browngw 

It would appear that a lot of

bikes intended for the Canadian market came with the full length cable and no pulley in the early seventies. I did is this way simply because it came that way and felt no need to change it. I have a '71 Robin Hood the same way and have rebuilt various Raleigh built variants like Supercycles that used the full cable.

gster

I prefer the pulley and exposed cable system.
I think it looks better and as stated, probably performs better.
I just cut and modify the new replacement cables to suit.

paulb_in_bkln

That's what I did when I installed the new cable on my step thru and I wondered why the long housing and didn't actually get it until now.

browngw 

I have done that as well on other bikes including my DL1 and the gold Supercycle and it looks more "vintage" but not sure I like it better. The Supercycle was sold last year because the frame felt a little small for me.

BigChief

Yeah, there's a whole bunch of different aftermarket cables out there for various bikes with 3 speed hubs. Different cable and housing lengths. Some with ball end ferrules, some with threaded ferrules. Some of them have crimped on ends that are too fat to fit properly into the shifters and can be stuck when you try to remove them. The newer ones have cast on ends that fit nicely in the shifter and plain ends intended for pinch bolt adapters to connect to the indicator pin.

sd5782 

I am doing bearing lube on a 64. Reassembly of the bottom bracket with the loose balls was fairly easily accomplished with laying the bike on one side, and dropping the balls into the fixed cup loaded with grease, and etc, etc, etc for head etc, etc, etc.

My question is, how did the factory do it? Kind of hard to envision workmen after a long day or a hard weekend showing the same concentration as a hobbyist working on his valued vintage ride. I kind of picture the factory floor littered with globs of greasy ball bearings and new bikes missing a few on occasion.

BigChief

Pretty sure both cups were packed with grease and bearings, the fixed cup screwed in, spindle set in place then the adjustable cup. What I do, since it's such a bear to remove the fixed cup, is to load grease and bearings in the adjustable cup, lay some grease in the fixed cup with a stick, put grease on the drive side of the spindle and lay the 11 bearings in the grease. The grease holds the bearings on the spindle. Then I thread the spindle through the fixed cub and hold the end in place after it comes through while I screw in the adjustable cup.

gster

I'm sure they had a "system" at the factory that sped up the assembly.
I leave the fixed cup in place and lay the bike flat, fixed cup down with a black (t shirt) cloth underneath.
I load from underneath and the insert spindle and other cup.
It's a little time consuming but worth it.

A repacked BB should last another 30 years or so.

Or, just stuff an old sock in there as I found on my 1953 BSA..


This could be an example of the very rare "Sock Option" that was briefly offered in the early '50's.

gster

The BSA Factory Socks are a higher quality compared to the aftermarket socks which tend to be synthetic.
You really need a good wool sock in there.
It's worth the extra cost.

BigChief

Yes, a 100% wool argyle would be period correct here.

paulb_in_bkln

Whoever it was could have at least stuck both socks in there so there'd be a matched pair.

gster

This Canadian Superbe is for sale again @ $200.00 here in Toronto.
The stamped eye on the heron would place it as a 1961 or earlier.
Hard to tell but the forks look a bit suspect...

sd5782 

I searched this thread and didn't see much on the topic, but do see several pics. My 64 has the factory bars that were common to the era and kind of narrow and bent well back, so steering is kind of like a tiller. This doesn't seem to give as much control to me. From some of the pics I see, it looks as though Raleigh handlebars in the 70s were a bit more splayed out at an angle. I think I may look for some like that at my local bike co-op. They would need to have a bit of patina to match the rest of the bike.

I have other bikes to suit different jobs, but thought just a bit more bend and rise might be nice on this casual bike. What do others like, considering a vintage look too? Bike has a B72 saddle for somewhat upright riding position.
Steve

gster

Here's a nice step through at a reasonable $125.00.
These forks look a little pushed in as well..

BigChief

As far as I know, Raleigh used the same shape handle bars on the Sports and other light roadster bikes since at least the early 50s. If you decide to change them, remember the stem is made for 15/16" bars and standard 1" bars won't fit. Any 22.2mm stem will fit the fork tube so it wouldn't be hard to modify.

dweenk

I think the person you responded to was talking bar width, not diameter. I have seen Sports bars from 21 to 25 inches wide.

Piff 

I am confused by IGH hubs. How does the hub's axle length work in regards to the bike's OLD?

I have a '74 raleigh supercourse that has been spread to 130mm and I'd like to put a 3speed hub on it. Is it simply a matter of spacers between the hub and the dropouts?

​​​​​​For example, this hub seems nice, but I have no idea if it would play well with 130mm (as I assume it was built for a 120mm bike?), and if it could be simply fixed by buying a 130mm axle and adding spacers.

Thanks.
​​
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-1969-St...pe!92128!US!-1

nlerner

S-A axles came in two sizes: 5 3/4" for 115mm rear spacing and 6 1/4" for 120mm rear spacing. I don't think the latter will be long enough, i.e., you won't be able to get good purchase with axle nuts, in a frame spaced to 130mm. I'd suggest cold setting the SuperCourse rear triangle to 115 or 120mm and hope that the rear end of that frame hasn't been through lots of respacing over the years!

Piff 

Thanks, this helps.

So there's no possibility of buying a replacement axle and building the hub around it? I guess for the frame's sake it's probably best for me to buy a newer hub based around a 130mm OLD rather than cold set it again.

BigChief

I think the modern SA RX-RF5 would be a good choice.

browngw 

The Belgium Royal Nord President is home as of this evening. What a mix of components, Spitfire mudguards with plane icon stamped in the alloy, Weinmann 810 brakes, Dunlop Imperial 28"x1 1/2" tires (made in Canada) Brampton hub and shifter and lots more to discover! Really thrilled to have this bike and intend to refurbish and treasure it. More to follow.
The rear rack is marble painted to match the frame. I believe it will polish up beautifully.

markk900

@browngw: just wow! What a treasure and so many details to draw the eye.....

sd5782 

BigChief

Yes, they are 15/16", Not only Raleigh. Many other older English bikes also. But there's plenty of 22.2mm (7/8") stems with 1 inch clamps to choose from. You might need to make up new cables if you move the shifter and brake levers too far from their original positions though.

sd5782 

Thanks Big Chief for clarifying that a bit. As the other poster mentioned there are Raleigh bars up to 25" wide. I may see if the co-op has some. I didn't want to switch to 1" bars, as then the levers and shifter and grips wouldn't work. I would also like bars with a bit of patina to match the rest of the bike too, so nothing new. I have enough cable to get that bit of extra I need. It is the angle more than the width I think.