That's encouraging, because, for the very first time, I put a freewheel with a 22T low sprocket on one of my racing bikes (Moser), and am about to see how I handle fifty gear inches. Did you buy the Lenton with that low rear sprocket?

Haven't Been Here In Awhile!
 

Recent rides with my `49 Raleigh Clubman...

https://i.imgur.com/X7dnaO2.png
Capital View Café

https://i.imgur.com/hqPo81Z.png
On the Ford Bridge over the Mississippi

https://i.imgur.com/VzwofYJ.png
Honey, I'm home!
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$50 Brooks-y ladies' Sports in CT.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...02000539991651

https://scontent.fric1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...Ww&oe=64AA4E4E

It came with the stock 18-tooth rear. It has the stock 48-tooth front bolt-on type chainring. I put the 22 on when I rebuilt the bike. I like the 22 tooth cogs enough that I don't even bother with the 18s anymore. I'm also not pushing hard downhill, so I want two climber type gears and use the high gear for flats and downhill. If you're someone who feels the need to push hard downhill to max out your speed, you'll probably spin-out on the 22 tooth. I use the downhill to somewhat recover from climbing the hills we have around here.

Yes, I have found no need to pedal down-hill on my Rudge. I just let gravity (and levity) do its thing). Not sure how many teeth I have on my sprocket, but it must be the standard AW thing for U.S. markets.

Nice to see this one getting some action. It just popped up in my Facebook Marketplace feed. It's still for sale?

No! I forgot about that ad. I've never even had a nibble on that. No, our financial crisis is over, and I am gainfully employed again. I'm at work now, in fact, and FB is blocked on our server, so I'll have to try to remember to take that down when I get home. Thanks for the heads-up!
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Oh man, glad to hear you don't have to sell this one. It's a beaut.

The clamp on water cage is nothing special. I had a bag of the flat straps from an old bike shop and carefully bent them to match a generic EVO alloy cage. It did work well over the years.

Fourth of July week - riding some American-made three speeds this week. 1950 Schwinn Superior out for a ride:


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1786837e8d.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...082fa5a674.jpg

Just popping in... nice to see this thread still has some legs.

Hope everyone is well.

Thanks for stopping in! As you can see, the lights are on and plenty of us are home.

Sixty-Fiver you (with this thread) launched me into a five year C&V adventure - thank you for that. After reading through the first few hundred pages of this thread several years ago, found my first classic bike - a 1950 Raleigh Superbe (now owned by another member here), and my wife took up riding a '56 Sports:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a14012d9_h.jpgIMG-20200519-WA0002

Then another old three-speed showed up (a 1960s Triumph):
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2243a299_h.jpgPXL_20230112_131500857

My keeper is a '51 Sun Wasp Massed Start with a Sturmey FM in the rear (courtesy of clubman) and a '46 GH6 up front powering modern B&M lamps. I was just out on it last night - tons of fun.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e9f67db4da.png

And steel wheels.

This has been posted already, but is now down to $80. Somebody get it.

Facebook MN Tourist

Raleigh DL-1 Tourist three-speed bicycle $80 Hopkins, MN

This 1972 Raleigh DL-1 Tourist is complete with a Brooks leather saddle and the original frame pump. 23” frame, 28” tires

https://scontent-ord5-1.xx.fbcdn.net...nw&oe=64AC2E69

Nice-looking Triumph. Wasn't the Wasp Sun's top-of-the-line racer?

Thanks - I think there might've been one more above it. In any case, its DB531 tubing, and the frame and fork weigh just under 7 pounds. With the Sturmey hubs + new 32/40 Kinlin rim wheel build, it delivers a really nice ride. I'm waiting for the Continental GP5000 tires to wear out (they're great), but I want something a little more visually C&V - maybe Rene Herse if they make a 32mm tire, that's the max that will fit with fenders.

Nothing like listening to the FM tick along during a night ride while the 77 year old dynohub powers modern LED lamps.

4-speeds have a nice sound to them...

FWIW department: I've seen a few Continentals separate between the sidewall and the bead. This happened to me on the Lake Pepin 3-speed Tour just last May; the inner tube forced its way through the opening and started rubbing on the frame. I realized what was happening but literally couldn't stop fast enough to possibly prevent it so the inner tube popped. I've seen this happen to other riders- one was on the Tour Divide; he was in the middle of nowhere north of Elkford in BC and desperately trying to sew the sidewall back together to get the liquid sealant to seal it off (it was a tubeless tire). Didn't work- he got a few miles more but the separation continued around the tire. He was able to flag someone down and get a ride to Fernie, get a new tire, then got a ride back up north. This cost him a day in the race. I'm swearing them off.

