioning three-speed that I've seen in the wild here. The last one was a few weeks ago; an older fella stopped by a coffee shop as I was entering the bakery, and he got off a very fetching Raleigh Lenton or Clubman, by the look of it and the colour of the frame (it resembled similar bicycles posted here over the years). I rushed through my purchase in the bakery and came out to get a closer look, but he had gone. Maybe he was an old scorcher. I didn't expect to see a rare 1950s Raleigh Lenton or Clubman kind of bicycle here. It was that green metallic colour, like this:

gster

Not sure of the actual numbers but Raleigh (and others) sold millions of these things...
They were guaranteed FOREVER, and if maintained, have proven themselves.

A modern Raleigh has a one year guarantee.....

gster

As it turns out with odd Canadian tire sizes..
I put a set of 27" x 1 1/2" (37-630) tires that I
had in the garage.
They fit very well....

paulb_in_bkln

Was the idea of the lightweight roadster to use a 531 or similar frame? That would probably have a derailleur hanger, at least, and probably a mounting point for a shift lever. I had no difficulty narrowing the rear triangle on the Peugeot mixte for the SA hub. Just used a carpentry clamp to squeeze it down little by little over a few weeks. I'm not sure the alignment is perfect but it wouldn't be hard to correct (if I was that much of a perfectionist, which at least with this bike, I'm not). The special antirotation washers for the wider axle slots would be nice to have but don't seem to be a necessity.

gster

Wheel sizes
This photo shows the difference.
A standard British 26" rim in front
and the EA 2/ 28" x 1 1/4"
in back.


I had a pair of NOS Kenda tires that fit nicely.

3speedslow

I see boat!

gster

I fix boat!

1954 Mystery Bike.
I've made some minor changes

Leather saddle
New NOS tires (Kenda)
19T cog on hub (will probably add a 20T and new chain)
Repacked front hub bearings
re routed brake cable
re-positioned trigger

I'm now convinced that this is a British frame
with Canadian parts added to finish off.
The red/burgandy and cream combo is very Canadian.
The Made in Canada sticker probably really
means Assembled in Canada to meet trade tariffs etc
with a percentage of Canadian built parts added to qualify.
A nice bike but really not a bike for me to ride.

3speedslow

That’s an awesome machine! Right in there with the golden years of British club riding. Why is it not to be? Fit, style?

gster

It's a 21 1/2 " frame which is a little small for me
and I can't ride with drop bars.
I could, of course, swap out the bars but
I'm hesitant to alter the nature/originality
of this bike.
On the other hand at 64 years old (the bike)
who knows what's been altered over the years.

Ged117 

I really like the paint. I think you're right about the Canadianess of the colour scheme - 1960s Pontiac Acadians (Chevy II or Nova) came in a similar two-tone colour I think, an example of which was owned by my grandfather.

I like the spot for the shifter. I was thinking the same for my four-speed sturmey shifter on my Peugeot, a homage to Raleigh Clubmans. I found a '53 FW hub which is close to what they came with. I don't think I could pay the costs for an FC close-ratio hub. Though it was tempting...UK Ebay has many tempting items.

gster

I've seen a few other 3 speed racers with the trigger mounted there.
Britain exported so many goods after the war, cars, motorcycles, bicycles etc
that collectors there want the stuff back!
A British motorbike worth worth $5000 here in North America is worth double
that over there....

julius rensch

gster knows alot about these English 3 speeds....wondering, have you ever run across a Sturmey Archer 4 speed ? ....my friend had a 1953 Indian Scout so equiped...the additional speed was labeled "B" just below Low.(#1)
....my Indian had the conventional S/A 3 speed. Both of our cycles were imported by the Indian Motorcycle dealer in Toledo, Ohio...we bought them new, in the crate.

Julius in Ohio

Salubrious

Keep your eyes peeled- they're out there. I'm currently restoring an Lenton that is equipped an FG, which is the 4-speed and dynamo in the same hub.

BigChief 

Yeah, the idea was a roadster built from something like a Super Course. Somehow, the motivation to actually make one never happened.

nlerner

The nice thing about using an early 70s SuperCourse for such a conversion is that they don't have a derailleur hanger and are spaced at 120mm in the rear triangle, so a 3-speed hub with a 6 1/4" axle will fit without serious modification. Running cable stops and pulley wheels can be a bit fiddly, but quite do-able. Last weekend I had my '73 SuperCourse equipped with a 5-speed rear hub out for a 30 miler.

eatontkd

Anyone know a source for Raleigh rubber pedal blocks? I have a '56 Hercules that wants new ones...

clubman 

Give me a couple of days to look. I might have an extra set of proper Hercules pedals. They would be the smaller women's size but they work with my size 11's.

Those look a little odd...I thought Raleigh pedals were square section in the 50's?

eatontkd

I think they may have been square, at one time!

BigChief 

Now, you're getting me inspired again. I love the idea of the S5 hub. I even have a nice NOS 1980s S5.2 hub hanging around. This looks like a fun ride. What are you using to operate the bell crank?

SirMike1983 

1947 Schwinn New World 3-speed - we're finally starting to get some better weather here after a lot of rain.

clubman 

Then someone got their money out of them.