Johno59

When mounting the shifter (especially 4 speed) don't fasten the shifter on a curved section of the handlebars, choose a straight section. A curved base buckles the receiver plates and the pawls inside trigger mech can jump off their cams.

sykerocker 

Damn. If it was closer, I’d jump on it. My frame size, the color I always loved, and I haven’t owned a genuine Sports since the A.R. Adams Cycle days. Lots of three speed variants, but not the real thing.

gster

Flying Pigeon!
Here's a nice example for sale here in Toronto.

Seller is asking a reasonable $75.00.

jackbombay

I don't think I've ever mounted the shifter on a straight portion of the bar, putting it a bit further away from the grip is a better location for ease of use. I generally tighten the screw down just enough so the shifter won't rotate and I've never had an issue with the shifter bending/failing. I've been riding/working on Sturmey equipped bikes since 1985 or so.

52telecaster

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...3870816161222/

Pretty cheap.

gster

Oddball
Here's a Raleigh Winkie....
An adult(?) trike with a lever front brake.

It has an odd pressed metal front fork as well.

Fat Tire Trader 

I just finished this RSW 16.

gster

gster

Nice work.
is it lacking a rear brake or did they come that way?

JohnDThompson 

I'm thinking "3-speed coaster brake hub."

clubman 

+1. A '64 TCW MKIII I'd wager.

Fat Tire Trader 

It has a coaster brake.

zukahn1

This was pretty common on 60's and 70's 3 speeds to have a rear coaster and a front hand brake. This was done to save cost and simplify things for causal riding all one needed to do was oil the rear hub through the port and chain occasionally and air up the tires and they were good for several thousand miles of riding which is more than most 3 speeds ever got.

gster

A Selection Of Current Toronto Kijiji Listings

CCM 3 Speed

A German 3 speed @ $250.00. I can't tell the brand.

A nice Ladies Raleigh 3 speed.

Men's Coffee 3 speed.

Ged117 

So I'm going to eventually build up my '54 Armstrong 531 road frame with a Williams chainset/crankset to drive my FW hub, which is built into a 700c wheel. Does anyone know what spindle length the English Club style bikes use? Then I can find the correct cup-and-cone bottom bracket and spindle for the Williams crank and chainline with my hub gear. This will be a long-term project to collect some period parts for a late winter build.


1954ish Armstrong Consort straight-gauge 531 frame and fork

nlerner

I have a spindle marked TDC#2 that I believe is intended for single chain-ring use. Measures 120mm end to end, and it's symetric. Each side from end to bearing shoulder measures about 32mm.

Ged117 

Thanks Neal. Now, I'm in search of what to search for with this machine. Seems like GB Coureur brakes, handlebars, and stems go for $$ these days, but I'd like to outfit it with period brakes, bar, and stem. I may go '70s on brake levers because the small bits in '50s GB levers are very old and likely brittle now.

thumpism

Dutch! I'd like to have this.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...5478700215020/

ascherer 

6'3" 35-36" inseam. I got a BMX layback seat post which helped a lot. Should be findable online.

BigChief 

This whole bike is very well done. The seat post seems like a perfect adaption for your height too.

ascherer 

Thanks, BigChief . It's a workhorse, my commuter and grocery runner for the last 5 years. Save for a few tweaks it's mostly stock. I'm about to give it to my son, as I've built my International as a townie with a Sturmey 8-speed and upright bars. Same spirit and brand, lighter and taller. I've thought of posting it here but I respect the focus of this thread, the best 3-speed resource on the planet!

jackbombay

I actually did a fair bot of work on one of those a little while back it belongs to the father of the guy that runs the metal shop for the company I work at, when it first showed up I figured it was like most old bikes that were old but rarely ridden, but this one had some miles on it, it was nice to get it all dialed in for trips to the store form the metal shop. That one was a 10 speed though, but same color.

My folding 3 speed with the same bridge in the background!



I also "summited" Manhattan on my folder, as someone that spent a lot of time BMXing I did I ride it to the top of the rock,

thumpism

Seatpost: Find an integrated post that you think will be tall enough; there are many 350-400mm posts on the market these days that should do for you. If you can't find one in the correct diameter, buy a larger diameter one and have a machine shop turn it down for you. I have had this done and the machine work was cheaper than the cost of the post, believe it or not. It's the stoker post in this photo, one that I selected for its setback and had turned to fit the frame.


Stem: Nitto Technomic. These are legendarily the tall post of choice and are available in several reaches as well. Clamp diameter is slightly larger than that of the stock Raleigh bar so you might have to shim the bar or use a more modern bar to fit the clamp. Thing is, the stock stems are actually pretty tall and only a Technomic gives you much more height and only the Technomic will give a choice of reach.

You can also try an inexpensive stem riser to boost the stock stem higher but some folks consider these to be unsightly.
Stem riser


I have used the combo of a quill adapter with a riser threadless stem to get the rise and reach I wanted on a different bike. There are lots of possibilities but the traditional look might suffer. Good luck!

Ged117 

That's very cool ascherer . How do you find the angle of the saddle while reaching the grips comfortably? I think your bar stem is set a bit higher than mine. I might raise it a touch. I need to find some foam for my B66 to shore up the leather. It's caved in a bunch.

ascherer 

I believe the stem is as high as it goes safely. I wanted to keep as much of the original equipment as possible. My commute is about 4.5 miles each way and I found I was feeling cramped reaching for the bars and wanting to slide my butt back. The seatpost resolved both issues. Sprung Brooks saddles want their nose up to the point where it freaks out folks that haven’t ridden them. Seems counter intuitive but it’s remarkably comfortable, especially on rough city streets. Have you tired tightening the adjusting nut at the nose of the saddle?