3-spd Raleigh Super Course build — Lauterwasser Edition
 

The recent Building a light drop bar SA 3 sp reignited an idea I've had in the past of building a 3-spd path racer-inspired commuter. I wanted a frame that needed a derailleur claw to get a cleaner look on the rear end once it was removed, but I also wanted a little panache. Naturally, that's the domain of the Raleigh Super Course. I started looking for a 25" frame and two days ago, I got this bike.


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The tires and tubes are completely shot. The seat post bolt was expertly mangled. The seat post came out easily enough and measures 26.4. Shifters and derailleurs, essentially useless. The wheels are decently true, but the spoke tension seems low. The Stem also came out without too much fuss. The headset seems to be the Raleigh 24tpi. Both upper and lower bearing systems are 1 ball bearing short, so I'll be ordering all new bearings. Frustratingly, it seems no one in Brooklyn sells loose ball bearings. The crankset gave me the most trouble, but luckily the non-drive side arm came off easily. I then removed the non-drive cup, undid the chainrings, and was able to undo the fixed cup rather easily. The driver-side cotter pin didn't want to budge at all.

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This is the current state of things. I threw on an Electra Ticino 50.4 crank w/ cartridge bb. Very similar appearance to the SunXCD, but in 175 vs the XCD 172.5. Stem is an "aero" 3t, bars are Soma Lauterwasser. I fully disassembled and cleaned the Weinmann center pulls, both are 750. That will make the 700c conversion easier in the sense that I won't have to change the front brake.

Plans for parts:
Seat post binder bolt and an aluminum seat post
Brooks cambium saddle. They have a Mud color right now that's a bit greenish
Tektro FL750 brake levers
Sturmey-Archer AW hub
Probably a SA 3-spd thumbie
Sun CR18 rims
A dynamo front hub, ascherer recommended I check out Panasonic
I've got a Shimano 600 cup and cone bb for a single chainring set up
I think I'll use the Nissen vintage Italian-style housing as that seems pretty similar to the original stuff
Velo Orange smooth fenders will certainly be added
Tires will be in the 700x28-32 range
I'm also planning to eventually get a Carradice Nelson Longflap saddlebag w/ a Bagman support

The rear dropout spacing is 125 and change. I'm thinking I'll just squeeze it to fit the Sturmey. The only other issue is the headset needs new bearings. It's going pretty smoothly. I'm looking forward to building this up as the daily rider and putting lots of miles on it. I originally really wanted the coffee brown color, but seeing this bronze green in person has made me realize you can't go wrong color-wise. I don't have access to the shop I work at until the new year, so ordering parts will have to wait another week or so.

That'll be sweet, look forward to seeing the build. I built up a Super Course for my son. Some parts bin, some newer. It had a Raleigh-spec TDC bottom bracket, and the fixed cup wasn't giving up for me. Caused my first mechanical trip to the LBS in decades, and the poor guy really had to wail on it but he got it out. I put in a threadless cartridges and it's fine.

I'm doing some research, and thinking I may look into the modern S-RF3 hub. It seems to come in 32h w/ 126 spacing. I'm also curious; does anyone know if I could mount the SLS30 Braze On shifter to a clamp-on shifter mount? I think a cleaner front end would look nicer, if possible.

SL-S30 works on clamp on shifter mount
 

I just tested my sl-s30 braze on shifter on an old suntour clamp on mount. Works fine. I think most of the clamp on shifter mounts have the standard braze on shifter mount dimensions, especially if they were for friction shifters. I put my shifter in the seat stay with an
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old thumbshifter mount, which required some filing, but it works

Amazing, thank you! Now it's just waiting until I can get back into the shop to order parts. We have a bin of clamp-on shifter bosses, cable guides, etc. I'm almost certain there's a single-sided clamp-on shifter boss or two in there.

I'm undecided on what color to go with for the grips. The camo Deathgrips are fine for now, but I don't intend to keep them long-term. I'd originally thought of having a black saddle and black grips, but if I go with the mud green C17, I think there's a little more fun to be had. I'm impressed by how nicely the red of the Weinmann stickers matches the red in the Raleigh head badge. The complimentary contrast against the green is striking. So maybe some sort of red grips, but not too intensely red as to distract. We'll see...

