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-   -   For the love of English 3 speeds... (https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=623699)

desconhecido 09-28-18 03:20 PM


Originally Posted by clubman (Post 20590666)
That bikes been messed with big time. The clamp shifter braze on makes me think it was a late 50's derailleur model with a Benelux gear and possible 27" wheels, hence the larger frame. The frame's the only original part and that's maybe worth $40 imo.

Yeah, it's hard to find any love in my heart for that one and I'm pretty much a sucker for a lost cause.

Buellster 09-28-18 03:44 PM


Originally Posted by clubman (Post 20590666)
That bikes been messed with big time. The clamp shifter braze on makes me think it was a late 50's derailleur model with a Benelux gear and possible 27" wheels, hence the larger frame. The frame's the only original part and that's maybe worth $40 imo.


Originally Posted by desconhecido (Post 20590804)
Yeah, it's hard to find any love in my heart for that one and I'm pretty much a sucker for a lost cause.

that's pretty much where I've been at. It's been up for awhile and I keep scrolling past. I thought is throw it up here and make sure I'm not passing on anything of value. Real shame, I bet it was a beauty in its prime.

Cute Boy Horse 09-29-18 06:28 AM


Originally Posted by BigChief (Post 20590006)
Concerning Dynohubs...Turns out that I'm much more pleased with the Dynohub with LED lights than I thought I'd be. Sometimes I start my day with an early ride while it's still dark. I don't ride on the paved roads in the daytime. At 4 AM I'm all alone out there. I use a headband light. With fresh AAA batteries it lights up the road well enough for the speeds I ride and the LED lights reflect animal eyes far beyond the field of visible light, but it's a tight beam and doesn't light up the road directly in front of me very well. The Dyno light fills this spot perfectly. It shines a nice wide beam up close. The two lights together work so well that I don't like my other bikes for night riding now. I'm totally sold on Dynohubs and I never thought I'd be. One more misconception out the window.

i was wondering how you were getting on with it. I notice you haven't said anything about them flickering, did you make one of the circuits or are you just riding really fast?

BigChief 09-29-18 07:17 AM


Originally Posted by Cute Boy Horse (Post 20591579)
i was wondering how you were getting on with it. I notice you haven't said anything about them flickering, did you make one of the circuits or are you just riding really fast?

I didn't add that capacitor to the circuit, but it sounds like a good idea. I never planned on actually using the system. Since it was there and original to the bike I just wanted to make it operational. It does flicker. It's a rather psychedelic experience walking the bike up steep spots in the dark, but it does even out a lot after you get to 10mph or so. I might add that cap someday since I now find the lights so useful. Thanks for your help with my first time Dyno wiring. Between my friends here and RJ the bike guy's video, I've added a successful Dyno restoration to my old English roadster creds.

Buellster 09-29-18 05:24 PM

So remember those old Rudges I was looking at? Well he posted a clearer picture of one of them and it looks to be in much better shape than the one originally pictured.
I'll be taking a look at them tomorrow to see for sure. I can already tell they are likley too small for me, (he doesnt know size and I'm terrible at telling from a photo) but I cant help at least seeing them anyway.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...14a3b2fc76.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dcfaf389cd.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...701d4c39b6.jpg

desconhecido 09-29-18 06:28 PM


Originally Posted by Buellster (Post 20592205)
So remember those old Rudges I was looking at? Well he posted a clearer picture of one of them and it looks to be in much better shape than the one originally pictured.
I'll be taking a look at them tomorrow to see for sure. I can already tell they are likley too small for me, (he doesnt know size and I'm terrible at telling from a photo) but I cant help at least seeing them anyway.


