Originally Posted by
sykerocker
On the 3-speed front, life just got interesting. Yesterday, I was notified that I won the following eBay auction:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250904055807...84.m1497.l2648
Yep, I Cyclo Benelux (claimed) 2-speed derailleur with lever, obviously originally made up for the S-A multi-cog conversion freewheel. I think I may have just found the answer to my complaints about my Ranger being too high geared for my riding area. I've had a Cyclo 3-speed freewheel in my parts box for about three years now, just waiting for something like this to happen. 40 years ago, I had my (then new) Raleigh Sports rigged up with one of these setups utilizing a Huret Allvit derailleur and lever. Seem to remember it worked quite well climbing the hill up Peach Street in Erie so I could get to work. Later transferred the setup to the Twenty that replaced the Sports.
What's nice is that in the past week, I've gained 131 miles experience with the Cyclo Benelux on my recently restored Lenton Grand Prix (I'd never held one of these derailleurs until I started on this bike - they weren't in use by my bike shop days) and find that it's a nice shifting unit - as long as you don't try shifting on a climb while stomping on the pedals. Action on these old derailleurs is definitely predicated on a light pedal pressure while in action, and planning one's downshift well before the climb.
Now, if memory is still good: I seem to remember getting around not having a longer S-A axle back then by taking a hacksaw to a S-A right side nut and thinning it down the thickness of the derailleur hanger. I'm tentatively planning the same action here, although the invention of the Dremel tool should make things a lot more delicate and neater. I seem to remember that, at one time, S-A offered a longer axle for conversions of this type but it's been almost 40 years since I last tore down an AW hub, and quite frankly it's the one memory that hasn't transferred through time.
Any thoughts from anyone else who's done one of these since my last effort would be appreciated.
Yes, I've done that. I used exactly that derailleur on an AW hub with two cogs on it (20 and 23 is a nice setup). I did not need to do anything to the axle or washers, but it would really depend on the frame. If the dropouts are thick to begin with, you may have trouble. If the frame is spaced for a wider hub, you may need to switch to a 6 1/4" axle (which is easy).
What bike is going to get this treatment? Your Lenton Grand Prix is actually an excellent candidate for this, with the braze on shifter and cable stops. You could get a twelve evenly spaced gears ranging from 40 to 88 inches.