Ged117 

Thanks. Apologies for the poor quality photos. Once it is more ship shape, I'll take it to a great local area for photo taking. I notice others take great photos indoors (I assume with their phones?) Any tips on taking nice photo shots?

I've got some 3-in-1 20 weight motor oil (the blue one) for the hubs and bottom bracket (which turns very smoothly now). Once the hub is set up and shifter, fulcrum, etc set up, I'll finish up the brakes. I cleaned the original brake housings, and the matching green came out very nicely. I think I ought to oil the new cables, or maybe grease them, prior to running them through the original housings. The kool stop pads will be very orange, but I'm not concerned with that. New cables and kool-stops should help it stop reasonably well, I'd imagine. Of course, the brake components are harvested from a '79 Sports, since the original 1950 parts hardware crumbled and are more difficult to work with. It is great to have the bike finally on wheels, and brought out in the daylight of spring. It has been a long project.

gster

Glad to see the progress.
One note.
3 in 1 yes for the hub.
Grease in the BB and head set.
I use this blue marine grease (Canadian Tire)
that seems to hold up well.


I also drip some oil into the old housings prior to installing a new cable.
The newer brake calipers are a good idea as it's almost impossible to find the older
style cables. Several members here have their own good solutions to this issue.

I took the 1930 Hercules for a quick ride down the alley yesterday (brakes are not set up)
A bit of a dog with the current gearing.
The 16T cog on the hub will have to be swapped out for a 19 or 20 (at least).
The 16 was something I had on hand.

Ged117 

I've got the same marine grease. $5 for a huge tube of essentially the same grease that Phil Wood puts into a tiny tube and charges $20 for. I used it to pack the new Grade 25 bottom bracket bearings and headset bearings. Since the bottom bracket has an oil port, I added a teaspoon of 20W. That Hercules is a cool time capsule, especially in that colour. Toronto in the depressed '30s by Hercules, now that would be an interesting ride. They could barely keep the streetcars running resources were so tight. Here in Kingston, the local transit company went bankrupt during the depression, and the city couldn't afford to run the trams (yes we had a bunch!). Sadly, the tram lines were paved over or covered up in the years to come, and the City bought GM buses like everyone else. I used to spend a bunch of time around that part of Toronto (I previously worked for an app-based car share company, now gone from Toronto). The alleys were always interesting.

What I'm very curious about is the gear potential for the AG paired with the Cyclo 3-speed. I'm planning to use this bicycle for nice-day commutes when I'm feeling a bit leisurely, along with weekend trail riding. I may even take it on an overnighter or two into Prince Edward County once I can trust the set up.

clubman 

If those are truly the EA4 28 x 1 1/4" wheels, they are rare as hens teeth in that condition. These were the oversized 647mm bead that were common in Canada in the 30's and 40's, found on CCM Racers and Planets. An interesting bike, to be sure, perhaps the CWC company?

BigChief 

I'm curious to see how the Cyclo works out too. A dual cog AW hub project is starting to appeal to me. Lots of issues to work through and puzzles to solve. It would keep me busy for a long time. Might even end up being a fun ride

gster

I just got off the phone with the seller.
I've bought a couple of bikes from him over the years.
He's bringing it over tomorrow afternoon.
He doesn't know much about it as it came from an estate sale
but has a "Gold Medal" badge up front.


Someone else here was asking about them a while back.
It'll be a summer bike for a friend of mine who's
coming to Toronto to work.
I'll keep everyone posted once I get it.
Thanks

gster

Turns out I've posted about this bike a few months ago...

dweenk

I should have put this in "Pay It Forward" maybe...

I have a Raleigh Sports handlebar 53cm wide (outside to outside) free for postage. The chrome is toast, so I painted it black. It will fit in a USPS large flat rate box.

gster

Any ideas on a modern tire to fit these rims?
It's an interesting bike with a mysterious past....

clubman 

When I looked at the video you posted, it appears the bike has 26 x 1 1/4, based on subjective perspective and the fact that the rims have a raised centre, often found in Canada. The 28 x 1 1/4 were Endricks only AFAIK.

