For the love of English 3 speeds...
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They weren't poorly made. After the TI buyout, quality did became less consistent, poor judgements were made and a line, similar to AMF buying Harley Davidson and CBS buying Fender did develop among roadster enthusiasts. Still, I'm grateful traditional roadsters were produced all through the 70s even if they weren't of the same quality and diversity of the earlier bikes. But this is why you will sometimes hear things like pre Raleigh Hercules and pre TI Raleigh.
Last edited by BigChief; 07-10-18 at 08:12 AM.
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Spied this "Royal Scot" at the CVBS this past weekend. Sorry I got distracted and did not get a shot of the entire bike.
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B67 on my '71 Robin Hood.
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Adding to BigChiefs post these are some of marques and dates taken from Sheldons pages
Humber, BSA, New Hudson 1932
Rudge-Whitworth 1943
Triumph 1954
Three Spires 1954
Sunbeam 1957
Phillips 1960
Hercules 1960
Norman 1960
Sun 1960
Carlton 1960
Dunelt 1960
Moulton 1967
There were many other smaller rebrands not listed here. Generally, the top tier bikes were Raleigh, Humber and Rudge. This doesn't imply that the others were poorly made.
Humber, BSA, New Hudson 1932
Rudge-Whitworth 1943
Triumph 1954
Three Spires 1954
Sunbeam 1957
Phillips 1960
Hercules 1960
Norman 1960
Sun 1960
Carlton 1960
Dunelt 1960
Moulton 1967
There were many other smaller rebrands not listed here. Generally, the top tier bikes were Raleigh, Humber and Rudge. This doesn't imply that the others were poorly made.
Yes- that or a B72. You should try them both; each has their strengths. The B-72 is more efficient but the B66 is more comfortable.
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here's a picture of my first Raleigh Sports with a B17. I'm 5'6, so I ride that bike with some forward lean and the B17 works just fine for me. A wider saddle would give me trouble.
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Stretching the thread topic past recognition: Bromptons are English, and "classics," kind of. And it sounds like Jack's is a three-speed. One of his best shows, IMHO.
Cycletouring the Tour de France | The Bike Show - a cycling radio show and podcast from Resonance FM
Cycletouring the Tour de France | The Bike Show - a cycling radio show and podcast from Resonance FM
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Relatively cheap Raleigh Twenty in the Boston area for those who are so inclined:
https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/bi...639358011.html
https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/bi...639358011.html
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The B66 (double rail) or B67 (single rail) is a good choice for the Sports. I have felt comfortable on mine from the first day. Depends what your style is with different bikes. My Salsa adventure bike has a B17 and my old Dilecta road bike has a B17 Narrow.
B67 on my '71 Robin Hood.
B67 on my '71 Robin Hood.
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Thanks for the replies and history lesson on my Raleigh “brands” question.
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51 Rudge project update. Mudguards are finished. Now on to rebuilding components. Decided to start with the trigger shifter. Here's a typical situation. The case is bent outward toward the front. It needs to come apart to be straightened. It would still work like this, but it would always feel sloppy. It doesn't look like the bend is hard enough to crease the embossed and plated brass face plate. That's one of those things that you can never remove no matter how flat you get it. You would still see distortion in the shiny plating. This one looks OK. The colors in the embossed areas is still intact, but the chrome is covered in a thin oxidation. An overnight soak in Evapo-Rust will remove this. It will look almost new again and the colors won't be disturbed. The spring looks good, but I'll replace it anyway since I have a supply of NOS springs. The threaded ferrule was very crabby coming out, but the threads don't look stripped. I wish I could run a tap through, but it's almost certainly a British Standard thread I don't have a tap for. I'll clean up the threads somehow.
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I've got a question on my English 3-speed (part of a otherwise mostly Dutch bike). I put it here and not it in the bicycle mechanics section because I noticed there's quite a bit of specific SA knowledge here. It's got a Sturmey Archer AB hub and I want to change the entire brake including the plate, because the pivot bolt is loose from what is supposed to pivot around it .Does anyone know if the brake section is interchangeable with the AB/C hub? Because that entire brake plate (HSB315) is easy to find. Another question is whether there's any chance asbestos in it, it's little over 40 years old I guess but I didn't find any production year on it, and if so, how should I remove those parts safely?
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I'm eyeballing a huffy sportsman branded "made in England" on the downtube. Guy says $40 dollars and its mine. I dont know if I want to go for it.
Is this the internally geared hub model? Was this the time period when these frames where essentially raliegh with a huffy brand?
I like the idea of a three speed project but I'm not sure if it's worth getting into this particular one.
any help or advice would be great! Thanks!