That's the one with the Jackson Pollock paint job. Still not a good picture of the left side of that rear hub. If it's a dyno-4 it should have a stub from the 2 piece indicator sticking out and I don't see it. If it's a dyno-3, it's probably ok, but there's no light or anything, is there? Take along a voltmeter and make sure it puts out a couple volts when you spin the wheel -- assuming that "spin" is within the range of motion available.

edit: looks a bit smaller than the 23" Raleigh Sports. Maybe Rudge had a 22", don't know.

edit again: One thing about that bike, if you buy it you don't have to worry about somebody coming up to you and saying, "Hey, I've got a bike just like that!" You know, like the way some people are worried about going to a party and there's somebody else there in the exact same outfit? No worries, won't happen.

clubman 09-29-18 06:44 PM

[MENTION=486062]Buellster[/MENTION]...define 'much better shape' :innocent:

Be careful. Missing parts, crushed chainstays (maybe), bad paint, lots o rust = ridden hard and put away wet. You could put hundreds into that bike and end up with something worth $150. If it's cheap, sure then have a go at a home paint and decal job but don't get caught up in a Red Hand of Ulster fever. Love the lock regardless. Looks like 21"?

BigChief 09-29-18 06:49 PM

I like bikes like this. It has some features that appeal to me a lot. It's very early 50s. Maybe even late 40s. It has the old style lugs and the crazy cool Hand of Ulster crank. To me, it has custom scorcher written all over it. No original paint to preserve. No need to be historically accurate, just strip and repaint. I did this a few years ago with a very messed up 21" Rudge, a bit later than this one. Mid 50s I figure. I used a tall stem to get the leg extension and riding position I needed. Turned out to be a fun project and one of my favorite rides. Thing is, as it is now, this bike has very little value. There's not enough crazy people like me around to make something like this worth more than 40 bucks. [MENTION=185977]clubman[/MENTION] is correct. You would spend much more than you could ever sell it for. But that has never stopped me before :rolleyes:

BigChief 09-30-18 05:30 AM


Originally Posted by clubman (Post 20592283)
[MENTION=486062]Buellster[/MENTION]...define 'much better shape' :innocent:

Be careful. Missing parts, crushed chainstays (maybe), bad paint, lots o rust = ridden hard and put away wet. You could put hundreds into that bike and end up with something worth $150. If it's cheap, sure then have a go at a home paint and decal job but don't get caught up in a Red Hand of Ulster fever. Love the lock regardless. Looks like 21"?

Had a short but beautiful ride this morning. I love this weather. I'll freely admit to being a sucker for stylized chainrings. Even better than the Rudge hand are the Humber running men and the Norman.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a045d0a3b8.jpg

markk900 09-30-18 06:16 AM

Oooo. I’d not seen the Norman chainring before....wow. Do you have a picture of the bike to go with it?

clubman 09-30-18 08:02 AM

Robib Hood Club?
 
1 Attachment(s)
Not sure I've posted this...it's a 531 Robin Hood, rear 3 speed Dyno, 3 pin Williams crank with steel mudguards. Very much a Lenton-type club ride with North Road bars. Not mine, a friends.

Ballenxj 09-30-18 08:49 AM


Originally Posted by clubman (Post 20592834)
Not sure I've posted this...it's a 531 Robin Hood, rear 3 speed Dyno, 3 pin Williams crank with steel mudguards. Very much a Lenton-type club ride with North Road bars. Not mine, a friends.

A three speed with integral Dyno? COOL!:thumb:

clubman 09-30-18 12:54 PM

I believe that's an AG hub. Sturmey bragged about the weight savings when a 3 speed was combined with a Dyno hub. And then you pick it up...:eek:

Buellster 09-30-18 01:18 PM

Wow!
that's so cool!
I've never seen a combined hub like that before.

desconhecido 09-30-18 01:23 PM


Originally Posted by Buellster (Post 20593216)
Wow!
that's so cool!
I've never seen a combined hub like that before.

Look at the splash painted Rudge.

Buellster 09-30-18 01:27 PM


Originally Posted by desconhecido (Post 20593224)
Look at the splash painted Rudge.

...
It does seem to have that..
this rusty old rudge gets more interesting everytime I look at it haha
you mentioned I should bring a voltmeter when I go see its and i didnt catch that was why.

BigChief 09-30-18 03:58 PM


Originally Posted by markk900 (Post 20592737)
Oooo. I’d not seen the Norman chainring before....wow. Do you have a picture of the bike to go with it?

