Looks like "The Thing" riding a bike at first glance
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...1_coverart.jpg

They aren't really that hard, and when I opened mine up I was surprised by how simple the whole thing really is. Biggest problem I had was that I didn't have the foresight to keep the dis assembly in order until I actually opened it up. So it took a couple attempts to get the spacers in the right position when I put it back on the bike.

Hitting the co-ops is a good idea. I just picked up an AW (1960/August) for $10.00 in the bins at a local co-op with the indicator chain. And they had at least one other in there (68/without the chain) also for $10.00. I got it to part it out if I ever need too. Seemed like a good investment after looking at how much even the pawl springs are with shipping if ordered on line, and the time and saved running or calling all over town to find what I need locally.

Though I gotta admit looking at how much they can go for on e-bay has me wondering if I'd be better selling it there. Some guys even selling the shells for more than I bought the whole thing for.

I'm guessing it's Bob....

Bob the builder

What few parts I have bought for my AW hub I purchased from someone at a bike parts meet. They seldom need parts unless abused or misused. I have one hub that has only had the pawl springs replaced an it has way over 30,000 miles on it. It is an undated hub, but the bike is from the early 1970's.

I don't know of any other hub in the world that has the parts availability of the Sturmey Archer AW, one of the many reason I like them and keep them around.

Aaron :)

My next project: A couple of weeks ago I got a visit from a guy who was cleaning out his late father's property prior to putting it up for sale. He wondered if I'd be interested in any of the bikes his dad had collected, went into this great spiel about how dad was an enthusiastic rider decades ago, etc., etc., etc. Didn't expect much, but figured it was nearby, so I'd give it a look. The day I left he gave me directions as to where to go, and my heart sank. I knew the place well - the local auto graveyard just outside of my town, home to any number of rotting Vegas. Well, I'd already committed myself to go, so what the heck. Maybe I could find something.

It was as expected. Four sheds full of rusted Murray's, Huffy's, Columbia's, and a few Schwinn's; the latter way too far gone to even bother bringing a few home to tear down into parts bikes. And then, at the back of the last shed I find this:

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q.../Phillips1.jpg

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q.../Phillips2.jpg

Ten bucks and it's mine. According to the hub it's a '73. Decals appear to be intact, and the paint (under all that filth) appears to be complete with a minimum of scratches. Bars, stem and levers are the worst, and all that appears to be well within the abilities of my oxalic acid bath. Now, if I can just find a nice Brooks B-72.

When finished I plan on selling it, although it's not going to get the usual 'fix and flip'. This one appears to be worth doing a complete restoration and if the end result is commensurate to the effort given I'll probably be asking a slight bit over the usual $125.00 I get for my Craigslist bikes. Won't be done for a little while, however. I've got a St. Etienne on the stand now, and a German Kolbe scheduled next.

Looks like it will clean up very well.

-G

duh;) I knew I was looking in the wrong place....
I know where one really cool bike co-op is and there's another just across town from me.
Plus, it's garage sale season again.

When digging through a bucket 'o used Sturmey hubs i try and get one that looks like it hasn't been taken apart. Ones that obviously have a loose ball ring probably have been canibalized for parts from the inside and just hand-tightened and thrown back into the bucket. Just in case it's still a good idea to buy TWO hubs if they are only a couple of bucks and there is a whole bucket of them. It's nice to have spare parts as they get REALLY expensive buying them one at a time online.

About the only parts I'll buy new for a hub are the axle nuts (if you want shiny ones -and they do tend to be stripped or be missing) and the indicator chains (often messed up or missing) Sometimes a clutch spring might be necessary if an old one is weak -but they cost as much as a whole 'nother used hub...

I don't count the cog -I've got the whole spread of them on hand. Those are cheap -usually $5 or so and I don't like re-using cruddy cogs as that ruins good chains...

How do the guts of the new Sunrace hubs interchange with the old Sturmey Archer hubs? It is known that old AW, AM, FW, S5 (pre 1984) guts can be put into the new Sunrace AW hubshells and new AW guts can be put into the old shells.

But what about the mechanical guts of the old drum brake or dynohub models (AB, AG)? Can these be swapped for the guts of the newer NIG drum brake models like the XRD3?

The weather has been unseasonably warm here, so I took my Sports down and rode it to work today. What a joy to ride.

Just brought a lovely dark red/maroon ~1955 Raleigh Sports for $5 & some traded R nuts. I have no space left here now....I blame you! Pictures of course to follow eventually.

I have a rusty old AW hub I got for free... dunno which approach I want to take cleaning in it up... might boil it in hot water to melt the old grease on the inside first, and then either do oxalic acid or get real fancy and try setting up an electrolysis bath for rust removal. I'm going to be cleaning up a bunch of rusty tools that were my great grandfathers so I want to use electrolysis on them since it's apparently the cat's meow of rust removal methods. Will report back with results.

I hate you! :P Deals like that are just so hard to find. <sigh> I really can't complain though, as I've been the recipient of much generosity by many right here on this forum.

