Narhay

Against my better judgment and with a bit of time on my hands due to a holiday I went to go see the bike. Unfortunately there is a shallow dent in the top tube and the drive side seatstay is dented and bent. The rest of the parts were challenged cosmetically due to rust.

The rear rim was rusted through and the rear hub was a 70s era maillard that looked like the rear frame had been respaced. The 4 speed freewheel was a 5 speed missing the smallest cog. The pulley wheels on the benelux were shimano replacements. The saddle was not a Brooks and completely roached.

If the frame was salvageable and the parts more original it might have made an interesting longterm project. I can only imagine what the internal bearing surfaces looked like. Oh well, at least I can get it out of my mind now.

BigChief 

Looks like a 48T chain ring. Another feature that matches the late 60s.

nlerner

Sounds like a good choice to walk away. And if it was indeed a Lenton Sports in a 23" frame, another one will likely come up as it seems they were somewhat plentiful back in the day (more so than a Clubman, at least). I've had one, @rhm had one, several locals I know have had or currently have one, and I've seen a bunch for sale in the Boston area over the years.

BigChief 

I agree. A Lenton, even a heavily restored version, would be a fine thing to bring back into service, but this one seems to be too far gone to be practical. Too bad.

gster

A detailed and thorough review.
That bike has been up for sale for a long time with no takers.

thumpism 

Rough shape, but you don't find many Colts for sale.

https://richmond.craigslist.org/bik/...969349575.html

Vintage bicycles make offer - $1

bicycle frame material: steel
bicycle type: other
frame size: Men's frame
wheel size: other/unknown

I have two vintage bicycles for sale and looking for a good home. I will make you a better deal if you take both of them.
The first few pictures of the hanging bikes are the bikes themselves. The following two pictures are screenshots of what the bikes look like so you may have a better understanding of how they look once they're all shined up and repaired.

One is a pre 1980 Sears roebuck 3 speed black.(with the Austrian sturmey clone 3 speed hub)

The other is a 1959 Raleigh Colt 3 speed copper. made in England.(below is an ebay link for a mid-60s version of the same bike)

Both bikes are in fair condition but need some work. I know what they're worth in good condition and will sell them cheaply enough for you to make some money off of them if you're trying to flip them but please, no ultra low ball offers.
Local pickup and cash only. I'm not an idiot so scammers don't waste our time.
I will only reply to reasonable offers so if I don't respond, do a little more research and change your offer. If the post is still up then yes I still have them. I always delete my posts immediately after sale as we all should.

Narhay

That is good to know that they are not as scarce. It is one of those bikes on my shortlist. It is probably a good thing I didnt get it because I should really hold out for a 24" with good paint and most of its parts. A 4 speed sturmey would be really nice as well as I have found the 3 speed AW with 46T crankset and 24T cog I was either dying up hills pushing my 40lb Raleigh Superbe or in outspinning my 3rd gear on the flats. Rarely did I use the 2nd gear. I am thinking with a lighter frame and wheels the experience would be better.

gster

Gearing Question
My 1930 Hercules has a 48T chain ring driving a 16T SA free wheel.
I obviously need a bigger cog.
Is a 22T too big?
Most of my 3 speeds now have 19/20/22T cogs.

Bomarc

Thanks for the report on the bike - I'm in Ontario and was wondering if the frame was any good. Kijiji is hit or miss (mostly miss), I've been interested in old British 3 speeds for about a year now and have mostly overpaid for some pretty crappy bikes on Kijiji and seen lots of new-to-me areas of province. I'm getting to the point where you are - able to look at it objectively and walk away. Cheers.

sykerocker 

I'm runing a 23t on my Raleigh Tourist, and find that it works well. It essentially takes the third that you have and drops it into second, takes second and turns it into first, and turns first into something that can actually climb hills. I normally keep a 90rpm cadence, and this setup works well.