Here it is best and only pic
Is this the internally geared hub model? Was this the time period when these frames where essentially raliegh with a huffy brand?
I like the idea of a three speed project but I'm not sure if it's worth getting into this particular one.
any help or advice would be great! Thanks!
Here it is best and only pic
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This bike has a 21" frame which is fine if you're 5'10" or less. If you're taller, hold out for a 23". Just my opinion but...this bike has a twist grip shifter with a 3 speed coaster brake hub. I would hold out for a regular 3 speed hub with a trigger shifter and hand brakes.
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This bike has a 21" frame which is fine if you're 5'10" or less. If you're taller, hold out for a 23". Just my opinion but...this bike has a twist grip shifter with a 3 speed coaster brake hub. I would hold out for a regular 3 speed hub with a trigger shifter and hand brakes.
That's more of what I'm hoping for. A trigger shifter would be lovely.
Not too many in Portland Oregon but they dont cost an arm and a leg when they do show up (usually).
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I'm eyeballing a huffy sportsman branded "made in England" on the downtube. Guy says $40 dollars and its mine. I dont know if I want to go for it.
Is this the internally geared hub model? Was this the time period when these frames where essentially raliegh with a huffy brand?
I like the idea of a three speed project but I'm not sure if it's worth getting into this particular one.
any help or advice would be great! Thanks!
Here it is best and only pic
Is this the internally geared hub model? Was this the time period when these frames where essentially raliegh with a huffy brand?
I like the idea of a three speed project but I'm not sure if it's worth getting into this particular one.
any help or advice would be great! Thanks!
Here it is best and only pic
I'd pass unless you want a future parts bike.
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I've got a question on my English 3-speed (part of a otherwise mostly Dutch bike). I put it here and not it in the bicycle mechanics section because I noticed there's quite a bit of specific SA knowledge here. It's got a Sturmey Archer AB hub and I want to change the entire brake including the plate, because the pivot bolt is loose from what is supposed to pivot around it .Does anyone know if the brake section is interchangeable with the AB/C hub? Because that entire brake plate (HSB315) is easy to find. Another question is whether there's any chance asbestos in it, it's little over 40 years old I guess but I didn't find any production year on it, and if so, how should I remove those parts safely?
When you say the pivot bolt do you mean the part that the cable or rod connects to? That's a pivoting arm - Sturmey Archer label it as 'brake lever' which is most unhelpful You should be able to tighten it, but if the outside nut is spinning, take the whole brake section off so you can secure the inside side of the bolt with something while you tighten the outside nut. I had to make a spanner from a piece of 2-3mm mild steel because I couldn't get a regular spanner in the gap to hold the inner bolt. Edit - sorry, I'm describing how to tighten the pivot bolt that the 2 brake shoes pivot on. This might be what you mean? They call it a fulcrum pin, and sometimes this incorporates a cable stop. It takes me a while to wrap my head around their part names, and English is the only language I know
I have an AB on my Raleigh DL-1 - the AB is rod operated; the 'C' in AB/C stands for cable. You probably know this, just putting it here for anyone that doesn't.
The brake section is a standard size, and the shoes are also interchangeable. So whatever small parts you need to work with your bikes rod or cable, you can take from one and put on the other.
If you're suspecting asbestos, maybe wear some disposable nitrile or latex gloves and a breathing mask. Wipe out the shell with a damp cloth or paper and then dispose of it. Then you could use some brake cleaner on the shell too, there's usually a bit of hub oil that's made its way into the drum. That's the drawback with the older drum hubs, there's not really an adequate seal from the gear side into the brake side of the hub. Best not to lay the bike down on that brake side. Hope that helps
Last edited by arty dave; 07-11-18 at 06:58 PM.
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And...at your height, you could easily ride a 24" framed DL-1 like this
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You can still find nice examples for $125-$200.
You'll often seen His and Hers bikes for sale. Bought by a couple in the 70's,
ridden a few times and then stored in the basement.
Good luck.
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When you say the pivot bolt do you mean the part that the cable or rod connects to? That's a pivoting arm - Sturmey Archer label it as 'brake lever' which is most unhelpful You should be able to tighten it, but if the outside nut is spinning, take the whole brake section off so you can secure the inside side of the bolt with something while you tighten the outside nut. I had to make a spanner from a piece of 2-3mm mild steel because I couldn't get a regular spanner in the gap to hold the inner bolt. Edit - sorry, I'm describing how to tighten the pivot bolt that the 2 brake shoes pivot on. This might be what you mean? They call it a fulcrum pin, and sometimes this incorporates a cable stop. It takes me a while to wrap my head around their part names, and English is the only language I know
I have an AB on my Raleigh DL-1 - the AB is rod operated; the 'C' in AB/C stands for cable. You probably know this, just putting it here for anyone that doesn't.
