Bit of the old "Up and Down"..

This bike just rips over rough ground! I know a lot of that is in the tires, but I am super pleased with how it turned out, there is a bunch of 1" lava rock in the curb strip in town, the bike just flies over it, video is a bit shaky riding with one hand, but with both hands on the bars I can blaze at 15+ MPH pretty comfortably over this lava rock,


I also saw a deer, as long as you don't turn your head to look at them they stay put %90 of the time,

I do plan on using contact cement to glue pieces of inner tube on the inside of the chain guard to get rid of chain slap noise.

Great idea, I never even considered it. Thanks for sharing.

I've never done it, but it seems it should cut the noise by %90?



Question on hub/cone/bearing adjustment for the S5, I have it adjusted with a tiny bit of slack like an AW 3 speed, but I've read the 4 speed should have no slack, should the S5 also have no slack?

And because I can't stop tinkering...

SoubiteZ 89 mounted bolted to the fork and I drilled and tapped the stem to mount the light to it, I ordered an LED bulb for it which will triple the light output.

I did grind all the row of side knobs off the tire after I took the first picture as the dynamo was quite loud running on the knobs, that much precision grinding was a bit annoying, but it's done now :-)

https://i.postimg.cc/W4cfY3Hy/6832-A...E02-DC1283.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/NMgCYnY7/744-B3...BA31-C1-C7.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/7Z2WN7m7/16-B99...37-B71-AA4.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/HL0vqmGk/EA7-A6...51-FA420-B.jpg

Will the first one fit a Raleigh Sports? I don't have a caliper to measure - maybe that's my next tool purchase. That would be great. Thanks.

Does the original stem go into the extender, which goes into the headtube? Cool! I hope both of these options work out as I'd like to ride the Superbe on a regular basis. It was made to be an everyday bicycle so I would like to use it that way. The AG shifts nicely. I'm thinking of taking off the Cyclo 3 speed since it doesn't work very well anyway. I'd likely find a 20 or 21t sprocket to fit onto the driver (hopefully I can do that with a '50 hub).

jackbombay that five-speed Raleigh is awesome. I am in the middle of adjusting a four-speed hub that has a little play when installed. Salubrious mentioned once that four-speeds shouldn't have play at the rim, so I'm going to adjust the left-side cone to make that happen.

I think up till 51' they had a threaded driver so it will be easiest to update to the splined driver from 52' onward, I know the splined driver from newer hubs fits in older 3 speed hubs, my hunch is that the 4 speed can use a newer splined driver from a 52"+ 3 speed then you will have a much larger selections of gears.


Thanks!

Sorry if I'm putting this question in the wrong place (not sure how to start a new thread) Long time lurker but seldom post here) Can the AW cones be adjusted while the wheel is on the bike?. The pedals rotate when the bike is pushed. The chain has plenty of slack. If this question should be elsewhere, please advise. Thank you
James

The answer is yes.
But you really need a pair of these little cone spanners to fit it there....
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ee204897fd.jpg
Hopefully you can pull the wheel back and tighten the chain was well.
If your pedals are spinning its a bit too tight.

Hi James

For cone wrenches I use Park Tool ones shown here: https://www.parktool.com/product/dou...e-wrench-dcw-2

They're inexpensive and freely available, and make working on these old three-speeds so much easier. Buy a 16-15mm combo and a 15-13mm combo. Having two will make adjustments and locking up a breeze. There are also larger single size cone wrenches available.

Good advice.
I like your avatar..
I was the Art Director on the new Star Trek Discovery series....

Thanks guys.Your help is much appreciated. In order to access the left side cone, it looks as if the wheel nuts have to be loosened first and then the lock nut loosened. Is that correct?. I probably should check the right hand cone first to ensure it is backed off approximately 1/2 turn from finger tight (as for the instructions that I have found)
James.

I wouldn't ride over this type of rock on a bet. Things can go wrong in a Heartbeat, especially at 15 mph.
But good to know you can do it. ;)

Lava rock i so abrasive that it locks together against itself pretty well IMO, the big footprint of the 41c tires really helps spread weight out too though I would not do this on a bike with 25c tires!