I don't seem to have one in my collection. Rare bikes, at least here in the US. I know it was a smaller company that was bought by TI in the early 50s. I wouldn't be surprised if after TI bought Raleigh in 1960, they put Norman badges on Nottingham bikes and maybe the chainring as well. Don't know for sure.

Ballenxj 09-30-18 09:05 PM

Craigslist AD, but the seller says it's an English 3 speed, so I posted it here. Fleet Wing?
http://boise.craigslist.org/bik/d/fl...711069134.html

BigChief 10-01-18 05:28 AM


Originally Posted by Ballenxj (Post 20593825)
Craigslist AD, but the seller says it's an English 3 speed, so I posted it here. Fleet Wing?
http://boise.craigslist.org/bik/d/fl...711069134.html

That does seem to be imported from England or Europe. Usually American bikes were all welded with one piece cranks. And American cantilever frames had some semblance of symmetry. Looking at this is like a finger poke in the eye.

Road Fan 10-01-18 06:03 AM


Originally Posted by clubman (Post 20593190)
I believe that's an AG hub. Sturmey bragged about the weight savings when a 3 speed was combined with a Dyno hub. And then you pick it up...:eek:

Can't tell by looking, but the hub could also be an FG - the gears of an FW with the dyno function. I have one of those waiting for the rainy day when I start on my Rudge. Weight savings -- well yes, it's all in one housing, so there's a bigger housing on the rear and still a real small housing on the front. I think the gears may have been narrowed on the FG relative to the FW, which is a four-speed counterpart to the AW. I assume the AG has the same ratios as the AW? If so it might also have smaller gears.

I'd assume all of us who like three-speeds realize that the 30-something weights still allow quite decent speed - mass is not everything. As a kid I had a 1950-something Phillips three-speed (same equipment as a mid-60s Raleigh Sport), and I added steel drop bars when 15, with the original-style brake levers. Not because I knew anything about Clubman-style, but because I was always leaning into the bar and gripping at the forward curves of the traditional bars, or even resting my forearms on the bar, riding up and down what is now the Chicago Lakefront Path. At 16 I got a straight-gauge 531 Falcon with Campy Gran Sport, 27 x 1 ¼ at 90 psi with Al rims, and a Brooks saddle. I was no faster on it, and its ride was significantly stiffer than the old Phillips. Lighter was not faster, and straight-gauge 531 did not make a better bike, except that it was lighter.

Next bike was Italian, had a double-butted frame, Campy Record (not Nuovo Record!) and tubulars - that was faster!

Ballenxj 10-01-18 07:07 AM


Originally Posted by BigChief (Post 20594091)
That does seem to be imported from England or Europe. Usually American bikes were all welded with one piece cranks. And American cantilever frames had some semblance of symmetry. Looking at this is like a finger poke in the eye.

A finger poke in the eye? Haha, that sort of sums up my thoughts on it as well. I thought you guys might see the humor in it. :p

noglider 10-01-18 08:03 AM


Originally Posted by Ballenxj (Post 20593825)
Craigslist AD, but the seller says it's an English 3 speed, so I posted it here. Fleet Wing?
http://boise.craigslist.org/bik/d/fl...711069134.html

It doesn't look English to me. Maybe the SA hub threw the seller off.

BigChief 10-01-18 08:14 AM


Originally Posted by Road Fan (Post 20594116)
Can't tell by looking, but the hub could also be an FG - the gears of an FW with the dyno function. I have one of those waiting for the rainy day when I start on my Rudge. Weight savings -- well yes, it's all in one housing, so there's a bigger housing on the rear and still a real small housing on the front. I think the gears may have been narrowed on the FG relative to the FW, which is a four-speed counterpart to the AW. I assume the AG has the same ratios as the AW? If so it might also have smaller gears.

I'd assume all of us who like three-speeds realize that the 30-something weights still allow quite decent speed - mass is not everything. As a kid I had a 1950-something Phillips three-speed (same equipment as a mid-60s Raleigh Sport), and I added steel drop bars when 15, with the original-style brake levers. Not because I knew anything about Clubman-style, but because I was always leaning into the bar and gripping at the forward curves of the traditional bars, or even resting my forearms on the bar, riding up and down what is now the Chicago Lakefront Path. At 16 I got a straight-gauge 531 Falcon with Campy Gran Sport, 27 x 1 ¼ at 90 psi with Al rims, and a Brooks saddle. I was no faster on it, and its ride was significantly stiffer than the old Phillips. Lighter was not faster, and straight-gauge 531 did not make a better bike, except that it was lighter.