Can you confirm the size?

Salubrious

I've seen that size on older British clubman cycles. It appears to be the same rim diameter as the Schwinn "26 x 1 3/8" tire (which is not the size seen on most British 3 speeds). You can get it at Harris Cyclery.

gster

I can only go by what's written on the tyre...
28 x 1-1/4
Dunlop Speedster
very old.
Interesting bike,

gster

Good point.
They don't look like 28" wheels.

clubman 

I've posted this before but it seems appropriate since it's a Canadian bike. The left side column of the Rim Chart shows the English sizes, of which there's two 28 x 1 1/4. One of them is a 630 mm/27" K2 which is easy enough to find. The next is an Endrick rim called an EA2 (sorry I said EA4, another obsolete size). This EA2 has the 80 inch bead circumference and is the equivalent to a 647 mm bead. The problem is that if and when you find these tires, they are always rotted out. I think real rubber didn't last long. This (your) Gold Medal is from the 50's however and just maybe, they did a run of these tires with a more modern compound. I seriously think there's a number of collectors on Vintage CCM that would pay well for this wheelset if it's the larger size.

gster

Thanks for this.
I'm thinking of leaving this bike as is...
I rode it down the street to the bar last night
and the truth is, it's not my style and I'd
have to change so many things around that it
would destroy the character.
I have put an old leather saddle on it
and could put a bigger cog on the back.
All in all still a mystery bike.
Made in Canada
British drive train
Gold Medal head badge (Gold Medal was a
brand by D.P.Harris/Rollfast out of NY)
The stem is amazing

It's got some random decals on it from a 60's model kit.

A classic trigger

The grips are "Super Jets" from Rockaway NJ.
The brake levers are Canadian style.
There's a metal flange at the back to attach a derailleur to as well.

You're right,
It's worth more in parts .
The rear rim has a ding in it.
I'll post some photos on the CCM forum and see
If anyone knows anything.
It may have come out of the Humphrey factory at
Queen and Spadina (behind the Horseshe Tavern)
I had a Humphrey years ago with the same grips

gster

So they are EA 2 Endrick rims...

gster

here's a link to the CCM forum regarding KAY bicycles
https://vintageccm.com/content/1930s...-ok-track-bike

clubman 

thx

paulb_in_bkln

Where would you start? Is there a driver that will accept two cogs?

Salubrious

All SA hubs accept up to 3 cogs. When only 1 cog is used, the hub has two spacers installed (which are also used to adjust the chain driveline).

nlerner

I experimented some time back (and just disassembled that hub, which is why I thought of it) with an AW hub with a threaded driver, a 6 1/4” axle, and a 5-speed freewheel, mostly to see if what I’ve read on the Internets can actually be done. Yup, plenty of axle to fit in 120mm dropouts with room for the freewheel. Now, I don’t necessarily need a 15- or 30- or 45-gear bike a la Sheldon Brown, but, I suppose my point is, why stop at 2 cogs?!

gster

My new pals at Hoop Rider in Owen Sound did
have some NOS Dunlop Speedster tires but they're sold out.....

They say it's a modern ISO 32-630 size.
I have a set of 27" x 1 1/2" (37-630)
That I might have a go at.
But I'm somewhat hesitant to mess with it.
It should be in a Museum...
I have put a vintage leather saddle on it.

gster

Does this not betray the purity of the 3 speed?
The Holy Trinity?
1-2-3?
I spent all day on my Robin Hood.
Hills, schmills!

nlerner

Well, whatever the combo, as long as it's evenly divisible by 3, the 3-speed gods will be satisfied.

gster

Good.
Whenever I tell my wife that
I've bought another bike,
I tell her,
the devil made me do it.