That is correct. I would adjust the non drive (Left) side.
Just back off 1/4-1/2 turn and see if it helps.
Many well meaning "mechanics" tighten these hubs up and as a result, they don't work properly and
can actually damage the gears inside.
Remember

"A little play
can save
the day"
Removing the back wheel is a good chance to give the hub a good clean.
and to clean/replace the chain as well.

I like the little Sturmey Archer cone wrenches too. Most of the cone wrenches out there are too thick for SA hubs and you end up having to grind them thinner. I always do the cone adjustment with the wheel mounted on the bike. More accurate that way. Two of those little wrenches make the job easy.

With this Sprite 5 speed I just built up the 2nd and 4th gears have a tiny bit of "grind" to them, I have another S5 that has the same feeling in 1st. Grind maybe isn't the best word, "notchy" you can feel each gear tooth engaging and disengaging kind of thing, a dull sort of high frequency buzz in the drivetrain, it goes away completely in 3rd as its direct drive. When I had the hub apart to clean and lube it nothing appeared to be worn, and there is *plenty* of oil in the hub currently. Any ideas on what it may be? Is it possible to correct this? I built up a Super course with a NOS S5 for a friend and I was just riding it around a bit then got back on this Sprite and the notchy/grinding feeling in the drivetrain definitely stood out more after some pedalling on the bike that is totally smooth in all gears...

Count driver ball ring bearings
 

It's surprising how often bearing are missing from the ball ring assembly that holds the driver steady and no amount of adjustment will fix it. Slacken the non-drive side first. Remove drive side locknut, slide off locking washer, unscrew bearing race (it should be only finger tight). Slide off driver (watch out for clutch spring cap and spring) and count the bearings under the dust cap. There should be 24 - no more no less. Do not grease. The only grease goes on the two outer bearing cages left and right. Put back together as you describe(finger tight and locked as such) and adjust any slack with the non-dive side setup. You should be able to smoothly spin the axle by hand without the bearing grabbing , if you can't back off slightly. When you tightened it up recheck the spin. Tightening usually pulls the cage a fraction which can cause the bearings to grab.

Good points.
What seems like the right amount of play off the bike is
usually too much when attached and spinning.

That can certainly be the case! I really like doing hub adjustments in the bench vice, to feel that "tiny bit of slack" that the Sturmey wants I get the cone and lock nut sort of snug then put the thumb of my left hand on the locknut and hub shell at the same time and wiggle the rim with my right hand so I'm feeling the tiny bit of play in the bearing adjustment with my left thumb, not my right hand.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c5f0506f03.jpg
1950 ? BSA

Are those small Park cone wrenches thin enough to fit?. I have the single Park wrenches (with the blue handles) but they are too thick to fit properly. Thanks

Yes. Just last night I used mine to adjust the cones on my four-speed hub to eliminate play. The wheel was on the bike. The FW has a 16mm cone and a 15mm locknut. These are so incredibly useful I can't recommend them enough for anything Sturmey-Archer. The big handle ones don't fit - buy the narrower combo cone wrenches.

These FW four-speeds are a devil to get adjusted just right. I think I finally have the cable tension and adjustment on my FW correct, and no play at the hub either. Shifting from Bottom gear > Low gear > Normal gear > High gear works okay (Bottom gear is tough - I think the shifter is weak being 65 years old, and I may find a newer four-speed shifter). However, shifting from High gear to Normal and on down through the range takes a little finesse. I find that I have to switch the gear while pedaling forward gently, and slightly let off the pedals ever so little, almost to the point of pedaling back, and it will engage the gear. However, it was not doing that when I had a little play at the hub and the shifter was loosely mounted to the bar via zip-tie. It simply engaged up or down while pedaling forward gently. I'm not sure what has changed, other than the cones being adjusted for no play. The cable adjustment remains as per instructions. It is a commuter / all-rounder bike and so I'm not expecting to take my four-speed on week-long tours in the rolling English countryside like owners did back when, engaging Bottom gear constantly, but still I'd like it to work a little better. Salubrious just wondering if you could chime in since I know you own a few four-speeds. Does the S5 conversion solve this issue?