ascherer 

With some prodding by @noglider I snagged this lovely 1971 International frame and fork about 3 years ago. First I raided the parts bin for my long-neglected Campy bits and built it up in the manner to which it was born, more or less. Over time it grew fenders, wider tires and a modern drivetrain. I was grooving along with that setup until October when a chrome Raleigh Pro Mk.1 frame and fork entered my life. I shifted the setup over to that and am even more pleased with the whole aesthetic.

This opened up the question, what to do with my International? I commute to work in Manhattan on a 1966 Raleigh Sports which I love, but it's a tank. Clearly the time for a lightweight, upright, internally-geared bike for commuting, shopping and tooling around has arrived, so without further ado, almost ready to ride, it's: International v3.0!

The heart of the matter is a Sturmey Archer XRF 8-speed, 120mm hub built into a Mavic MA40/Athena wheel which was just waiting for a good use. The front is a similar rim but with no label and not the same, but with the matching Athena front hub. I mounted 700 x 28 Paselas that I had on hand. Eventually I'll go wider but for now they're perfectly good tires. The SA needs a smaller crankset than I had in the bin so I got a pair of Origin8 arms with a 34-tooth ring, and a nice bash guard from Rivendell, of all places. Most of the rest is parts bin - Racer brakes, cheapo SPD-compatible pedals with one plain side for street shoes, random racks, Planet Bike fenders, an unknown 80mm stem with new Velo Orange Tourist bars and City Levers. I was very glad to take advantage of lots of year-end sales on the bits I did buy.

Still to do: I had a Campy Record headset on it and the Tange I got takes up a lot less space on the steerer tube so I need to throw some spacers in there. I like a sprung saddle for my upright riding. I got a Breezer seat sandwich thingy to adapt the double rail saddle on a modern seatpost but the longer bolt that came with it is the wrong size so another trip to the hardware store...after those tweaks it'll be fully roadworthy. Once I ride it around I'm sure it'll evolve, but I'm excited to get on this new incarnation and see how she flies. And my son it looking forward to riding the 66 Sports around Brooklyn! I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions...thanks for encouraging my behavior!

orcas island 

That looks pretty sharp! Those Internationals are such good starting points for so many types of builds!

Pcampeau

It’s a great looking build and well suited for what you’ve intended. Will you be integrating any lighting?

Kabuki12

It looks like you are ready for the streets! Nice looking commuter for city riding. Maybe a set of panniers ? Joe

ascherer 

Thanks! I'm considering a dynamo hub, yes. I don't ride much at night, maybe integrated lights will change that.

ascherer 

Thanks! I have a Racktime briefcase bag with Ortlieb connectors that's pretty cool but I've been using canvas roll-up bags on the Sports. They're pretty handy if I need to do any shopping errands on the way home so I'll keep using those. A grocery bag just fits in each side. Also considering a porteur-style front rack to add capacity.
.

noglider 

Like your other things, it’s a work of art!

Once you install dynamo lights, you’ll wonder why you waited so long. Especially on a commuter bike. I mean, you even have a chainguard so you don’t need trouser bands. Hop on and go!

repechage

Ok- not familiar with the ratios on the modern 8 Sturmey hub- the cog is quite large and the chainring is while not small, not "big ring" - what the the effective gear range?
Also noting the Sports also has an oversize cog... there is a plan here, so what is it?

ascherer 

The Sports has maybe a 21 on it.
The new Sturmey is a 1:1 in 1st gear, so:
1 - 100% (Direct Drive)
2 - 132%
3 - 148%
4 - 169%
5 - 192%
6 - 220%
7 - 250%
8 - 325%

noobinsf 

I really like this build, and I've seen your bike in the other iterations. I have been hemming and hawing about turning my Moto Grand Record into a porteur/commuter since the geometry would better handle a front load than my current go-fast commuter, and seeing your bike makes me want to go ahead and just do it.

ascherer 

What could possibly go wrong? The Moto will probably make a great porter/commuter. Almost gone one myself before the Pro arrived.

repechage

8 is definitely overdrive!

repechage

That is a 21t? really?, OK looks 23-24ish to me.

ascherer 

I think so. I bought two at my LBS about 5 years ago and I think one was 21 and the other was 22, t'was the only ones he had and I bet he was glad to be rid of them! I put the 22 on my wife's Sports. One of these day's I'll count it. And yes, the 8 is Uber-over-overdrive. I probably could have done with an even smaller chainwheel but the aesthetics didn't sit well with me.

nlerner

Looks very nice! Some years back I set up an Int'l with a Nexus 8-speed IGH, but did not like the gear ratios on that one. I'll be interested to hear how you like the S-A.

noglider 

Do it! I don't know if the geometries are the same, but I had a ~1975 Motobécane Mirage which I built as a commuter bike with all-rounder handlebars. I noticed the bike handled better with a front load than without one. I didn't know much about geometry (and still don't) but I hadn't heard of anything like it, so it was a mystery at the time.

ascherer 

Time will tell but on first blush they seem nicely spaced. It should be a big improvement over the AW on my Sports. The high is HIGH.

motogeek 

Kind of reminds me of a Raleigh Super Tourist from the mid 70s

bwilli88 

I have a Gran Sports at Atelier gugie waiting to get back to the US to build very similar.

jackbombay

I love it!

That sturmey is an odd one with all the gears being overdriven, are the anti rotation washers essentially the same as an AW? Or are they more substantial to deal with the extra axle torque due to the extreme gear ratios?

ascherer 

I don't know what comes with AWs but here's what came with the XRF-8:

noglider 

Rumor says that it was designed for small-wheeled bikes.

jackbombay

Ah, that is more substantial than the AW anti rotation washers.

That makes a lot of sense!

ascherer 

To bring this thread to a conclusion, I'm pretty much done with this build for now save for a proper front light even though I don't often ride at night - chicken, or egg? Thanks to Covid I've only ridden it to work once but it's gone on a lot of grocery runs and some shortish fun rides.

Ballenxj

Ah, An eight speed retro rodded bicycle. I like it? Ps, that rear cog looks pretty big, is it stock? And either way, how many teeth if you know?