This looks to be a great project. I acquired a '72 SC frame a number of years ago and built it into a commuter bike with Sturmey 5 sp rear, Sturmey dyno in front, both drum brakes. I now have it set up with a Sturmey 2 speed in back and have reverted to rim brakes. I snagged a pair of Honjo fenders at my local co-op but haven't mounted them yet.

I can't say whether the SLS30 braze on shifter is compatible. I have one of the bar mounted SLS30s, which I believe shares the lever with the braze on mount. In looking at it I would say no. The lever I have uses a shaft with a major diameter of 9mm with a 6mm flat along its entire length. Most braze on and clamp types have flats only along a portion of the length. You could email Sturmey, who I've found to be somewhat responsive or try the folks at SJS Cycles in UK who are always helpful.

Good luck with your build.

I like the bars. Are you going to go 40H-32H on the rims?

Mine went through a similar evolution. I think mine is a '71 (bought new — one owner!), same size and color as Rooney 's, mine even has the Nervex Pro lugs like his, that weren't in the catalog.

It went through a racing bike phase with tubulars and alloy cotterless cranks (Nervar Star) while I was a teenaged bike mechanic, then a commuter phase with drum brakes front & rear. Had 650b wheels then, which were unusual in the '70s.

But in recent decades it's been a retro lightweight roadster with GB "all rounder" touring bars on a GB spearpoint stem, back to 27" wheels (Weinmann "dimpled" rims), but a '50s Dyno-Hub front and '50s alloy-shell FW rear (4-speed), later converted to a 5-speed with swapping only a couple internal parts and adding a second shifter. Oh and it has a nice '50s vintage Williams steel cottered crank, much swankier than the one the bike came with. Who would take off a nice alloy cotterless crank to put on a steel cottered? Crazy ppeople, that's who.

I liked the FW hub just fine and I don't need the extra gear I get with the 5-speed guts, which is an extra-high top end. Pretty much never use the new High gear. But I got tired of the 4-speed trigger shifters, which always wore out in a way that makes it slip out of low gear. To avoid that, if I was riding up a hill in Low, I'd have to keep my finger on the trigger to keep it from popping out of gear, which is hell on the internals when you're pedaling hard. Sometimes I'd replace the worn shifter (which got increasingly hard to find and/or expensive); sometimes I'd disassemble it and file the rounded-over place back to being sharp, but the triggers are riveted together, so this is a non-trivial repair. Separating the functions to two shifters solved that problem.

Looks like my all-rounders and Rooney 's Lauterwassers put the hands in similar position front-rear dimension, but higher and with a different wrist rotation. I bet I'd like that, more like the wrist angle when in the drops of a drop bar.

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My preference would be 32H rims. Finding a silver 32H, 126mm SRF3 hub may be challenging as I'm not readily turning any up with a quick Google. I should be able to get back into the shop next week to see if any of our distributors have them. Fingers crossed. Finding a 120mm vintage AW hub also seems like it'll also be a bit of a hunt. It may come down to using whichever I find first and ordering the rims to match. I'd prefer the fewest number of spokes and to do less messing about with things e.g. swapping axles on an AW or squishing the frame down to 120.

In the interim, I'll overhaul the original wheels and run it as a 5-speed. We have plenty of claw hangers and serviceable rear derailleurs at the shop. Getting it on the road is more important than getting it perfect off the bat.

bulgie I hope my SC looks as well-loved as yours one day! The bar position may change once I get riding, but it looks cool set up this way for now ;) I dig the TA rack mounted to the Weinmann.

Thanks. I've been told that they "just bolt right on" but this one wouldn't fit until I shortened the wires that go down to the brake pivots. I cut the tabs off and brazed them back on where they needed to be for Weinmann. I put that goofy headlamp mount on at that time too. That was ~45 years ago and I would do it differently now. See how it prevents the fender from reaching any further forward than it does now? I'd prefer a bit more fender in front. Not going to change it now though, "good enough" is good enough!

