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Originally Posted by rmisiano
(Post 13457819)
I found this 1970 sport in my neighbors basement just as you see it, for 100.00 all original right to the tires and tubes great ride.
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Hercules Lion
I posted a thread with this bike a few days ago (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...les-Thread-%29), but thought it fitting to place it in the "For the love of English 3 speeds..." thread. It is fitting for this sweet lady.
After a drive to Philadelphia on a snowy October day, this nearly entirely original Hercules Lion is now in my collection. The only items that I have detected that are not original are the inner tubes (that's to be expected) and Shimano shifter, which has since been temporarily swapped to a SA trigger shifter until the Her-cu-matic shifter arrives. http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6109/...841d1f51_z.jpg Hercules Lion - 2 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6234/...6da472e7_z.jpg Hercules Lion - 13 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6095/...7a6b5683_z.jpg Hercules Lion - 23 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6052/...810b2921_z.jpg Hercules Lion - 19 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6042/...fb4183d8_z.jpg Hercules Lion - 10 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr |
Originally Posted by HercRider
(Post 13458489)
Very nice Rudge, looks to be in great shape and I think you made out-I've seen them from $150 to $250 on CL.
I assume youve read Sheldon Brown's info on 3-speeds?
Originally Posted by noglider
(Post 13460270)
Brynley, you did great. I looked for a Rudge for 30 years before finding mine. It's the only English 3-speed that I like better than the Raleigh. Mine is a 1962 or so, and it doesn't have the cool chainring, so I'm envious.
Raleigh bought most of the English bike companies in 1960, including Rudge, and it continued making Raleighs with various names stamped on them, including Rudge. The Raleigh-made Rudges (such as yours and mine) have some Rudge-specific parts, such as the chainring (not mine) and the fork. I love the look of the fork. The repairs are likely to be straightforward for you. It's a matter of disassembling, dissolving the grease, which has now turned to glue, regreasing, and reassembling. Those saddles are still made, and you can get one, used or new. A couple of us on bikeforums are learning the craft of saddle recovering, which involves replacing the entire leather piece. They are very good saddles, and if you take care of them, they last longer than other types. Mine is original, and it has many cracks, but it's not falling apart. I'm new to bike repair, so this will be the first time I overhaul a headset. According to Sheldon Brown, one of the things I'll need is a 1 5/8in wrench. Is this a common size for bike headsets, or is it peculiar to these old three speeds? Unfortunately my adjustable wrench is just a wee bit too small. Also, what's the best way to service the rear hub? It shifts nicely but the wheel doesn't spin as it should and I'm not too familiar with these Sturmey Archers. |
For the headset, you can get away with a big channel lock and a 12" adjustable wrench. This will make some people cringe, but the bigger the nut, the less damage pliers cause on a nut, and the adjustable race is super big.
You'll need a special size "cone wrench" to adjust the cones on the SA hub. They're available, but you can also grind down a standard bike cone wrench. You should also use a bench vise, a hammer, and a punch. The cones should be slightly loose, i.e. there should be a little bit of wobble. There should not be wobble in modern hubs, so this is unusual advice. But don't be quick to overhaul the rear hub. It's rarely necessary. Spray a ton of WD-40 into the oil hole. The follow it up with oil. Bike oil is good. So is automatic transmission fluid. Even motor oil is OK. Just don't use 3-in-1. Keep putting oil in until it starts leaking out the axle ends. Spin it a bit and put more oil in. This has a good chance of bringing the hub back to life, and it may work as well as new. |
But don't be quick to overhaul the rear hub. It's rarely necessary. Spray a ton of WD-40 into the oil hole. The follow it up with oil. Bike oil is good. So is automatic transmission fluid. Even motor oil is OK. Just don't use 3-in-1. Keep putting oil in until it starts leaking out the axle ends. Spin it a bit and put more oil in. This has a good chance of bringing the hub back to life, and it may work as well as new. |
Yup, WD-40 and bike lube did the trick! It ticks marvelously now. I also bought a channel lock and fixed the headset too, it seems like it was just tightened to much. Thanks again for the tips. I thought this bike would be a big pain to fix up but its nearly done.
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I'm VERY happy to hear that!
Does the bike ride yet? What else is left to do? |
I just need to polish the chrome, service the brakes, and add a chain. Hopefully I'll have pics of the result tomorrow...It would have been done today but I got sidetracked after running out to grab a Raleigh Sprite I saw on Craigslist. That makes four Raleigh bikes in the shed now. I think perusing this thread over the past few months has triggered an addiction :)
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Why it's so difficult to find English 3-speeds on a size 23" and a men's frame? Seriously, I'm browing CL and there are plenty of women's frame and a few men's size 21", but the larger frames are becoming really rare in my opinion.
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Originally Posted by BRAZUCA
(Post 13496484)
Why it's so difficult to find English 3-speeds on a size 23" and a men's frame? Seriously, I'm browing CL and there are plenty of women's frame and a few men's size 21", but the larger frames are becoming really rare in my opinion.
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Originally Posted by BRAZUCA
(Post 13496484)
Why it's so difficult to find English 3-speeds on a size 23" and a men's frame? Seriously, I'm browing CL and there are plenty of women's frame and a few men's size 21", but the larger frames are becoming really rare in my opinion.