The brake section is a standard size, and the shoes are also interchangeable. So whatever small parts you need to work with your bikes rod or cable, you can take from one and put on the other.
The brake section is a standard size, and the shoes are also interchangeable. So whatever small parts you need to work with your bikes rod or cable, you can take from one and put on the other.
If you're suspecting asbestos, maybe wear some disposable nitrile or latex gloves and a breathing mask. Wipe out the shell with a damp cloth or paper and then dispose of it. Then you could use some brake cleaner on the shell too, there's usually a bit of hub oil that's made its way into the drum. That's the drawback with the older drum hubs, there's not really an adequate seal from the gear side into the brake side of the hub. Best not to lay the bike down on that brake side. Hope that helps
Thank's a lot, I'll be back with an update when the job is done.
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The recent conversations about long-distance riding on a 3-speed inspired me to kit together a build and take on this challenge. The frameset is a mid-1970s Wes Mason (the second M in the MKM/Ron Kitching enterprise), full DB Reynolds 531, so reasonably light weight. To continue the keep the weight down (and compensate for the relatively heavy IGH), I went with a set of CLB brakes, a 122bcd later-model Nervar crankset with 45t ring, American Classic seat post, Brooks Swift with Ti rails, Nitto technomic stem, GB bars, and Brooks leather wrap, Shimano aero levers, Shimano A520 pedals. Wheelset is a rear 40-hole Titan Matrix and front is a Mavic with similar box section and color. Tires are Grand Bois Cypres 700 x 30mm (and a bit of a tight fit between the chain stays). Rear hub is an FM with alloy shell dated Sept 1954 (okay, I cheated and went with a 4-speed!). Total weight on my hanging scale as shown is about 22.5 lbs.
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The frame is a smidge on the small side for me, but that keeps the weight down for this purpose and fit feels pretty good as shown. I'll take it for a 20-30-mile test ride in the next day or so and decide if it'll suffice for a century ride next week.
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The frame is a smidge on the small side for me, but that keeps the weight down for this purpose and fit feels pretty good as shown. I'll take it for a 20-30-mile test ride in the next day or so and decide if it'll suffice for a century ride next week.
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The recent conversations about long-distance riding on a 3-speed inspired me to kit together a build and take on this challenge. The frameset is a mid-1970s Wes Mason (the second M in the MKM/Ron Kitching enterprise), full DB Reynolds 531, so reasonably light weight. To continue the keep the weight down (and compensate for the relatively heavy IGH), I went with a set of CLB brakes, a 122bcd later-model Nervar crankset with 45t ring, American Classic seat post, Brooks Swift with Ti rails, Nitto technomic stem, GB bars, and Brooks leather wrap, Shimano aero levers, Shimano A520 pedals. Wheelset is a rear 40-hole Titan Matrix and front is a Mavic with similar box section and color. Tires are Grand Bois Cypres 700 x 30mm (and a bit of a tight fit between the chain stays). Rear hub is an FM with alloy shell dated Sept 1954 (okay, I cheated and went with a 4-speed!). Total weight on my hanging scale as shown is about 22.5 lbs.
The frame is a smidge on the small side for me, but that keeps the weight down for this purpose and fit feels pretty good as shown. I'll take it for a 20-30-mile test ride in the next day or so and decide if it'll suffice for a century ride next week.
The frame is a smidge on the small side for me, but that keeps the weight down for this purpose and fit feels pretty good as shown. I'll take it for a 20-30-mile test ride in the next day or so and decide if it'll suffice for a century ride next week.
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The recent conversations about long-distance riding on a 3-speed inspired me to kit together a build and take on this challenge. The frameset is a mid-1970s Wes Mason (the second M in the MKM/Ron Kitching enterprise), full DB Reynolds 531, so reasonably light weight. To continue the keep the weight down (and compensate for the relatively heavy IGH), I went with a set of CLB brakes, a 122bcd later-model Nervar crankset with 45t ring, American Classic seat post, Brooks Swift with Ti rails, Nitto technomic stem, GB bars, and Brooks leather wrap, Shimano aero levers, Shimano A520 pedals. Wheelset is a rear 40-hole Titan Matrix and front is a Mavic with similar box section and color. Tires are Grand Bois Cypres 700 x 30mm (and a bit of a tight fit between the chain stays). Rear hub is an FM with alloy shell dated Sept 1954 (okay, I cheated and went with a 4-speed!). Total weight on my hanging scale as shown is about 22.5 lbs..