Where does one acquire some rims?

I live in Cambodia and there is a plethora of 26 1 3/8 bikes, tires, tubes, and rims available here. Tires for $3 or $4, tubes for $1.50, rims for $8 or $9. A step thru 26" x 1 3/8 bike is about $40 for a Single or three speed and $50 for a six or seven speed. Add $5 for a Dyno hub on the front.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...287c5d5984.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...167a862aab.jpg

Looks like a factory-chromed Sports. Too bad about the ripped Brooks and the price-for-condition. Looks like the ad's been up for months.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...20414961341389

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...yw&oe=633C89E6

$150 for an early reversed and inverted Sports in OH.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...20388062394266

https://scontent.fric1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...UA&oe=633C54BE

Here's a quaint oldie marked down in MA.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...10142387456807

https://scontent.fric1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...1Q&oe=633C7DE5

I've never seen the left side shift--is it like an overdrive in a car?--

On the S5, it's both an overdrive and an underdrive: when engaged, it simply increases the gear ratio difference from the direct drive (middle gear) in both directions, lower on the low gear, higher on the high gear.

Some overpriced oldies in RI.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...64543774847121

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...jA&oe=633ECD76

Looks like a 23" ladies' for $15 in CT.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...88190595266383

https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...rA&oe=633FB99B

Four nice but overpriced ones in VA.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...14612045378794

https://scontent.fric1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...hg&oe=633F4F05

Triumph S5 Commuter
 

This one is just about complete, at least for the moment. It isn't as nice as a 1950s Raleigh, but it'll do the job. I have about a five mile commute to work along various multi use pathways that feed into the Rideau Canal path that any visitors to Ottawa would be familiar with. It is a pleasant ride and the terrain is perfect for this bike. The rack was a nice bonus and my backpack pannier with my laptop and lunch fit on one side and regular pannier for bits and bobs fit on the other nicely. Grips are classic Hunt-Wilde, still made in the States and found in a Montreal bike shop that caters to C&V tastes. Bottom bracket was in good shape and I installed fresh bearings and grease, along with cotters from Mike using his cotter press to get them in. The right side grip is an old cracked one I had in the junk bin - good to go for testing the reach before I install a new one and bar tape. Overall I'm pleased with this thing, it delivers a comfortable ride, not quite to the level of comfort and handling provided back when by my old 1950 Raleigh Superbe with Brooks B66, but close enough. The B17 is from the parts bin, it has come along for the ride on a few different builds now. Pedals are MKS Monarch and will be suitable for winter. KoolStop pads work great on the steel wheels. If I like this bike enough, maybe I'll build a 650b wheelset next year for it using my stash of '50s Sturmey Archer parts. Then again, I might find a '54 Sports for such an expensive upgrade project...but that would defeat the purpose of a cheap commuter! I digress.

PS - I need to find a chainguard now. Anyone have a surplus chainguard?

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9994f91e_b.jpgPXL_20221004_205659472

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bb28ff17_b.jpgPXL_20221004_205717131

Handlebar is French and from the '50s. It came with a nice alloy stem - but it was too short for this application. Used a Nitto stem instead.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...eda913c0_b.jpgPXL_20221004_205838907

Chain is like a KMC rust-buster or something, it was on sale. Ugly, but it won't survive the winter anyway.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...dce0d041_b.jpgPXL_20221004_210055331.MP

Ged117 I've got a chrome Raleigh hockey stick, might suit?
Pm?

This is my first bike with an S5, and I am starting to get used to this hub - when engaged, it really helps on the hills and just the opposite when you want to get things rattling a bit and pick up some speed.

Today was my first longer ride - the hub slips in low (not engaged - when the left side is engaged, no slipping). I assume this means I need to adjust the indicator on the right side.

I have an S5 (and an AW alloy shell to put it in!) but haven't put it into service on anything yet. I've ridden an AW for years, and I don't use the Sturmey trigger; just don't like it. Normal downtube (retro)friction shifter, and I just mark 2nd gear with Sharpie marks on the lever and clamp housing. Setup is just like Sturmey says: put the shifter in 2nd gear position, and adjust the indicator so that the half-flat on it just meets the end of the axle (presuming that you have the correct indicator (length) for the axle length you've got. I always operate the thing a few times fore and aft, put it back in 2nd position, and make sure, from either direction, that the flat is ending up right at the end of the axle.

My S5 is one of the Mark 2 or 5.2 ones, with a bellcrank on the left side that pushes a rod in, rather than an indicator with chain into the axle, that pulls it out.

Mine is a 1980 marked S5.1 and the bike came to me with a left-side trigger, which when oiled operated the left side indicator chain very poorly. I switched it out with a friction shifter, as Sheldon recommends, and now there are no issues, at least for the left side. Just including here in case anyone needs to set their S5 up in the future.

I also like the flat alloy Northroads. What brand, maybe SR?

I'm not sure - I found them on French eBay, attached to a very nice 1950s aluminum stem. I think I searched 'peugeot handlebar', because I was looking for a similar moustache type flat bar you'd see on 650b touring or city bikes. The same guy was selling a pair of 700c 1960s Peugeot fenders with integrated rack that I'm going to install on my Sun Wasp w/Sturmey FW over the winter.

Plenty of cool stuff on French eBay, seem to be many more small sellers. UK eBay is like the intl version - high prices for everything.

It's getting cooler, the days are shorter and it is the time of year when I try to figure out what bikes will stored and where. The 1972 Raleigh Sports (23" frame) will be stored in my basement work area for the winter. We have had a metal heron sculpture by the front of our home for a few years so I took a couple of shots of it with the bike.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a248eae450.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...802d55d18a.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1a00494041.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...11d8d74068.jpg

I also have a couple of possible chainguards for your bike.
Black and blue....