JaccoW

Anybody looking for a 70cm (27.5 inch) 3-speed?
Marktplaats.nl

I might even fit this one but I don't need another bike right now.

ryansu

If I may suggest ladies love a basket, not sure why, but I have built up 2 or 3 ladies frames with baskets and they get more comments than the bike . Also very useful.

sykerocker 

Count me in as one of the riders. Of my current 19 bikes that are roadworthy, 13 are derailleur road bikes, 1 mountain bike, 1 single speed folder, and the remainder are Sturmey Archer IGH's. Of those, my Raleigh Sprite and Tourist get 95% of my weeks riding, in time if not mileage. Since retirement, I've worked on two main points: 1. I ride daily unless the weather is absolutely awful. 2. If the commute is five miles or less one way and doesn't entail carrying large amounts of packages, I bicycle. Period.

The Tourist gets the most use, the Sprite is next, and my Twenty is the go-to anytime I have to drop a car off for service, plus a fair bit of daily riding.

BigChief 

I'm using a 22T on my DL-1 but it's a 70s model with the 46T eyeless heron chainring. I never seem to spin out overdrive. Funny, I remember spinning out top gear with regularity in my younger years. Today, not an issue.

BigChief 

There's a couple steep spots on one of my rides where I walk my bike. I don't mind. A granny low enough would be darn near walking speed anyway. But...I have noticed that alloy rims make a 3 speed roadster an easier climber than you would think they would. Overall, there's not much difference in weight, but it feels like there is. Another thing. I'm in love with S5 hubs. They have a 50% increase over normal overdrive. That might be a good choice for a lightweight roadster.

Narhay

I've looked into the S5 and I think they do cover the range of useful gears pretty well.

I did build the old Superbe into alloy CR18 rims. https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...h-superbe.html

adventurepdx

NO.
Both my three speeds have 23 tooth cogs. (48/23 and 44/23)

BigChief 

The thing I like best about the S5 is the medium ratio spread when the bell crank is disengaged. I can always find the perfect tempo riding flatter terrain. Engage the bell crank and you have a super wide spread with a big jump from granny to normal that's handy for hills. And that tall overdrive if you want it. My Sprite has the stock 48/18T gearing.

gster

Ok
Riders Bike shop has a 22T free wheel that I'll pick up.

gster

Nice Bike but Pricey

Listed on Kijiji, Toronto as an early 60's Glider (Raleigh Superbe)

Seller is asking $450.00 (firm).....
On the other hand...

A Raleigh Folder for $45.00

gster

Current Bitsa

Since this one is going to a friend of mine, I decided that I would put some extra effort and parts into it.
Basically a Japanese frame with British parts.
The rear wheel has a '61 hub and I'm hoping to find
a white saddle for it.
Tires are brand new, given to me by a friend who closed down
his bike store last year.
Cables are new as well as the brake pads and chain.
I have not repacked the bearings but they seem OK.
I poured some heavy oil down the seat tube.....

gster

Another Interesting Kijiji Listing
Here's a Humber, year unknown.


I bought a bike from this guy years ago (Glider) and have messaged him for a price.
Could be a nice Semi-Scorcher build....

Salubrious

I'm putting together a Lenton with 4 speed right now. Having a devil of a time getting the brake levers on the handlebars (alloy GB).

Lighter rims are easier to get spinning. When you are climbing, the wheels are constantly changing speed with each pedal stroke, much moreso than on the flats. As a result, climbing you feel the alloy rims being a bit easier to push than steel. There is a bit of disagreement on this but at a minimum the weight on the circumference of the wheel is equal to at least double that elsewhere on the frame (the disagreement might be that its more like 3 or 4x...).

Having popped two inner tubes from simply bad luck in 1 week, I'm really wishing a tubeless 650A rim and tire set was available!

Bomarc

1970 Superbe


1968 Superbe

Here's a couple of my Kijiji finds; 1st one is a side project I cleaned up and replaced bearings on last winter while waiting for parts for that winter's "big" project. 2nd is a Hoopty that I used the "best" 'used parts from both to get working for runs to the wrong side of the tracks. Cheers to Narhay's posts for planting the seed...

gster

Both good looking bikes.