Sixty Fiver

I set up my 3 speeds so that the most efficient drive gear is my primary and an AW is most efficient in it's 2nd / middle position... I like that gear to be in the 65-70 gear inch range which gives a 50 gear inch low.

For towing I will go the way Auchen sets up his three speeds with the third position being the primary drive gear and use the 1st and 2nd as towing gears.

The choice in rear cogs is also dependent on wheel size... our 20 in Portland has a 20 tooth rear cog so it makes those long climbs easy and this makes the 3rd gear the main drive gear while my Sports also has a 20 tooth rear but runs a larger 48 tooth ring and has 700c wheels so it does not have the same low end as the folder.

AL NZ

I just bought a '55 Humber rod-brake roadster basket-case the other week, and I am happy that when it arrived that it is all there, including all chaincase parts.
However mucho rusto!
All the chrome is shot, with deep rust that is 3-dimensional.
And annoyingly, one of the brackets for the mudguard is missing the semicircular top 'loop' so I will need to get that repaired.

I have started on an expensive, but so-far-successful, campaign of buying the necessary chrome parts on UK ebay, and getting them posted one-by-one to NZ. Ouchy
So far I have the Humber-specific front fork brake-clamps (10 pounds), a set of various rodbrake parts (12 pounds) and a good set of rod brake handlebars (25 pounds). plus a fair bit extra to the good folk at Royal Mail for delivery..

I need to sort some wheels. The current wheels have a SA AG dynohub, but I don't know how good the gears are. The rims and spokes are shot. I am loathe to rebuild a wheel on a hub that might have stuffed gears, so I might look for another hub. I have some reasonable NOS Araya 28" rims, but not authentic for a Raleigh/Humber

The frame is blue, but needs a repaint. Too rusty.
I am in no hurry, and one small dilemma is how to rechrome the very rusty fork crowns AND repaint the forks.. any hints?

auchencrow

Your Humber roadster certainly sounds like an challenging project, AL NZ, but an exciting prospect all the same.
I am not speaking with authority here as I haven't even seen the bike, but I'd suggest you dissassemble, clean and inspect the original SA hub before you consider replacing it. SA stuff tends to be almost indestructible and you may be able to get new spares if something is broken.

Re-chroming a fork is not something I've done myself, but I would imagine it would possible for the plater to mask the area you plan to paint. Probably your plater is the best one to ask about that.

PS- pics would be nice.

ohjonnybegoode

Hi all...wanted to share two out of my collection - I'm thinning the herd, so these will be moving on soon...but they are both really neat...the first is a ladies 1960 Rudge...and the second is a men's Raleigh Superbe in the 23 inch frame. Both are in good shape for their age, and the Raleigh is a treat to ride...I'm going to go take an afternoon spin on it in a few minutes....

auchencrow

Someone will be very happy to snag those, ohjonnybegoode. The 23-inchers seem especially difficult to find. I don't know why, but they are far less common than the 21" models, in my experience.

Amesja

I think people just didn't care that much about "sizing" of bikes back then -at least the kinds of people who bought upright 3-speed type bikes. It isn't as necessary that it be sized at closely to your height and LBS's selling the 23" bikes probably had a hard time moving them so why bother stocking something that didn't move?

The same thing goes for the 19" step-throughs. The 21" were much more common while the 19"s just were not imported and sold as much.

wahoonc

I find plenty of 19" step through frames. Also FWIW the average height of men in the US in the 1970's was about 5'-9"...guess what sized Raleigh they would be riding?

Aaron

Amesja

I find them occasionally too -but they typically sell for $75-$100 more after being restored. I wish I found more of them to fix up. People who are LOOKING to find a really nice Fully-restored but original-paint 19" are competing much more for them than those who are willing/able to settle for a 21". Those that just MUST have a 19" and aren't comfortable on a too-large bike are willing to pay extra. The 19" bikes tend to sell much faster often going within 24-48 hours of my posting even at the higher price while the 21" bikes languish for a week or even two sometimes at lower prices.

This is the Chicago market. My last 19" step-through sold for nearly $400.

DarrenW

I signed up a while ago but have only just gotten round to having a look through here (Hi!), and I've just sat and read this thread from the start. Some fantastic bikes in here! Here's my 3-Speeder:


1980 Raleigh Esquire by retromotoring, on Flickr

It's a 1980 Raleigh Esquire, and that photo was taken on the first day I got it in December 2010 - given to me by a friend who collects old bikes. I've replaced the crumbly tyres with Schwalbe Delta Cruisers, and have added a modern rack for the time being, I'll find something more suitable when time/money allows. I've also had to add a trigger-shift for the SA hub as I just couldn't get the original cable for the grip-shift to work properly.