Also FWIW dept.: Alloy FMs have a disconcerting way of forcing internal bits through the hub body- usually near the spoke flange. I also experienced this first hand on my Claud Butler and found out I was not the only one from Mark Stonich of bikesmithdesign.com who has a lot of experience with SA hubs. He gifted me with a replacement alloy shell but admonished me to never actually use it with an FM.

Might be worth it just for the Brooks saddle and the pump.

Yes- finding a B-72 in good shape is a challenge. I've not seen one that cheap so its a deal.

Exactly.

I've had a great experience so far with the GP5000 tires, I have a set on the Wasp and a set of the gum wall GP5000s on my Raleigh Competition, that said I had a poor experience with their more commuter oriented tires. I'll keep an eye on them.

uklightweights and cyclinguk forums have a bunch of members that wrote extensive posts on SA hubs, and the alloy FM in particular, so I'm aware of that problem. The one I have was rebuilt by Hilary Stone, so perhaps he made improvements, hard to know. I'm not going to subject it to heavy duty use, given its age and rarity, and my light load weekend tours are in pleasant rolling countryside. I have an AW I rebuilt on the Triumph and I am happy to treat that one to the daily grind, given how many replacements parts exist and the AW's toughness. At some point I realized that 72 year old rare hubs aren't your average Shimano SIS derailleur so I treat it accordingly. That reminds me it needs a drop or two of oil.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4a7bcae838.jpg

Back then, many builders had more than one top model, such as Armstrong, with their Moth, Peerless and Continental models.
I didn't know Kinlin did 40H. I think British racers of the late-40's and early 50's are even more impressive with an FW than with the period Cyclo. Are you saying you are searching for 32mm gumwall tires? I can't think of any off the top of my head, but Hutchinson is making a nice 25mm, if your rims are 700c.

Another ride last night, this time on a 1941 Schwinn New World. The last two evenings have been like riding in Virginia again - plenty of heat and humidity. I don't mind it, to be honest. We've had so much rotten weather this summer (chilly and rainy for awhile, then wildfire smoke) that hot and humid doesn't seem so awful.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...03091fe8c1.jpg

The $10 Ladies Sports arrived. The hub is marked 64 but the down tube and seat tube decals place it in 65.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fea20e775.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3f4045525.jpeg

If you noticed the unusual pulley placement on the down tube, here’s a clue - and it actually works! (after a WD40 soak) I wonder if it was swapped in from a Shopper or similar model by a “helpful” shopkeeper BITD? It’ll probably get replaced with a proper trigger eventually if not sooner.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ee4b50309.jpeg

I’m glad it has standard brakes. I had a 66 with the soldered cable ends. Petrified John Bull pads, and the rear shoes have a section that bends out 90 degrees at the forward end of the shoe that I haven’t seen before.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f679f90ae.jpeg

I don’t recognize these pedals - one dust cap is missing and I haven’t noticed an obvious brand yet. Any insights?
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c7e6e6917.jpeg

The NDS crank has about 5 degrees of free play. I have some fresh cotter pins, and I hope the axle isn’t damaged.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3f59efa51.jpeg

I still intend to keep this as a guest bike. And if you’ve been wondering what to do with that blue chain guard that’s been rattling around your bins, hook me up!

My 1964 Armstrong has brake shoe holders like that. With how much play there is in the calipers, the tabs really help the brake pads to hold their position and do their job, rather than to keep going through the seat stays and eventually rub the tires. :)

Driving home in the pre-rain today I spotted an interesting van at a local junk shop and after looking at it I saw this old Triumph leaning against the wall. It's a 26" wheel with rod brakes and an AW hub dated 48 3. Very faded price tag looked like $55 and this bike is much too rusty to be worth much of anything, but when has that stopped us? I'm not interested in this thing but can pursue it if someone else is.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ee92383570.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f9cbd851b8.jpg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...787e8658e5.jpg

Bent fork, amongst everything else. The only bright future it'll have is if Tom Cruise rides it off a cliff.

I know I often take on the worst of the worse, but someone would have to pay me $55 to haul that AW hub and mattress saddle away.

-Kurt

You're one of the main reasons I joined bike forums. Thanks man!

I see a fair number of these over here in Schwinn Land. I've never seen one look this good, though. Congrats on such a great collection.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d3ec6f4c3.jpeg
The cotter came out with minimal fuss. I dosed it with with penetrating oil and got it moving with a c-clamp. A few judicious whacks with a 5-pound hammer and it obliged. Looks like the cotter was intentionally filed, I can’t imagine why but the spindle looks sound. So I will move on to an overhaul while I consider whether I want to upgrade brakes, rims, etc.