clubman 

You'd feel like Slim Pickens riding the warhead at the end of Dr Strangelove.

cudak888 

I think the warhead would have a better ride and be more controllable than this thing.

-Kurt

Ged117 

Calling all cars, calling all cars, does anyone have any surplus dynamo wire cable clips?

Once I get my dynohub laced up, I'll attach the lamps to the bike. That reminds me - I need to find a clamp for the SA rear light too.

mirfi

Hello All,

I have a problem. It's a bike problem. A local used bike non-profit is downsizing and severely pruning it's inventory. They know I am a folding bike guy and asked if I take a look at their folders before they go in the dumpster.

I expected Boardwalks, Citizen, old Italian folders, maybe a Raleigh Twenty, maybe a Brompton. Did not expect this.

Now I have a Raleigh RSW. (and four Dahon Stowaways). I love my Raleigh Twenty, but the RSW is gonna be a project. And am still wondering if I have the drive to restore or just rather re-home.

Anyway, this may be the 'before' picture.

Any advice?


Raleigh RSW

Truck o'folders

clubman 

Longer seat post, shorter bars?

mirfi

Seat posts I am well versed in. Handlebars, no.

Currently trying to raise the height on my Raleigh Twenty, nothing crazy, like two inches.

So, switch handlebars or stem, hmmmm.

Problem 1. Current stem is 22.2mm exactly and fits in the fork steerer tube easily. All my other 22.2mm stamped stems are like 21.6 and they wobble about and are not easily clamped tight.

Problem 2. Then there is the handlebar clamp size. I have 23.8mm. I know I don't have any handlebars in that size in my 'inventory'.

Fun, fun.

arex

Here's a place to start. https://circuitdigest.com/electronic...ircuit-diagram

.

Honusms 

1969 Raleigh Superbe

It’s been four years since I had a vintage project and I have a perfectly lovely 1972 Sports. But when this garage bunny showed up on eBay for a decent price I couldn’t resist!

Aside from the usual storage dings and patina, not much needed to be done to get her on the road. She even had the key in the fork lock! The Schwinn mattress saddle was supplanted by the Brooks B66S. The tacky mountain bike handlebar grips were replaced by Brooks plump leather ones. I installed a 22 tooth cog and new chain. New cables and brake pads, of course. The usual bearings service and grease. I took apart the SA 3 speed hub and it was in great shape and shifts flawlessly. New tires and tubes to go with the glittering chromed rims. Nicelite LED bulbs and a regulator significantly enhanced the lighting.

She’s now my primary errand runner and bike-about-town. A truly regal ride 👑.

BFisher

What a great score, @Honusms. Hope you have many happy miles on it.

Ballenxj

That's a handy looking site.

Ged117 

For anyone whose Sturmey hub gear has slipped despite good indicator cable adjustment, and you've taken the hub apart to inspect and rebuild, ever solve a slipping gear that way? What should I look for?

My S5.1 five speed hub slips in first gear, but not in second, third, fourth, or fifth. I thought it was a cable issue, but it is in proper adjustment on both sides (I run the S5.1 with a regular three-speed 60s trigger on the right side and use a friction shifter on the left side). It is possible that the super-low is just too much for the shifter to hold the spring in the hub in position. I know this hub is known by Sheldon to be unreliable, but other than this matter of first gear, its been fine so far.

I thought there might be a fellow rider with some experience of S5 hubs.

PXL_20221004_205808744.MP

SirMike1983 

The last hub I had with a persistent slip was a 1950s AW that turned out to need new pawl springs. I took it apart and replaced the springs.

nlerner

I would suspect it's a trigger problem or at least that's one thing to troubleshoot. It's a common problem on 4-speed hubs where the trigger spring needs to be really strong to hold that lowest gear, but not usually a problem on 3- or 5-speed hubs that I've heard of.

Ged117 

Thanks Mike and Neal - I suspect, based on some more reading I've done on the S5.1, is that "super low" or first gear was a persistent problem with the original double shifter and also with the trigger shifter. SA had issues with this hub in its various editions.

I'm wondering if I should try one of those modern Sturmey thumb/bar end shifters - it would likely be a lot stronger/hold the cable in tight suspension versus the weak trigger shifter 'indexing'

Maybe I'll try and find one. I'd rather not open up the hub at this point since the bike is my winter commuter, and low (2nd gear) is more than enough for the small hills I encounter on my ride.

gster

british chrome
i am currently back in mexico using a frankenstien computer with no caps.......
i bought a brand new bike here last year for one of the kids for christmas.
a year later the rims are riddled with rust and not just surface rust.
i know the salty air near the ocean does't help but really.....
whatever our friends in england were using 50 plus years ago is far superior

thumpism 

Free from the co-op today. Absolutely no need for this but I might be able to find someone who wants it and would pay for the parts to fix it up. Weathered and neglected but still has the original tires. No date code on the hub that I can find and no time for a closer look during this kitchen job.

oldspokes

Something I see a lot lately here on modern bikes is chrome peeling off too.
I was trying to clean up a set of beach cruiser wheels from the 90's that had some surface rust and pitting, I gave them a shot of chrome cleaner mixed at only 5%. I rinsed it off with a garden hose and the chrome came off in sheets.
The pitting went through the chrome and into the steel below. There was no 'base layer' beneath the chrome.
Years ago it was the norm to plate first with a layer of copper, then the final chrome was done in many layers.
Years ago I had a set of car bumpers that needed to be re-chromed, I opted for one of the many mail order bumper exchange services.
Those bumpers lasted only a couple years before the chrome was pitted and dull.
Years prior I had a local chrome plating shop, (long since closed up by the EPA here), re-chrome both some bumpers and other spare parts for me.
They were expensive, but the work was amazing. I sold that car but the current owner never had to replace any of that chrome. It never pitted, it never wore, and it never peeled.
None of those old school chrome shops remain today, the modern environmental laws put all of them out of business 30 years ago.

