I finally found a moment to tinker with this thing again and pull the FW for inspection. Just like the AG from the '57 Triumph, everything looks pretty new in here, and without any condensation rust either.
In the mineral spirit soup, along with the chain:
Went to the LBS and found one -
one - new 3-speed replacement cable for Sturmey-Archer in the depths of the drawers, and it was
just long enough to suit. Still have to get another for the '57 Triumph.
I noticed five or six of the Shimano 333 type cables languishing with it in the same drawer. Given the staying power of these Sturmey hubs, those cables will probably languish some more.
This was just before I soldered the brass sleeve onto the end. Worked a treat; I used liquid solder to get it started, then flowed a bit of silver solder into the tail end of the cable right up to the point it bubbled a bit at the other end. It's a strong bond and the adjuster doesn't bind on it. Cable housing is new too.
I took the final product out for a wet, nighttime spin around the block. No more hub engagement issues; the FW works just as good as the one in my '51.
The shifter cleaned up nice and shifts snappy. It's ever so slightly crunchy to the touch of the lever, so I'll probably hit it with some WD40 to get whatever junk is in there out, followed by a nice glob of 00 grease slathered in there.
The beast. No, not the Mustang, the Moulton. Only one has the 4-speed.
It rode well and has that nice, tight "new" feeling after what I've done to it. There's no mistaking the fact that it feels quite strange to ride though; it is not confidence-inspiring, which - strange as it sounds - might be influenced by the rack that doesn't steer with the front wheel, but appears to extend ahead of it when you're in the saddle. Be that as it may, I did enjoy it for the short time I took it out.
I made an exception on this bike and spun the saddle clamp rearwards this time to shorten up the effective top tube. I'm glad I did, as it helped overcome the stretched-out feel as before.
That's not to say the riding position is perfect, as it's still pretty aggressive for what this bike is supposed to be. Even the tilt on the mattress saddle betrays the slightly hunched over, MTB-like riding position, which I've
never been keen on. However, it does suggest that a road bike saddle with a raised cantle plate - in other words, a B.17 - might be a good fit.
Another look at the finished cable. It's in first in the picture. Fourth is
extremely slack, but it seems to like it, so who am I to argue with the great gods of IGH?
-Kurt