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I'd say in every dozen men's 3-speeds we find, one will be a 23" frame.
I picked up a spotless Raleigh Superbe in 23" this week: |
Originally Posted by oldroads
(Post 13498793)
I'd say in every dozen men's 3-speeds we find, one will be a 23" frame.
I picked up a spotless Raleigh Superbe in 23" this week: Congrats on that find! (let's see some better pics, please) |
Strongly considering getting the Dunelt DL-1 we've got lurking in a corner of the shop. It's a little rugged, but who knows? I reckon every bike guy should have a British 3-speed.
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Just rescued this one
http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/1678/1000986q.jpg and a 1954 Sports Tourist http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8...81554114er.jpg |
Originally Posted by oldroads
(Post 13498793)
I'd say in every dozen men's 3-speeds we find, one will be a 23" frame.
I picked up a spotless Raleigh Superbe in 23" this week: |
Thank you folks for the feedback. I have another question if you don't mind. Is it possible to have a 1972 Raleigh Sports built in Taiwan? Is there a problem with the built in Taiwan Raleighs or it is the same as the ones built in England? Concerns/issues? Thank you.
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Originally Posted by BRAZUCA
(Post 13505265)
Thank you folks for the feedback. I have another question if you don't mind. Is it possible to have a 1972 Raleigh Sports built in Taiwan? Is there a problem with the built in Taiwan Raleighs or it is the same as the ones built in England? Concerns/issues? Thank you.
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...g/IMG_0261.jpg |
Thank you Kingsting! I probably misunderstood the country of origin, so it is Malaysia and not Taiwan, great clarification. I will check it personally this weekend, let's see.
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From what I've seen, the Malaysian bikes were lower priced models. (S22 and S22L?) The most noticeable differences were the box-section rims, mattress saddles, blackwall tires, and no pump pegs on the frame.
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Originally Posted by kingsting
(Post 13508044)
From what I've seen, the Malaysian bikes were lower priced models. (S22 and S22L?) The most noticeable differences were the box-section rims, mattress saddles, blackwall tires, and no pump pegs on the frame.
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This thread is right up my alley.
I'm new to the forum, but stay tuned for pics of a few English bikes I brought home due to lapses in better judgment. •1963 Nottingham made Rollfast 20" basic sports type 3 speed •His & hers '72 BSAs... •1960 Dunelt (en route) |
In response to kingsting: I had a 1988 Raleigh Sport that was made in Taiwan, It was a decent bike even with steel rims, generic brakes/levers, and a vinyl mattress saddle. I ended up replacing the handlebars with nitto upright bars, brooks saddle, and cork grips.
here it is in it's prime taking me to work. http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2787/4...f49bacf9_z.jpg Then it met a untimely demise on April Fools day about 2 years ago, some girl hit me in her prius. I still haven't thrown away the frame as it still sits in my shed. Most of the damage was to the wheels, fenders, and basket. Im not to sure if the frame is bent, looking it over it looks fine. Spacing is still correct and it did not have any bends from what I can tell. When she hit me she was not going fast at all. I honestly think the wheels bent because of me and my weight, my body took most of the damage. the aftermath. http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...r/IMG_3679.jpg http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...r/IMG_3687.jpg |
jamesj, nice bike and sad story. Have you replaced it?
Please use periods between your sentences so we don't have to think about what you mean. Thanks. |
Am loving my English three speed today... it's cold and slushy and after a 10km commute you would be hard pressed to tell my bike has gone anywhere as the drive train is clean and this has a lot lot do with running really good fenders as well.
Rode the other night when it was -30C and the hub never missed a beat... biggest plus to the old AW or in my case, AG is that you can run them with synthetic oil in the winter. |
Originally Posted by yellowbarber
(Post 13517858)
This thread is right up my alley.
I'm new to the forum, but stay tuned for pics of a few English bikes I brought home due to lapses in better judgment. •1963 Nottingham made Rollfast 20" basic sports type 3 speed •His & hers '72 BSAs... •1960 Dunelt (en route) That was almost 5 years and 18,000 + posts ago... and am always impressed at how this thread just keeps going and going and going. :) |
@noglider: I cleaned up the text in my previous comment. Hopefully it reads better.
I have not replaced the Raleigh. I have the TREK 412 that is my commuter/everyday ride but honestly I really miss having a 3 speed around. I wonder if I take the frame in to a decent bike shop can they tell me if it is bent. |
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well sixtyfiver, these first pics are for you then:
These were a total impulse buy, a little wrecked from spending most of their lives out on Long Island's south shore. Original tires(?) were still in ride-able shape. I need a to find a bolt for one of the brake levers. I think once I get the little sand particles rinsed out of the rear hubs, they will both ride fine. Then I'll have to figure out what to do with them, I have no space at all to keep them. http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=227847 http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=227848 |
Wow, lucky you! Beautiful bicycles.
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This one was abandoned on my street for more than a year when I found it moments after NY Dept. of Sanitation got sick of looking at it and clipped it loose.
A little small for me, but I ride the crap out of it almost every day. More pics later. http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=227939 |
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