sdime

Is anyone commuting on a Raleigh 3-spd or something similar?

I'm shopping for one, and would like some comments. Currently,
I'm commuting 6 miles each way, on a Miyata ten-speed that has
been converted to fixed-gear. The Miyata is very light and extremely
high quality, so the commute is a breeze. I got to work yesterday
morning barely breaking a sweat; thus, I'm looking for something
more challenging to ride, something like a Raleigh 3-spd. It's got
style. It's got English craftsmanship.

rhm

The old Raleighs are wonderful bikes, and built to last more or less forever. There are a couple issues:
--the brakes are not great, especially in the rain, owing to the chromed steel rims. New brake shoes may help a little.
--they are geared for mashing rather than spinning, and to most people they now seem over-geared, that is: all the gears are too high. You can fix this by replacing the rear sprocket with a larger one. Work it out on Sheldon Brown's gear calculator.
--no matter what you do, they are heavy... but who cares, right?

I gave my wife a 1966 Raleigh RSW-16 for Christmas. It is very cool. Love the dynohub-powered headlights!
I replaced the chrome steel rims with aluminum ones, to reduce weight and improve braking, but it's still heavy and the brakes are still pretty weak.

Buglady

I'm commuting on a 1984 Raleigh 5 speed ("Sir Lancelot"). The gearing is higher than I had been used to, but it is a joy to ride. The steel frame is lighter than the entry-level aluminum MTB I was riding before and much springier. I am particularly fond of the handlebar style, which I have learned is pretty specifically English ("North Hill" style). I do have to pedal differently - see the thread "Spinning on different bikes" - but I just love this bike.

Edited to add - I'm doing 18 miles round trip, with one significant hill. I'm seriously considering replacing the 5-speed freewheel assembly with one of the newer 7-speeds that have a big "bailout" gear, because I am a total hill wimp, heh.
https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/freewheels.html

jfz

One of the bikes I use is a 1971 Hercules AMF 3 speed made by Raleigh. Although I do not use this every day it is a joy to ride but you must remember to allow some room for the older brakes. Interestingly my shortest commute time has been with my 3 speed.

jjvw

I trade off between my fixed gear and my Hercules. I wouldn't say riding a 3-speed is a challenge, but it is a different experience that I enjoy quite a bit. I assume the gearing is still original on mine, and it's pretty easy to spin out the lowest gear.

le brad

My main ride is an english 3-speed, the stock gearing isn't so bad once you get used to it.

joelpalmer

+1

I ride a Schwinn Speedster 3-speed and love it. The break issue raised in the beginning is a serious one though, if you're riding in the rain be prepared for a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG stopping distance. My experience in the rain (light and heavy) is that you basically have to hold the brakes tight until the rims are dry, then you start to stop. It was VERY disconcerting the first time since most of my ride home is downhill, not serious hills but then again, B'more drivers don't really get that a red light means stop (a Baltimore stop, for those unfamiliar with the area, requires a wait of 10-15 seconds after a green light to ensure that the 15 cars ignoring the new red have all made it through). That being said, I can't imagine commuting on anything else.

sdime

Not too long ago, I saw an old guy bringing his vintage bike to the LBS for maintenance. I thought it would be a really cool ride. However, the upright sitting position kind of worries me a bit; it doesn't look very comfortable. Maybe that's why some of them came with spring saddle.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate one for sale.

Pobble.808

I love the upright position and North Road bars-- YMMV, but for me they're really comfortable. Being upright also makes it really easy to keep an eye on the traffic, which does come in handy on a commute.

duffer1960

I bought a Schwinn Speedster 3-speed about a year ago. After riding it awhile, my knee started hurting. (The injury may actually have been initiated by kneeling on a hard surface as I repaired this thing. Now I have got a workstand.) It seems to have been aggravated by pedaling the Speedster. As far as I can tell from reading online, it's 'pes anserine bursitis'. (Note I'm 47 y.o., I don't think this would've happened if I'd been under 40 y.o.)

It's getting better and I'm still riding the Speedster. What I've done, not sure if either or both were required to help the condition:

-Raised the seat. I was pedaling through my arches. Now make an effort to pedal through the balls of my feet.
-Got a 22 t cog and try to keep it in 'spinning' gear and not to mash. The 22 t cog gives 'low-low', 'medium-low', and 'medium-high'. I can no longer go scary fast with a tailwind or downslope, but overall it's an improvement.

I like the upright position sometimes, but often wish for a more-forward perch for power. I often hold the 'curved zone' in front of the grips, ahead of the brake levers and trigger. This is less than completely comfortable because the trigger is in the way, but it's ok for the short trips I do.

Good luck!

-Rich

I-Like-To-Bike

My wife used a 1960 AMF Hercules 3 speed for 5 years in Germany. My daughter used it for a year at college in the U.S. also. We still have it as a fine back up, or for guests.

NormanF

I have the high end Raleigh Superbe. I had a B-66 sprung saddle installed and put in a modern hybrid rack to provide better portage for modern bags. The stock steel wheels with 590 mm rims went in favor of aluminum wheels with 700C rims. This allowed a wider range of tires to be used. The increased height required the use of drum brakes for stopping power. Its not 3 speed by the time I was done with the upgrade; a Shimano Nexus 7 speed hub provided a wider gearing range. So I married a classic frame with modern up to date technology. Its a still a Raleigh but with a modern twist to it.

NormanF

You can still get them off eBay. However, bicycle manufacturers are recognizing the timeless appeal of the classic English commuter bike and they have come out with lighter and stronger frames than the Raleigh. I did get the Raleigh after reading Sheldon Brown's articles on it. Its still one of my favorite bikes. As I just mentioned at the outset, there was really nothing on the market that looked like a Raleigh 3 speed. In its day it was the finest utility bicycle money could buy.

MyBikeGotStolen

I too am really starting to want an old 3 speed!!

I-Like-To-Bike

I bought a new Raleigh Superbe in 1976 for $142. It came with a Brooks B-66 as OEM as well as a Dynohub front wheel. The price included a slight premium for the 3 speed coaster hub. Wrecked the frame in a stick in spoke accident but kept the wheels till 1997. Still use the same B-66 on my current commuter bike.

Buglady

This sounds really interesting. I'm starting to think about doing something similar with my Raleigh. I took Sir Lancelot out on the Rona MS Bike Tour (160 km RT over 2 days) this weekend and had no trouble keeping up with other riders; I had the oldest bike on the tour and drew a fair bit of comment I was really pleased with the feel of the bike and how sturdy it was. The long rolling hills were ideal for the existing gearing (barring a couple of steep bits that had me cursing and wishing for that bailout gear!), and I was able to tackle a couple of badly potholed sections of road without worry. The road bikes were dropping like flies along there - one woman had both tires go at once as she went across a railway crossing.

I was made very nervous by the brakes, so I am going to be looking at either trying out a variety of brake pads or switching out the rims eventually.

On day 2 I think I could have sold my sprung saddle to the highest bidder for quite a tidy sum. I gather there were a number of people with sore rumps...

This evening my boyfriend's mom said "oh, we have some old bikes in the garage!" - yeah. 1976 Raleigh 3 speeds (matched pair) with Dynohub lights, full fenders (with the little chrome fin), chainguards... I drooled all over them. However, she doesn't want to part with them yet! They also have a Trek 800 and a sweet little road bike marked "Fiori," which I will have to check out.

Sorry for rambling, I'm still recovering from the ride