Great project, looking forward to seeing the finished bike. These Sturmey hub gear conversions of old Raleighs or British 531 frames generally speaking make for really fun commuters, day riders, overnighters, and are just really versatile platforms. I've done something similar with my 1951 Sun Wasp. It runs a period Sturmey Archer four speed, medium ratio FM hub, and a period dynohub set up to run modern LED lamps in a touring style, though because the hub is somewhat rare I don't commute with this one. I found a 32/40 set of rims from ebay seller saveitfromlandfill, which is a UK bike shop. They have Kinlin (made in Taiwan, like Sun Ringle) 32/40 rim sets available, which are to my eye the same as the Sun CR18. 40h AW hubs are out there aplenty, try your local co-op bins. The '50s ones are the peak of their quality, but the AW always works, whether '50s, '60s, or '70s, you can't go wrong. We can help you out with any servicing or set up questions, there's a bunch of folks on BF who can share the Sturmey Archer lore in this thread. @nlerner has some fantastic examples of IGH converted Raleighs. I haven't tried Lauterwasser bars, but I've always been curious having seen them on path racers or "scorcher" bikes.

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Looking for the right-size steel chainring for my alloy crank to make it look a bit more period looking.

I've seen different styles of Lauterwasser, so you may be more partial to one than another.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0faeadce6e.jpg


My Brave Classics repros have a deeper drop than most Lauterwassers, with the 4.5" drop of the Highgate Shallow
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There's frustratingly little to report at the moment. I ordered Tektro FL750 levers from eBay; they arrived Wednesday. I also ordered Kool Stop Dura 2 brake cartridges/pads, a binder bolt, a seat post, and pedals from a shop in Philly that's on eBay, but the tracking status has been "Shipment Received Acceptance Pending" since the 4th. It's not the first time I've had this experience with this shop, but it will be the last.

I did finally address the headset issue — four missing ball bearings. I've sacrilegiously only added four new bearings instead of replacing all of them. I'll order some this weekend to have that sorted.

Maybe the most exciting news is that I've found someone selling a silver, 32H, 130mm axle, SRF3 wheel locally! I have a front wheel in my storage unit that will act as a stand-in until I decide on a generator hub.

I think I know the shop you are referring to and it took a month to get a set of in-stock hubs. I’m not sure if it was the shipping company or the vendor but I have chosen to eliminate one of those variables. Universal Cycles is close to me and has been fantastic.

I cannot find an individual picture of my (formerly) 25" '72. It was one in a lot of tall bikes sold years back. May still belong to a BF member. With 27" and 1 1/4" rubber, plus the long wheelbase on an oversized but rideable (hardly a fist of seatpost) frame = made it a crusin' straightline tracker. With original gearing = not a climber.

Should be a super ride :thumb:, with the right 3 gears ;).

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b5c1da9dac.jpg

There is an Ebay seller peddling ANPI 26.4 seatposts, NOS, $30 shipped. It's a nice Spanish Campy Record copy.

The SRF3 rear wheel purchase has been a complete bust. The seller was incredibly difficult to communicate with. We finally set a time and place to meet, but they never showed up.

I'm seeing 32H, 120mm axle versions of the hub on eBay. I'll buy one of those and figure it out from there. I had hoped this would be relatively easy, but it's wasted a bit of my weekend.

I had a front wheel sitting in my storage unit. Adjusted the hub, trued it, and it's ready to go. I stopped by the shop I work in today and grabbed a cheap single-speed wheel. Popped 3mm spacers on either side, adjusted the bearings, trued the rim enough, and we've got a wheelset. For gearing, I'd planned on using 46/19, but the wheel came with a 17t. That's based on usually being in 48/19-21 on my Topstone. I'll see how it goes. It's funny, I've never really thought about the "ideal gear" before getting to this point. Brooklyn is flat enough that I don't think it'll be much bother and it's an easy enough swap if I need to.

I also snagged 5/32 ball bearings to redo the headset.

There's a social ride on Thursday that a friend asked me to go to. My goal is to get this thing in rideable condition by then, which should be very doable as long as the parts arrive by Wednesday.

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As it sits now

When I reached out on Friday, I got a quick response from a representative from the shop who said they reached out to the courier (USPS in this case) and I would get an update from the shop on Monday. The package suddenly started moving Friday afternoon and is now in Brooklyn. I expect it will be delivered tomorrow. I don't know if USPS already had the package in one of their facilities or if the shop finally requested a pickup. Regardless, I'm not sure it would've started moving without me inquiring.

Just looked it up; very nice! I'm not sure the 175mm length would be sufficient for me.