Interesting that there is no text in the listing. The descriptions of the bikes are a photo of a printed page. Would this be to prevent a search from finding the listing? Would this be sinister or simply try to ensure security? Just seems odd.

I should receive this in a day or two . Originally planned on putting drop bars and a rear derailleur on it with 451 wheels, but I'm wondering if I should strive to leave it original.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bb2062adbc.jpg

Reminds me of the "path racer" aka poor kid's race bike I set up when I was a kid. Old Raleigh 3 speed sans fenders, and inverted North Road handlebars. Road the hell out of that thing until I got my motorcycle permit, then it became a cast-off.
It would be fun to build another if I came across a worthy 3 speed.

Getting in a few more rides before the season here ends - 1958 Raleigh Sports.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.co...011_174754.jpg

Here's a freebie that was in the carton the Shopper was shipped in:
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ca3b715579.jpg
I'm still carefully unpacking everything. I wiped down the rear dynohub, but I'm not seeing a date code, just the S-A logo and patent numbers.

I recently picked up another Royal Enfield 'Lightweight Sports', this one apparently also pre-war but using conventional brakes rather than the rod brakes of my other RE. The lugs are very simple. It employs a quadrant shifter. The rear hub is an AW with a patent number but no date, does not say 'THREE SPEED' on it and has black hardware on either end, so I figure 1938 or 1939. I've not identified the front hub. The spokes were shot, cranks bent, missing front fender, no seat or seat post and the fork damaged (the steering tube separated from the fork crown; a frame builder is looking at it...). Probably I got taken for $30.00...

The paint is surprisingly good. It appears that it can operate with 650b wheels. So I'm thinking of setting it up with Velocity Atlas rims. The rear hub needed a new spring, low gear pawls, a pawl spring and a two bearing races, the big one and a small one. Now it seems to work really well. The front hub seems to need new bearings. I've got a crazy idea of using this bike for a vintage class racer on the Tour Divide race perhaps in 2024. I could set a record for the oldest bike own the Divide... which seems like a really stupid idea! Thoughts?

I put a set of Velocity Atlas 650B rims, on the sturmey archer hubs, on a '56 Raleigh Sports. The frame will fit 42mm Rene Heres tires, but I couldn't get the stock front fender to fit after that. (it actually was a brake clearance problem, because I used Tektro 950a brakes for reach issues). I think if I had used the 38mm tire's I could have still used the stock fenders. Velocity Atlas were about the only "current" rim I could find with a 40 hole drilling, and they are rated for "clydesdale use". I like this set up very much, it was a very noticable difference coming from the stock rims with new kenda tires. The fender issue was solved with some Velo Orange ribbed fenders. Since the fenders were/usually are pretty rough, this made for a good looking and stockish appearing set up.

On my bike with the 48 front chainring, and a 24 tooth rear (the largest I could find commonly available), it's still a 39" low gear. I would want lower, and a lot more, gears for a tour divide race. That's just my humble opinion, I'm pretty pain adverse.

I got around that by mounting the fender tab ahead of the fork crown instead of behind it. Gave the necessary clearance to squeeze in the 800A:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c814dd90ff.jpg

The ability to do this may differ depending on your Sports. This is an '80 and there's differences in the fender stampings with pre-'77 models and the fork crown is noticeably wider than earlier models.

Just by eyeballing the '80 fenders and fork crown suggests that it may require some massaging to do this on an earlier example with the narrower fork crown.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fd4c88b92a.jpg


-Kurt

Your bicycles are always immaculate - like you just took delivery of that '58 Sports. I always worried with my '50 Raleigh Superbe that it was going to get banged up somehow, or the nice paint scratched. That's how I knew I shouldn't have the nicely original examples, at least not yet. I'm enjoying my Bitsathis, and Bitsathat '64 Triumph Sports.

Still, how I'd like to make a special order to Raleigh like its 1952...one Raleigh Record Ace or a 24.5" Lenton in polychromatic green please, with an FM or FC hub, and a '52 Superbe in black for the commute.

I appreciate the kind words. I enjoy the cable brake "sports" light roadster type bikes the most, whether it's a Raleigh Sports or a Schwinn New World, or similar. It's the kind of bike I keep coming back to because it just seems to fit the way that I ride. I just enjoy them the most, plain and common as they are. I've had some nice bikes over the years, but the light roadster style of bike seems the best balance of features. I recently had a very kind neighbor who gifted me a 1968 Raleigh Sports tall frame. He saw me fixing an old Raleigh Sprite in front of my garage one day and that reminded him of his bike. It's nice being able to talk to people who enjoy old bikes and have stories about how they used them "back in the day".

And some of my favorite bikes are pieced-together projects. I have a 1950 Schwinn Superior three speed with a wheelset I built; it rides wonderfully and is a really unique green color. I am currently rebuilding a couple of pre-war and WW2 era Schwinn three speeds that were rescues where I bought bicycle cores and built up period parts on the cores. Rescues like that where you save an old bike are some of the most rewarding when you're done.

There is certainly something just right about the ride and unending purposefulness of these bicycles. The Triumph Sports with five-speed I picked up was encrusted with rust and grime, the hub barely turned, and from a few feet away the machine appeared ready for recycle. Now it takes me to work each day, and with a simple LED update the lamps are useful on dark paths. As fun as it was to get the '64 Sports back into the ring, nothing compares to that first morning test ride along the river of the 1950 Superbe after 30 years forgotten in a shed. It was my first major "reactivation" of an old bike, and the ride was pure magic!