I use the same oil as I do on other bikes, the difference is that I might only lube the chain twice a year.

Thanks for that. I always wondered if the Torrington Company was from Torrington, Connecticut. And the answer is "yes".

i just saw that .

I was hoping for a response here too. It would be nice to know if there was a good way to deal with stripped BB threads. I can't get enough information from the pictures either. A mechanical drawing would be nice.

Not cheap, but it looks stunning. Might be hard to find another one this nice, if as advertised.

1960 hercules mens 3 speed crusier like new

1960 hercules mens 3 speed crusier like new - $350 (chester)

http://images.craigslist.org/00k0k_i...De_600x450.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/00c0c_5...q6_600x450.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/00A0A_9...pl_600x450.jpg

Mint stored indoors for over 50 years

Looks like the one I had excepting for the Chroming- mine had matching painted fenders and chain guard. The only thing not to like is the absence of the pulley/ fulcrum set up. There is a full cable run from the shifter to the stop on the chainstay! Mine was a later year than this and was AMF branded. If this also AMF branded, it would date post Raleigh consolidation. Either way, a stunning find!

I think it's a Chinese bike but can't tell.

I would consider the price reasonable considering the condition and the accessories included.

Yes it has condition going for it but no stories to tell. Wasted bicycle life.

Only good end to this would be for someone to buy it and Actualy RIDE it.

my opinion of course.

Apparently they are standard ISO thread so it won't take care of stripped threads. Mavic made a threadless BB that required you to chamfer the edges of the shell. Apparently the VO version works just fine too. Whether they are worth the investment for a Grand Prix is another question.

Edit, my bad...they have "push fit" models, whatever that entails. As you say, not enough details.

Torrington company made lots of bars through the years. They appear with the script "Torrington" at the bar end or a "T" stamp that is sometimes inside a circle. They also were renowned for their pedals- #8s and #10s being pretty common. The deluxe teardrop pedal models are much less common and highly prized today. Torrington's spokes also were the gold standard in the US for quite awhile. My brother worked at Torrington in the late 1980s, and by then they were making other things. They went out of business a few years ago.

Ya, I have a total of 5 bucks into the frame right now so it's just an idea. I built wheels for it already but I can move those to something else... I emailed dutch bike bits for more information so I'll see what they have to say about it. If this one doesn't work I'll probably just get a YST threadless BB somewhere and put a square taper crank on it.

Another One Bites the Dust...
I thought I could get another year or two out of this saddle with a repair I did last year.
I had it on an old Eatons Glider that I took out today and it completely made like a banana.

that's one fancy looking bike there ...

Re-leather it?

It is a shame to see perfectly good Brooks seat frames go to waste, but I don't think the value of a rebuilt seat would cover the expense of making new leather replacements.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Gp_KhuBqL...0/IMG_4079.JPG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8E0ufAtMVM...0/IMG_4081.JPG

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7TM6udMI1e...0/IMG_4082.JPG

It's pouring down rain here and has been a few days, and is expected to continue raining hard (think flooding of local streams & standing water) for the next few days. So you're wondering, "What does that have to do with vintage 3-speeds?".

Steel rims. That's what.

My newest step through Raleigh Sports is all original and I'll likely keep the steel rims. I want to go out, where it's safe, and see just how much stopping power I have and how long it takes to stop. I have Cane Creek "Grey Matter" pads on the front - they are very soft and meant for steel rims and don't squeal. I have Kool Stop Continental on the back (I prefer the Grey Matters, but used what I had).

I rode a 1976 Le Tour back and forth to school all through junior high - in Oregon where it is known to rain. It had steel rims and I never came close to death.

I will attempt to photojournal this adventure and report back. Yesterday I rode my little urbanized Trek mountain bike through, what I thought was a 2" puddle, only to find that it was a 5" puddle. My feet got wet. I won't go through anything that deep, but I will wear rain gear.

Looking forward to the report! If anything, today would be a good day for the "how well does an AW hub work after being submerged in water" test. ;)

I got a set of the Fibrax Raincheater pads, which are designed for steel rims. It wasn't easy, I ordered them direct from the UK. There is a US source for them, but the cost for two sets plus shipping from the UK was about the same as ONE set plus shipping from the US! Now to test them...

@adventurepdx - definitely report back on them. Fanno Creek is behind the house and the trail is completely a lake with the ability to ride in a rubber raft on it!

I'll try to post back later today.

Isn't the Fanno Creek Trail pretty notorious for flooding? It's been awhile since I've been out on it.

I agree. I think the rebuild cost would be too much.

@adventurepdx - yes. There are also smaller creeks which drain into it which add to the issues.

Heck, It really isn't that hard to build something up if you can find leather that is thick enough. I rebuilt a seat with almost no idea of what I was doing and it turned out fairly well on the first try! The biggest problem I ran into was that I made the new leather a little too long- The old leather that I used as a template was stretched and the new leather was more supple and stretched some after installation. With the leather and rivets it was about $25.00, mostly spent on the rivets and the tools that went with them.

There are several threads on this site including mine that talk about rebuilding Brooks saddles. The expert dude on this site is rhm. I think he's got several threads on the subject. He does really good work BTW...

Maybe I'll give it a go...

@thumpism, $350 is not a bad price for that bike if the mechanical condition matches the aesthetic condition.
@BigChief, I disagree. I have one of @rhm's recovered saddles, and I like it a lot.

Well,

If all goes as planned and the deal is firm but I don't have the bike yet..

I will be adding a Raleigh 3 speed to my stable again!

Looks to be a 1973 and in great shape with accessories to boot

Sellers pic. http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=492217 A 21" frame, we shall see. I was taller last time I rode one...

Happy !

Starting to froth. Can't get the bike till later this week but already sealed the deal with the owner.

Two more shots

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=492218Looks to be in great shape, saddle and bag.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=492219 Some bits in the bag.

I can send you a piece of leather and some rivets if you want. Shaping a wide saddle like a B.72 is a bit tricky, I find. But... well, that won't be my problem, right?