With chrome being so bad these days, I think I'd rather just have painted wheels, at least then I can simply strip down the wheel, sand and repaint as needed, but painted wheels and caliper brakes aren't a good option, especially around salt air or any humid area.

I do noticed though that even the older chrome doesn't fare as well these days, I've build several sets of wheels using both clean used and new old stock rims and the chrome seems to wear through on the braking surface far faster now than it did back then for some reason. I grew up riding an old BSA three speed, it had a ton of miles and got used mostly on dirt trails and on wet days, all year long, and the rims never showed any sidewall wear or chrome damage.
45 years later I've had many super clean original rims and that old chrome seems fragile today, even with far less and more careful use.

I salvaged a minty pair of Raleigh wheels from a 1969 ladies bike a few years ago to use on my 1968 Raleigh Sports, a bike I only occasionally use, after maybe 100 miles or so of use, those minty clean original wheels already have the chrome worn through on the sides.
A few have said that the vintage John Bull pads which have likely become harder over the years may be one reason, plus the fact that I'm no longer a 120lb 10 year old kid, and I rarely see a dirt road these days.

I find the same issues with handlebar chrome, I got lucky a few years ago and stumbled on an old bike shop with a bunch of old Raleigh parts still in stock, I bought up several pair of original bars, calipers, rims, and hubs, all for original marked prices or less. The newest hub was dated 1965.
I used those bars on a few of my bikes but even with me storing them indoors, in the attic in the off season, they still rusted, despite being well polished and waxed regularly.
(Some of the bars were marked Raleigh with the Sir Raleigh stamping, a few were marked Sturmey Archer on one end).

I also seem to find more rusty frames these days, even on bikes that appeared to be well kept and stored indoors. I had a 1972 Sports a few years ago that looked to be a really well kept bike, but it turned out to be very rusty inside the tubes. I bought it for the parts either way but the frame was bad enough that I just tossed it on the scrap pile.

thumpism 

I dribbled some lube into the bearings and pivots of this co-op freebie then hung it up.


Hope I can find someone who wants it. Might take it back to the shop whose sticker is on the seat tube and see if they want it but they certainly don't need anyone to give them anything. Maybe one of their wrenches would like it as a project.

cudak888 

Offer it for cost of shipping or local pick up in the Sales forum. It'll get more views than in this thread.

-Kurt

arex

I need opinions on something...

I recently obtained an R20 Shopper (1976, I think), British domestic market, non-folding, fully equipped with front basket, rear parcel tray, lights, a dynamo rear hub, 451 rims, and original tires. It was sold to me by a woman in England who'd had the bike since she was a kid...she and her twin both received the bikes for a birthday. So, yeah, there's a known history behind the bike. It badly needs a full rebuild, simply because of its age...the seller said that it had been serviced in a shop a few times, but nothing in the last twenty years or so. It's grubby and needs things lubed, but I suspect it'll clean up very well.

Here's my question. I originally had a mad plan to put an 8-speed hub on the back with new CR18 rims, along with drop bars and all that stupid stuff, inspired by stuff that Sheldon did with a couple of his R20's, as well as a few other random photos I've found. I've gathered together a lot of the parts already, though I have a couple of servers I need to build first before I tear into the bike. However, since this is an all-original BDM Shopper that's fully equipped, I'm wondering if I should remain faithful to the original bike and restore it, instead of "upgrading" it.

It's not a matter retaining any monetary value by restoring it. That's pretty irrelevant, since I'm building it for myself. It's not just some random junky barn find that I can go crazy with...I know something of its history, and it's got all the interesting bits still with it.

So, in your opinions, should I restore it to (mostly) original, or should I feel free to go crazy with it? Am I obligated to the bike to keep it original, or does that seem kind of crazy?

clubman 

No obligation imo...it was produced in significant numbers

steve21108

Old 1920 Cycling cover illustration.

mirfi

I'd put lube and air in it just to ride it in it's original form. Then you will really appreciate the upgrades. Good Luck, have fun with it!!!

arex

I have one of each, a thumbie on a Twenty, and a barend on a dropbar Sports. They're very well-made. They're the same shifter, just different mounts.

oldspokes

I've had a few S5 hubs that needed to come apart but most were far from being ridable in any sense of the word when I got them.
They were dry, rusted, and had been sitting outdoors for ages.

The most common issue is with the left side shifter or cable adjustment.
On these hubs, the left cable has two positions, relaxed, or pulled tight. There is no in between adjustment.
The right side is the same as on an AW hub. In effect, the left side shifter is a range splitter, shifting only the pinion gear.
The left side cable only affects the high and low gear on the right side of the hub.
If using double three speed triggers, its common to end up with a neutral or slip if the full range of the trigger is used.
If the internal spring on the pinion is gunked up or bad, I could also see it getting stuck between shift positions creating a neutral effect.
However this would show up with the cable loose, not in the true low range with the cable pulled tight on both sides.