Next bike was Italian, had a double-butted frame, Campy Record (not Nuovo Record!) and tubulars - that was faster!

I was into wrenching bikes as a kid. I put together a stripped down Rudge with flipped bars and a cheap molded plastic saddle and pretended it was a racing bike. It was a much nicer ride than the department store 10 speeds at the time. Even Schwinn Varsitys felt like tanks next to the Rudge. It wasn't until you got up to something like a Motobecane Grand Touring or Raleigh Grand Prix level bike before you really felt any big improvement over the old 3 speed.

clubman 10-01-18 11:17 AM

21" or slightly less.

Road Fan 10-01-18 12:45 PM


Originally Posted by Buellster (Post 20589502)
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...60e0bc746f.jpg

Took the sports out to watch the swifts go in the chimney at chapman elemantary.

Hi, Buellster, what is that brown thing under the handlebars? Some sort of fairing?

Buellster 10-01-18 12:51 PM


Originally Posted by Road Fan (Post 20594775)
Hi, Buellster, what is that brown thing under the handlebars? Some sort of fairing?

It is a bike bag. I picked it up at my LBS for 15 bucks.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bf0e15028c.jpg

Same bag seen from the front. Mounted in a different spot.

DQRider 10-01-18 03:02 PM

An English Sort of Weekend
 
.

This past weekend seemed very English to me. Mind you, I've never been there, but most of the literature and video of England shows an environment that is mostly green ground and grey skies, with a hint of drizzle in the air.

These were the surroundings I rode through all weekend. It started on Saturday, when I went down to Harriet Island, across from downtown Saint Paul on the Mississippi River (It could have been London, and the Thames...).

https://i.imgur.com/rOQewfq.png
On the trail to Harriet Island.

Of course the paddle-wheeled riverboats give this away as American, but at least the bike was British.

https://i.imgur.com/4IzTIdL.png

This kind of light is very flattering to the Scorcher.

https://i.imgur.com/TgYWFLN.png

On Sunday I set off again, but this time for a bit of "Green Laning", on my Super Course Roadster.

https://i.imgur.com/hnGurz7.png
These paths run all through the local forests, but none of them are very long.

https://i.imgur.com/essfq6O.png

It was 43°F when I left the house, and it only ever warmed up to about 45° while I was out. Good thing I dressed warmly.

https://i.imgur.com/XhrnFjr.png

I celebrated with a cup of tea when I got home. It seemed the proper thing to do.

.

Road Fan 10-01-18 03:30 PM

Ok, I see. I've had a few long threads on another forum discussing possible ideas for low-cost fairings incorporating front storage.

desconhecido 10-01-18 04:37 PM


Originally Posted by DQRider (Post 20595030)
.

This past weekend seemed very English to me. Mind you, I've never been there, but most of the literature and video of England shows an environment that is mostly green ground and grey skies, with a hint of drizzle in the air.

These were the surroundings I rode through all weekend. It started on Saturday, when I went down to Harriet Island, across from downtown Saint Paul on the Mississippi River (It could have been London, and the Thames...).

https://i.imgur.com/rOQewfq.png
On the trail to Harriet Island.

.

Love those little brass bells. Make me want to go ding, ding, ding, ding. Just like Hector Salamanca

Very nice bikes, one and all.

markk900 10-01-18 04:53 PM


Originally Posted by Ballenxj (Post 20593825)
Craigslist AD, but the seller says it's an English 3 speed, so I posted it here. Fleet Wing?
http://boise.craigslist.org/bik/d/fl...711069134.html

Much as it’s a humorous ad (rear brake only when it clearly has two levers and two brakes), I did a look up on the head badge and indeed that bike was made in England - possibly even late 50s...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-195...8112683?_ul=CA


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