Wait until the spokes break before worrying about replacing them. 9 times out of 10 the rim will buckle before you crack a hub flange by tensioning a wheel. Are the rims worth relacing? Check brake surface wear with a straight edge, it will be concave if they're alloy, but it's​ how deep that wear is that can tell you if they have significant life left.

Asking about spoke tension begs the question: do you already have a way to measure spoke tension?
Advice from a number of manufacturers is to never exceed a spoke tension of 110kg force. It sounds like a lot, but it's easy to get up there with greased eyelets and spoke threads. I tend to aim for 95-100kgs force when I build. As each wheel will be supporting roughly ½ the bike+ rider weight, 110 kgs force gets you up to 220 kgs of total weight (480 lbs in freedom units).

There is a nice looking 60+ year old AMF (Hercules) 3 Speed on the bay (pickup only, not shipping) in Springlakes Michigan for $45
https://www.ebay.com/itm/224508492493

There is a beautiful "Deep Blue" colored Sears FREE SPIRIT "Sheffield" model in Worcester, Mass ("Woo-star", MA )
These were beautifully done as far as the original paint quality and matching painted fenders, and a quality durable heavy steel frame with Ashtabula One Piece Crank.
A really attractive blue color on these 3 speed "Sheffield" models, though they aren't that ancient, my guess is probably circa 1979 to 1983. You can find out exactly by viewing that wishbook site that has begun to upload old Sears & Montgomery Wards, JC Penneys catalogs into individual pdf files. Just Google SEARS Spring Catalog (or alternately Google Sears Fall & Winter, or whatever... Sears Christmas catalog, or Sears Summer Catalog, or Sears Christmas Wishbook............by adding the year, it should bring you the year, if it has been uploaded already into their archives there...................try to then find the INDEX page to find where the bikes or whatever items you are searching are located in that catalog, so you don't have to flip through all 800 pages of each Sears catalog.
--Worcester MA, very nice FREE SPIRIT Sheffield 3 speed on the bay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/304118227252

The Austrian JC HIGGINS in Garnet Valley, PA (Wilmington Delaware metro area) for 29.99 on the bay, also pickup only, not shipping(mentioned in earlier post)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/195236381423


There is a very nice 60+ year old ROYCE UNION 3 speed (currently on Charlotte NC craigslist) for $80 (it is actually located 35 miles east of Charlotte, in Oakboro NC)
The seller of this very nice old ROYCE UNION is a familiar fixture on the Charlotte craigslist, as someone who as a hobby, minimally refurbishes old bikes, and sells them on Charlotte craigs..... that.guy outta Oakboro probably sells about 40 bikes annually there on charlotte craigs.

Made a short trip down the road on my 1950 Schwinn Superior three speed tonight. We had a classic, humid, late summer evening.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.co...824_180943.jpg

Thanks! Glad it was helpful, can't wait to see how yours turns out.

Finished up the rehab of this ‘70 Sports the other day. Paint is nicely preserved; chrome generally good except for the bars, which must have gone through the inferior chroming tank. Those are new Kenda tires. Otherwise, cables, housing, and chain were all in good re-usable shape.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...285e89044.jpeg

It turns out he paid $300 for this sad collection of parts.
The wheels were loose and the front wheel barely clears the top of the fork..
Even with a short caliper up front, the pads are making minimal contact on the rim.
I know the guy who sold it to him amd may send him a note.
He's a well known "Bike Guy" here in Toronto

Beautiful bike!

nice job! Bars are readily available if you get OCD about them. I rehabbed a very similar bike - probably in worse shape - and bought a Robin Hood step-thru for $25 which yielded many replacement shiny bits for the ones that were badly rusted.

Mystery 3 speed
 

I acquired this bike yesterday. I let my son buy it because I wanted the saddle.

I would say the frame says mid 50’s Birmingham, but there is no oil port for the bottom bracket, and the odd attachment of the seat stays(It appears as though they were riveted and then brazed).

it has a 71/11 AW and 36 hole rigida rims, the cable stop for the shifter is on the chain stay. The brand is Imperial, and it has a 5 digit serial number.