It's not cheap - but there is this:
http://jtekengineering.com/jtek_bar-end_shifter.htm

Intended for drop bars but I have one on cruiser-type bars and it's very easy to use

Unfortunately, you'd be hard pressed to talk me into suggesting a Nexus or Alfine 8 speed hub to anyone, let alone a nice English 3-speed. ;) All of the bikes in my collection which are currently being ridden are IGH (3, 4, 5, 8 and 9 speeds) and the 8-speed Nexus in my least favorite bike to ride because of the hub. The horribly uneven spacing between gears irritates me every time I ride the Linus bike that has it installed.

I have never heard that before. My info was that it was designed from the get go to be used either way. Back in the 1930's depression folks could not afford two bicycles, so used the same one to commute to work durning the week and as a club racer on weekends. Simply flip the handlebar, raise the seat a bit, remove the chaincase, and maybe swap the rear sprocket and you were ready to go racing on Saturday. That really was what the British Sports vehicles were all about, bicycle, mortorcycle, or motorcar. The old books that I read as a kid mentioned that they used the new chain for racing, and when the old chain worn beyond good use the racing chaing went into service as the daily ride chain and a new chain was bought for racing. Over on this side of the pond jalopies were so cheap that adults did not ride bicycles for transportation, so those options never became available for bicycles, but a lot of those jalopies were converted into hot rods for racing on the weekends.

Hadland says, in new Raleigh book, that the Northroad was originally used in the drop position.

From today's Tweed Ride in Iowa City, hopefully to become an annual event. The weather was perfect, which is to say cool, overcast, even drizzly at times. ;)

http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...g/IMG_2729.jpg

I didn't get a lot of pictures, but I spotted a Dunelt, some Raleigh Twenty's, and one couple rode a matching pair of gent's/lady's Humbers. There was also a mustache contest and prizes for the best-dressed gent and lass. :)

- Scott

I know where that phone booth is... :D

Aaron :)

http://inlinethumb26.webshots.com/50...600x600Q85.jpg

here's a result from my rather compulsive eBay scouring (note to self: ride more, geek-out on eBay less)
anyways here ya go
this good person must be dreaming, $800 for a Raleigh Twenty?
posting it here in lieu of sending them an inappropriate message
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-1969...item43aed5ce60

"The seat alone is worth over $150.00!"
hahahahahahaha!

For 800 USD, it better be in impeccable NIB condition and gold plated to boot.

... and one couple rode a matching pair of gent's/lady's Humbers. ...

- Scott[/QUOTE]

That would have been my wife and I. Here's my Humber, it's Raleigh made, 1972. Lisa's is the women's model:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=244499

I would just send a nice note telling them that a Raleigh Twenty is not worth $800.00...

I don't even bother with those anymore. There was a Raleigh Compact RSW on there a while back with a $1600 price tag, yes $1600! It did not sell after 3 attempts, haven't seen it listed again. People that grossly over price things on ebay soon learn that they will be keeping it for a while. I have been watching a few dyno hubs that keep being relisted time and time again for the same inflated price. One is NOS/NIB and they want $400 for it. It has been listed and relisted at least 4 times that I can recall. He still has it too and no $400.

Aaron :)

Fantastic -- it was great meeting you two! Now my interest in doing the Lake Pepin Tour has been rekindled. Any idea if it's sold out yet?

And wahoonc/Aaron, were you on the trip as well, or was that pic from a different occasion? :)

You meet the coolest people doing bike stuff...
- Scott

I'm going to be at Lake Pepin... Give Jon Sharratt a shout and he'll be able to tell you if there are any spots open on the tour. I have almost decided which bike I want to take. The choices are down to two unless something else shows up that seems more interesting in the meanwhile. :D

Wow, I was only able to snag a spot due to a cancellation. Choosing the right bike is a little easier for me ;), but I need to work on my outfit a little.

- Scott

That's great news that you were able to get signed up for the tour! As far as the choice, I have a good number of bikes to choose from and, since I'm guessing a large majority of the bikes will be Raleigh built, I'd prefer to bring something that isn't common. I just finished counting and I have eight 3- or 4-speed bicycles that WERE NOT built by Raleigh and another eight 3- or 4-speed bicycles that WERE built by Raleigh. In any case, I've got choices which is supposed to be a good thing.

As far as the outfit, it is a "Lycra-Free Event" and I'll not be wearing any, but I'll likely be wearing jeans and a pullover shirt. I don't have any riding gear like that which some will be wearing. Anyway, I guess I'll see you at the tour, eh?

It's not a tweed ride. You can Tweed up if you wish, but it's not required. It's more about the bikes and the style of touring. Wear what you want, just no lycra.

About 2-3 years ago. I was working at U of I on a construction project at Burge Hall. I was "living" at the Heartland Inn for about 4 months :P Haven't been back since October of 2011, but hope to make another trip out soon.

Aaron :)