Oh boy, we have a wheel. The SRF3 seller followed up this morning, and I bought the wheel tonight after work. Even though yesterday was inconvenient for me, they seemed to have a bit more going. It served as a good reminder not to make judgments too quickly and that everyone has their own stuff going on.

I'll need spacers to bump the OLD to 126 from the current 117. I also need a cable anchorage and may need to replace the gear indicator chain. The most likely scenario is that I disassemble and reassemble the hub this week. It's probably also time to order a shifter.

EDIT: Will I be fine running this 46t ring in a single-speed configuration? I know there are (were?) TA rings specifically for fixed/single-speed without holes for attaching inner rings. Will this outer ring's tooth width/profile be sufficient for my setup?

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v1 is up and running

Ordered the Sturmey shifter and cable anchorage. I’ll probably go through the hub this weekend and get some spacers on the axle. I think I may go with Pasela tour guard tires, or maybe Gravelkings? I’m not married to either. Current tires measure 29 in the front, 26 in the rear. I probably won’t go larger than a 32. Some VO fenders will be on order soon.

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v2.1 ready for test ride

Please excuse both the mess and delay in updating the progress. The original SRF3 wheel I bought has a rim that needs to be replaced. I’m consistently lazy about wheel work. Luckily, another 32H SRF wheel popped up the other day as part of a wheel set, for $20! I bought the wheel set this morning and got things in order. Installed the front generator hub, but I still haven’t gotten any lights.

I had been running a 46/17 combo with the single speed set up. This hub came with a 16t cog which may be a little higher geared than I want. The original SRF has a 22t, which is too low. I may be digging around for an 18 or 19.

Next up, fenders and lights! I’m also planning to swap the grips to something more brown or gum colored, and the saddle will be changed to something cooler looking down the line. Despite being a humble Retrospec, this saddle is surprisingly comfortable. I moved on from the Brooks C17 pretty quickly after it became clear the fabric’s texture was going to eat all of my pants. Other minor adjustments will be adding a red Raleigh “R” seat post clamp bolt, and sourcing a Raleigh branded downtube clamp on shifter mount. I also have a few Dia-Compe quick release cable hangers at my parents house in PA which are always a fun little touch, though not wholly necessary on this build. I also have a Ritchey front cable hanger which happens to also bear my initials. That may go on as well… or not. Depending on how cute I’m trying to be.

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From a windy ride up to the GW bridge a few weeks back, sporting the Carradice Nelson long flap on a Bagman Expedition rack.

A very clean build!

Looking good so far! Waiting for the next additions...

That looks great. How did you get on with the Lauterwassers on that ride? I am glad you ditched the dork disc and the rack. Thanks, also, for taking the reflectors off the pedals. Are these Jalcos going to stay, or are you going to go with the CR18's?

I love the Lauterwassers! The bike was sort of built around them. Bulgie hit it head-on earlier in the thread, the bars put me in a position very similar to being in the drops with just enough flare to have my wrists at what feels like a natural angle. I've switched from the Jalcos over to a Sanyo dynamo hub laced to a CR18 in the front, and the SRF3 is paired with an Alex rim of some sort. Now that I have two SRF3s, I'll build the second one up using a CR18, and then install that in the rear. Maybe slightly confusing, the second photo in my last post is an older shot. I meant to snap a clearer picture during my ride yesterday, but I got carried away in the riding.

The downtube shifter mod works mostly well, but the click of the shifter going into the low gear isn't quite perfect. Maybe I need a little more cable tension. I have to click into 1, then go a little further past to guarantee the shift, then click back into 1 going towards 2. Shifting between 2 and 3 is flawless. After the ride yesterday and my commute today, the 46/16 combo is definitely higher than I'd like for my direct drive gear. My ankle was complaining during the ride on Sunday and after measuring, I found my saddle was 5mm higher than usual. I lowered it this evening. I'm sure that, coupled with the extra effort to push the additional tooth, contributed to the discomfort.

If you have a chance, perhaps when you show the CR18's installed (which i hope you will...), could you show the flare of the Lauterwassers? The Sun Rim on rear is going to look great. I have not used that kind of shifter, but I am thinking that maybe installing a 6" section of cable housing and a cable housing stop after the shifter would give a more sure result. Are you going to go to an 18T sprocket? Also, what kind of lighting system will the Sanyo dyno accomodate?