gster

BC always has some positive and helpful comments.

browngw 

I'm thinking the same as @clubman . The bikes we got through the 70's that were made in England are often completely different than those pictured in US catalogs. Things like cables, turning pulleys pump pegs decals etc. are often not the same. Add in the variability with the Canadian made models and the various department store models and it becomes really confusing. Supercycle for example, was ordering 3 speeds from England while Canada was making them here. The 79 sports step-through looks like it is wearing all its original parts. My latest 72 Sports has the same two point mount on the chain guard.

paulb_in_bkln

Yes, and speaking for myself I always need the encouragement. As I do all this in my Brooklyn apartment there's no place to organize tools and so I keep wrenches in this coffee can where they are a total PITA to find the right size when I need it. I'm going to get a tomato paste can for the small ones but if someone is in a similar pickle and has found a better way I'd love to see it.

gster

I'm a big fan of the coffee can tool box as well.
Also good for small parts storage, varsol bath to degrease, cable storage etc.

Ged117 

I also have a small apartment in which I work on projects. I use old plastic containers for parts cleaning, and have a few carry bags for tools. It can be annoying at times, bumping into bikes or knocking carefully placed bits from the work table. Especially this '50 Superbe project which has meant bits and bobs scattered here and there while I tend to the old paint. Not for long - full assembly is nearly here. I just need to finish taking parts away from the '79 Sports and put the frame in the car. One day, I'll have a bigger space...maybe even a workshop.

3speedslow

gster

1930 Hercules Progress
A good productive day, yesterday.
fenders installed, BB done, generic chainring and cranks installed.
Brake linkage installed.
I've treated this bike to a nice pair of MKS 3000 pedals.


I quite like the L shaped seat post. It offers a greater range of positions.
I tend to like the seat further back.

I've seen these posts selling for $75.00.
Another bonus with this purchase was a triple rail seat clamp.
Something I've been looking to get for several years and not willing
to order one from Brooks @ 16.00 pounds

Mine is currently soaking in the rust bath and will get painted black.

carfreefamily

I've never tried it, but I think one of those wall-mounted, magnetic strips for knives would work. The ones I've seen seem to have enough strength to hold a spanner. Of course, that's if you have the wall space.

paulb_in_bkln

I hadn't thought of it but you're right, it could work. Although you're also right I don't have the wall space. What would help is if I organized my tasks better and then kept my head in the job without letting my thoughts stray as I work.

Jawihan

Good job on the restoration

gster

Thanks.
I ordered some parts form these guys in Owen Sound yesterday.
https://www.hoopriderparts.com/
Prices were good and I got a notice from Canada Post
that the order was already in transit last night.

paulb_in_bkln

Ged117 

I managed to extract the AW from the badly rusted rear wheel of the '79 Sports. I wiped it with a rag and some WD40, and sent some PB inside the oil fill hole in anticipation of taking it apart. Here's a photo of it, and a comparison shot with my 1953 FW hub.





The quality difference is evident.

3speedslow

BigChief 

Bulbs are available here. The red LED tail light is especially good. I have one on my Rudge.
NICELITE SUPER LED LIGHT BULBS

3speedslow

arty dave

Looking good! I picked up a ladies roadster recently for parts - it has a nice Williams snowflake pattern 44 tooth crankset that may come in handy, and it also has a quite long L shaped seat post. For some reason I'd never thought to use it reversed to set back a saddle like you have here - guess I've only ever seen them used facing forwards. I've also seen them called 'Lucky 7'.
Nice choice on the MKS 3000 pedals - another thing on my want list

gster

I've heard MKS 3000(S) may have been discontinued....
If you find some,
stock up.

arty dave

Thanks for the heads up - I had to google this as I didn't know there were 2 models. They have stopped manufacturing the (S) which has no reflectors, and they'll continue making the (R), which has reflectors. They seem to look identical apart from the reflectors.

BigChief 

Here's the page with prices. For my old SA Dyno hub I needed the NL 432 for the headlamp and NL 437R for the tail lamp. You can also buy a limiter for the circuit to protect the bulbs and even a capacitor to smooth out the strobe effect if you want to get fancy. I'm only using the bulbs, so far without any problem.
buyingbulbs.html

paulb_in_bkln

It is a shame the way SA spoiled the shifters over the years. Although the derelict that's gone on the Peugeot has the black plastic cover and sleeve over the lever, and despite being still rusty on the inside (needed a PB soak just to pull out the remnant of the cable), it works, even though it's lost the clean snap from first to second. The earliest hub I've taken apart is a '63 and if there are quality differences from the latest one ('79) they aren't obvious to me.

gster

That's good to hear. They're great pedals and really compliment a vintage English bike.
I have them on eight of my bikes.

Ged117 

Certainly the cost-cutting is evident with the shifters through the years, but the hubs seem to all hum along with some clean-up and fresh grease and bearings after sitting. I think that is a testament to the strength of the original design. Some folks have spoken about the parts tooling at the factory wearing out by the '70s, and the internal tolerances being sloppier, but I'm not experienced or knowledgeable enough to speak to that. I'm pleased as punch to have a '79 to take apart, refresh, and put back together for a future project. The FW and AG hubs I have going into working bicycles will be less of a mystery thanks to it.

BigChief 

The thing I've noticed in hubs from the late 60s and 70s is a quality inconsistency. Some are fine, while others have parts with sharp burrs and/or were cut with dull tools. I have one early 70s hub that makes a noise in operation that I can't figure out. It makes this runch runch sound with the wheel rotation. Best I can figure, something is out of round somewhere, but I haven't been able to fix it. Another thing I've heard, but can't confirm is that in the later years they started casting the planet gears out of pot metal instead of machining them from steel. At some point they discontinued the oil port. So, later hubs can be good, but the older ones are always good.

ryansu

I use a small husky brand tool box in my 2 bdrm Seattle apartment I have a drawer just for wrenches but its not any easier to find the right one without some hunting. It does the job of keeping all the tools in one place though, doesn't take up a ton of space and its portable. I do hope that better coffee than Maxwell house has migrated to Brooklyn sorry Seattle coffee snob (not sbux) coming out