Ballenxj

Saw this bike as I drove by, and had to stop to look. It was Green with chrome fenders, and the old style touring type handle bars typical to three speeds of the seventies. The three speed shifter was a grip shift style on the right bar, with typical period correct hand brakes. On the chain guard it said Light Weight.
They are asking $120. but the lady talked herself down twice thinking she might get the sale.
I'm reasonably confident I could get it for $80. or less.
Anybody know anything more about these? I think once tuned it might be a neat neighborhood cruiser.

thumpism 

Probably a Shimano 3-speed hub. Those use the bell-crank and rod to shift the hub instead of the indicator chain a Sturmey uses. I'm not familiar with the bikes of that brand but many of the older department store brands were imported English or Austrian bikes (lugged frames and cottered three-piece cranks) instead of the later and cheaper Huffy/Murray bikes with lugless construction and one-piece cranks. The former are nicer bikes but if it's in nice condition it's a good deal. Get some pix!

Ballenxj

The hub said U.S.A. Couldn't read more, too dirty.


Chain Guard.


The seat looks like it was adjusted for a short person to ride a tall persons Bike.
Everything about it is dirty and out of adjustment. A Jewel in the rough.
She kept going through her spiel about knocking the price down to eighty bucks.

clubman 

I'm not sure a one piece crank/Shimano 3 speed is worth even 1/4 of asking price. Beauty is in eye of beholder.

SkyDog75

It looks like it would clean up nicely. If the styling appeals to you, it could make a decent neighborhood cruiser.

But with that said, old department store bikes like this one can often be had for a lot less. They're not high-quality bikes and generally aren't sought after.

Ballenxj

Would Shimano say USA on the hub? And it has an interesting 3 speed grip shifter.

Ballenxj

The idea is to have an old school beater that I wouldn't have to worry so much about it getting stolen.
How much would you offer?

nashvillebill

That rim in the bottom picture has a lot of rust near the spoke holes, it's questionable.

I would not call it a "jewel in the rough". Instead, "money pit" comes to mind. I hate to burst your bubble but I've been guilty of buying too many items in rough shape--in my mind's eye, I get carried away and envision how it could look all restored and shiny and new, but ignoring the reality of the rough shape the item is actually in. Serious rust is a big problem; I'd look very carefully around the bottom bracket. Bubbles in the paint would mean rust and that BB shell could be eaten out.

Even $80 seems too high to me for a rusty department-store bike.

exmechanic89

I'd offer $35 tops. It appears to me not to be of the English variety of those bikes, so it's a cheapie. Doesnt mean you couldnt buy it and enjoy it of course, but I wouldnt pay $80 for that unless it was in pristine condition.

2cam16

I had a Japanese made Skyway with similar drivetrain parts. Gripshifters, 3-speed hub. Got it for free, rebuilt it and flipped it for $50. Like everyone has said, not worth much. I wouldn't pay more than $25 for that. But if it floats your boat, go for it.

Ballenxj

Any three speed bikes that would be worth looking at? One thing I do remember, I'm not a fan of cotter pin cranks.

dweenk

Nearly all vintage 3 speeds are going to have cottered cranks, and most of the rest will have one piece (Ashtabula type). Cotters are not that hard to deal with.

clubman 

There's a huge following for 3 speeds and you can find anything you'd want to know about them here https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...-3-speeds.html or look up Sheldon Brown English 3 speeds and Raleighs. Basically there were dozens of post war makes of British 3 speeds that were a cut above what you're looking at. Raleigh probably built over 70% of these models under various names. They are numerous and can be usually had in your price range depending on where you live.

A cottered crank is preferable to a one piece. Nothing to be scared of. Those grip shifts were popularized by Sturmey Archer in about 1965 but they soon went back to the traditional trigger. Shimano's were around for awhile and I think worked better.

rustystrings61 

Just about any British-made 3-speed of the generic "Sports" variety, whether from the Raleigh Empire or one of its competitors, was designed from the start to be a good, reliable bike at the very least, cotters and all. They were meant to be ridden by people going from point A to point B in all weather, day after day after day, which is why you see so many 50 year old examples still out there doing their thing. The cotters really AREN'T that hard to deal with, you just have to be patient and use the right tools or fabricate them. The Schwinn equivalents like the Racer were well-built, if heavier, and more geared towards children and adolescents.

This bike was NEVER built to be serious transportation. It was a bike to ride around the neighborhood with the kids. It was sold cheap to people who wanted the cheapest bike they could get and frankly did not know or care to know about what a bike could be like, period. It looks to me like it has the BMA/6 sticker at the top of the seat tube, which right there makes me suspicious. My understanding back then was that BMA/6 was an association of bike manufacturers pushing for legislation to restrict importation of bicycles, because their lunch was (rightly!) being eaten by everybody else in the world who actually knew how to make bikes that rode well and worked. I certainly learned quickly that BMA/6 bikes had crap brakes, crap hubs and especially crap frames.

Sure, it's got upright bars and a 3-speed gearhub (of sorts) and fenders - but it is nowhere near the quality of anything coming out of England at the time, nor is it as good as anything Steyr-Puch was building for Sears in Austria.

This is the original bicycle-shaped-object. You think the $69.95 Wal-Mart bike is bad? It is worlds away superior to this one.

thumpism 

Ballenxj,
I posted the bike pictured below in the "For the love of English 3-speeds..." forum this morning after finding it in our local CL, for sale for $100. I seriously recommend you spend your money on something like this instead of the one you found. If you can buy yours for a lot less than $80, then it would be an okay deal. I spent years working in bike shops and, while the basic concept of the cheapo U.S.-built three-speed is not bad, the execution always left us unimpressed. The 3-speed hub on the bike you found is the best part of the bike; the rest is of the bike is not the equal of the rear hub. I'm partial, of course, since I have three of the Raleigh Sports bikes.

Ballenxj

OK, Thanks guys. I guess I'll pass on this one then. Maybe cruise CL for fun.

cycleheimer

Good decision. That bike was junk. Very poorly made. A 3-Speed or 5-speed Chicago Schwinn is something similar in looks, but will outlast 1000 of those other bikes. Indestructable old Schwinns can be had pretty cheap in most areas. $120 for a ratty old department store bike? Somebody's been taking some wild drugs.

cb400bill

Thread moved to Appraisals.

Ballenxj

ok.

Gingerk50

we have the same bike and will take80

tpadul 

This post was from over 3 years ago, June 2017, I'm pretty sure the OP has already decided on the bike,

Jrich8

Huge fan of this bike