desconhecido 

That's the one with the Jackson Pollock paint job. Still not a good picture of the left side of that rear hub. If it's a dyno-4 it should have a stub from the 2 piece indicator sticking out and I don't see it. If it's a dyno-3, it's probably ok, but there's no light or anything, is there? Take along a voltmeter and make sure it puts out a couple volts when you spin the wheel -- assuming that "spin" is within the range of motion available.

edit: looks a bit smaller than the 23" Raleigh Sports. Maybe Rudge had a 22", don't know.

edit again: One thing about that bike, if you buy it you don't have to worry about somebody coming up to you and saying, "Hey, I've got a bike just like that!" You know, like the way some people are worried about going to a party and there's somebody else there in the exact same outfit? No worries, won't happen.

clubman 

@Buellster...define 'much better shape'

Be careful. Missing parts, crushed chainstays (maybe), bad paint, lots o rust = ridden hard and put away wet. You could put hundreds into that bike and end up with something worth $150. If it's cheap, sure then have a go at a home paint and decal job but don't get caught up in a Red Hand of Ulster fever. Love the lock regardless. Looks like 21"?

BigChief 

I like bikes like this. It has some features that appeal to me a lot. It's very early 50s. Maybe even late 40s. It has the old style lugs and the crazy cool Hand of Ulster crank. To me, it has custom scorcher written all over it. No original paint to preserve. No need to be historically accurate, just strip and repaint. I did this a few years ago with a very messed up 21" Rudge, a bit later than this one. Mid 50s I figure. I used a tall stem to get the leg extension and riding position I needed. Turned out to be a fun project and one of my favorite rides. Thing is, as it is now, this bike has very little value. There's not enough crazy people like me around to make something like this worth more than 40 bucks. @clubman is correct. You would spend much more than you could ever sell it for. But that has never stopped me before

BigChief 

Had a short but beautiful ride this morning. I love this weather. I'll freely admit to being a sucker for stylized chainrings. Even better than the Rudge hand are the Humber running men and the Norman.

markk900

clubman 

Not sure I've posted this...it's a 531 Robin Hood, rear 3 speed Dyno, 3 pin Williams crank with steel mudguards. Very much a Lenton-type club ride with North Road bars. Not mine, a friends.

Ballenxj

A three speed with integral Dyno? COOL!

clubman 

I believe that's an AG hub. Sturmey bragged about the weight savings when a 3 speed was combined with a Dyno hub. And then you pick it up...

Buellster

Wow!
that's so cool!
I've never seen a combined hub like that before.

desconhecido 

Look at the splash painted Rudge.

Buellster

...
It does seem to have that..
this rusty old rudge gets more interesting everytime I look at it haha
you mentioned I should bring a voltmeter when I go see its and i didnt catch that was why.

BigChief 

I don't seem to have one in my collection. Rare bikes, at least here in the US. I know it was a smaller company that was bought by TI in the early 50s. I wouldn't be surprised if after TI bought Raleigh in 1960, they put Norman badges on Nottingham bikes and maybe the chainring as well. Don't know for sure.

Ballenxj

Craigslist AD, but the seller says it's an English 3 speed, so I posted it here. Fleet Wing?
https://boise.craigslist.org/bik/d/fl...711069134.html

BigChief 

That does seem to be imported from England or Europe. Usually American bikes were all welded with one piece cranks. And American cantilever frames had some semblance of symmetry. Looking at this is like a finger poke in the eye.

Road Fan

Can't tell by looking, but the hub could also be an FG - the gears of an FW with the dyno function. I have one of those waiting for the rainy day when I start on my Rudge. Weight savings -- well yes, it's all in one housing, so there's a bigger housing on the rear and still a real small housing on the front. I think the gears may have been narrowed on the FG relative to the FW, which is a four-speed counterpart to the AW. I assume the AG has the same ratios as the AW? If so it might also have smaller gears.

I'd assume all of us who like three-speeds realize that the 30-something weights still allow quite decent speed - mass is not everything. As a kid I had a 1950-something Phillips three-speed (same equipment as a mid-60s Raleigh Sport), and I added steel drop bars when 15, with the original-style brake levers. Not because I knew anything about Clubman-style, but because I was always leaning into the bar and gripping at the forward curves of the traditional bars, or even resting my forearms on the bar, riding up and down what is now the Chicago Lakefront Path. At 16 I got a straight-gauge 531 Falcon with Campy Gran Sport, 27 x 1 ¼ at 90 psi with Al rims, and a Brooks saddle. I was no faster on it, and its ride was significantly stiffer than the old Phillips. Lighter was not faster, and straight-gauge 531 did not make a better bike, except that it was lighter.

Next bike was Italian, had a double-butted frame, Campy Record (not Nuovo Record!) and tubulars - that was faster!

Ballenxj

A finger poke in the eye? Haha, that sort of sums up my thoughts on it as well. I thought you guys might see the humor in it.

noglider 

It doesn't look English to me. Maybe the SA hub threw the seller off.

BigChief 

I was into wrenching bikes as a kid. I put together a stripped down Rudge with flipped bars and a cheap molded plastic saddle and pretended it was a racing bike. It was a much nicer ride than the department store 10 speeds at the time. Even Schwinn Varsitys felt like tanks next to the Rudge. It wasn't until you got up to something like a Motobecane Grand Touring or Raleigh Grand Prix level bike before you really felt any big improvement over the old 3 speed.

clubman 

21" or slightly less.

Road Fan

Hi, Buellster, what is that brown thing under the handlebars? Some sort of fairing?

Buellster

It is a bike bag. I picked it up at my LBS for 15 bucks.


Same bag seen from the front. Mounted in a different spot.

DQRider 

.

This past weekend seemed very English to me. Mind you, I've never been there, but most of the literature and video of England shows an environment that is mostly green ground and grey skies, with a hint of drizzle in the air.

These were the surroundings I rode through all weekend. It started on Saturday, when I went down to Harriet Island, across from downtown Saint Paul on the Mississippi River (It could have been London, and the Thames...).


On the trail to Harriet Island.

Of course the paddle-wheeled riverboats give this away as American, but at least the bike was British.



This kind of light is very flattering to the Scorcher.



On Sunday I set off again, but this time for a bit of "Green Laning", on my Super Course Roadster.


These paths run all through the local forests, but none of them are very long.



It was 43°F when I left the house, and it only ever warmed up to about 45° while I was out. Good thing I dressed warmly.



I celebrated with a cup of tea when I got home. It seemed the proper thing to do.

.

Road Fan

Ok, I see. I've had a few long threads on another forum discussing possible ideas for low-cost fairings incorporating front storage.

desconhecido 

Love those little brass bells. Make me want to go ding, ding, ding, ding. Just like Hector Salamanca

Very nice bikes, one and all.

markk900