1980 Raleigh Esquire by retromotoring, on Flickr

Apart from that it's pretty much as I got it... I've done about 1500 miles on it this year and I absolutely love it! I hadn't ridden a bike for maybe 20 years and I've really got the bug now.

I'm on holiday in Bavaria at the moment (Garmisch-Partenkirchen) and I have brought it with me, it stands out amongst all the modern bikes for sure!


Cycling around Garmisch-Partenkirchen by retromotoring, on Flickr


1980 Raleigh Esquire on the way to Eibsee by retromotoring, on Flickr

Things to do to it include a new saddle (the one that came with it is incorrect and has finally broken although I can manage for the moment), fit a new chain (it looks very slack!) and I think I shall give it a good checking over and clean before the weather starts to get wet(ter) in the coming months.

Hope you like it!

sykerocker 

Man, it's neat seeing a Dunelt in a color other than blue - which was the only way we got them in the shop when I worked there. Triumph = red, Dunelt = blue.

wahoonc

@DarrenW,

Welcome and those are awesome pictures, the background would be outstanding with any bike, but with a vintage three speed they are simply gorgeous.

Aaron

Bike Cottage

Thanks noglider and sykerocker. I'd never heard of Dunelt until I spotted this one. It has the "ride a wheel on sheffield steel" emblem on the downtube and the front hub has the Raleigh logo. The front brake is tweaked and the headbadge is missing. Other than that, it will be ready for action with a good cleaning and some tires.

@Darren, I skied in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on the Alpspitze (about 7000 ft) from near the top all the way to the parking lot in the late 80's. Thanks for making me remember a heck of a trip.

DarrenW

Thanks for the kind words

sykerocker 

Dunelt's (and Triumph's) were considered the 'B-line' bike in the Raleigh portfolio. Back in the early 70's a Raleigh Sports sold for $100.00, a Dunelt or Triumph went for $85.00, and a Japanese copy (Kent) of those bikes sold for $60.00. Raleigh had a habit of buying up competing manufacturers and then using the nameplates on lines of bikes that sold for less than a genuine Raleigh, and had somewhat lesser equipment although they used a lot of Raleigh branded parts.

David Newton

Anyone up for some up-to-the-minute resource report?
What 26 x 1-3/8" tires are available and who's got them?
Any reviews on the Panaracer ST?

robertob

I put a 21t on mine and it's pefect for towing the baby trailer around my (flat-ish) neighborhood, which is what I built it for.

robertob

I really like the cheapie Kenda K40s I have. I just noticed that Amazon has a 'high pressure' version of the K40 which I would like to try one of these days.


Schwalbe Delta Cruisers in cream look cool though...

robertob

Here's my latest 3-speed, beautiful 1930s or 40s Humber Sports. I'm not sure what to do with it actually. my wife doesn't like drop bars and the brakes suck so it's not such a fun rider. Plus it's so perfect that I would hate to scratch any of the paint

gna

Very odd. Nearly all of the step throughs I find are 19"; 21" seem to be much rarer. Of course, my wife's friends want 3-speeds now, and they're all 5'7", 5'8", so I'm having trouble finding them bikes.

gna

I've tried Kenda K40s; they're ok. I have a set of the high-pressure Kendas but haven't tried them yet.
Schwalbe Delta Cruisers on the 3-speeds now. Very nice tires.
I got a set of newer Cheng Shins off a junked huffy; nice brick pattern. I'm putting them on a bike for my brother.

Amesja

21" Step-through Nottingham Sports are common as dirt here. Sure, a lot of them are deteriorated pretty far -but usually they are mostly-complete and in the off-season I can find them for well under $50.

19"-ers are much more sought after by shorter women who can't comfortably manage the 21" frames. They are harder to find and the people who WANT them enough to know what they want are willing to pay a premium to get one.

Amesja

I find the K40's to be just fine. 80psi is all you can safely put in any tire on an old-fashioned steel rim unless you are suicidal.

wahoonc

And I have been chasing Colts and Space Riders for all the short women in my life I needed a 21" a while back but was able to convert a Sprite to 3 speed for the one tall lady in the bunch. Left it on the 27" wheels but laced up an AW hub to the rear.

Aaron

Amesja

I am pretty sure the virtual top-tube length difference is minimal if any at all between the two. Might as well just get a big stem and tall seatpost if you want taller. Steel ones are cheap and readily available.

P_M

Just curious, my Sports came with a white cap over the right axle nut on the rear hub. I've seen very few older 3 speeds with it.

It seems to me the only real function would be just to protect the chain on the spindle during shipping. It is meant for anything else?