My thinking is it is all original 1972 by a short lived manufacturer.

Any thoughts

I’ll send photos seperately

Mystery 3 speed
 

I am having trouble uploading the photos let me try again.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b8473b885.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...deff41cd6.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...28bb24f57.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...32dad9a45.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e7da1ea2a.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...504cc8c5f.jpeg

Imperial
 

I didn’t intend to scare everyone off with my questions.

3 Spds Parked on the Curb, Dublin
 

Interesting photo in a Wikipedia article; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysse...r_191-0870.jpg

There is an X frame something down the line.

I suspect your estimate of date and manufacturer are correct. All the signs of an early 70s English 3-speed; not sure if the brand was a smaller English maker or if this was a bike made for a local store (hardware store, chain store, department store). The pinned stays are unusual to me - ironically they do show up on the CCM Imperial II, but that bike did not have the fender stays mounted to the dropout. The rear fender stay mounts on yours are not in the normal Raleigh position so I doubt it was make by Raleigh.

That's unlikely. You seem to have hit a gap in our collective knowledge.

I did a basic search and found this entry at the CABE. It's not your bike but it is your brand.
The saddle is very dry. I would not expect to use it for anything other than very light use if your goal is to preserve it. Maybe rhm could offer additional tips on conditioning the leather so it does not rip but also so it does not sag.

^^^^^^ I agree that the saddle is toast - maybe OK for an occaisional ride. It looks like it will rip up the middle on the drive side.

I agree with Unca_Sam...never seen the likes of it. Your assessment of the frame seems spot (welded) on. I think it's earlier than the wheelset but it's likely not out of the Hercules factory. The Birmingham Wrights also backs up a time frame of the pre-Raleigh takeover of BCC. Hows it ride?

Nice looking Peugeot Kuupola. Have you posted this in the Bikes on Bridges thread?

We have stretched this thread to include non-English bikes, and non-three-speed Sturmey-Archer hubs. I have often thought we need a separate sub-forum for Vintage internally geared hub bikes.

Quaint-looking old Sports for $50 in OH.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...17054830027848

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...Ew&oe=6315C6B7

I am thinking the saddle will be OK for what I want it for. I want to put it on a prewar raleigh roadster, which I won’t be riding hundreds of miles.

I hopped it up some and it looks ok with some cosmetic cracks in the finish.

“gooped”

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2d5f9f866.jpeg
The TimeLine at the beach last weekend. It sports an S-RF3 hub.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4d87b92e61.jpg
The remains of the Schwinn beneath the remains of the Trek.
Is "inspired by the love of English three speeds" okay to add here? I had an American three speed, a Schwinn Speedster: It got crushed by a truck 10 years ago, along with my single speed Trek Cruiser. I replaced them with a BikesDirect Windsor TimeLine because it was light enough and compact enough to carry to my fourth floor walkup. Rode that bike everywhere, but missed having a three speed and started thinking about having a hub put on it. Moved to another part of Brooklyn and broke down and got a Linus Gaston 3; wonderful bike, but I wound up converting the Windsor anyway, so I have two three speeds. For NYC, they are great. I haven't tried to take on the hills of the Bronx and the Hudson Valley yet, but I want to try getting to Bear Mountain this Fall. Anyway, pics (including the remains of the Schwinn) attached.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c8b5113df.jpeg
The Gaston 3, with an also with an S-RF3, shifter on the downtube.

1967 Raleigh Sprite 5 speed out on a recent evening.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.co...50923096_n.jpg

His 'n' hers '51 Savoys for $300 in VA. Check them chainguards!

https://richmond.craigslist.org/bik/...528848665.html

https://images.craigslist.org/01616_...t2_600x450.jpg

Pretty bike--Looks much like my Indian (by Phillips). 3 speed hub dated 52