1954 English 3-speed [Archive] - Women's Cycling Discussion Forums

DebW

11-26-2006, 08:45 AM

I'm working on restoring a 1954 Raleigh 3-speed. I just managed to removed the crank, chain, chainguard, and rear fender. I've also disassembled and reassembled the front dynamo-hub. Below are my observations. If anyone is interested, I could provide some pictures.

Chainguard: Might be nice for commuters, but a pain in the a$$ for a mechanic. This one fully encloses the chain, with a pop-off piece over the crank and an oil port. Bolts to the chainstay just behind the bottom bracket and near the dropout. Had to pry the rear sections apart to work the chainguard over the stays and off the frame.

Brake cables: I've never seen anything like this, but both ends of the cables have fixed lugs. The brake just has a slot for the lug to fit into - no fixing bolt, no way to adjust cable length other than the barrel adjuster. The cables must have come preset with the correct length wire and housing. There is no way to regrease these cables or change the housing. Sheldon Brown talks about these cables, and had some available not too long ago. I'll probably replace the brakes so I can use standard cables and housing.

Bottom Bracket: It's a little loose, but feels OK. There is an oil port in the BB shell. I'll pull it apart, replace the balls, and repack. The cups will loosen with a large crescent wrench, like a 1975 Raleigh Grand Prix. There is a lock ring on the left side, but not even a flange on the fixed cup side. I've already got a spare set of cotter pins.

Pedals: I haven't yet been able to get them off the crank arms. My 15 mm pedal wrench doesn't fit, but a 15 mm cone wrench does (poor tolerance on one of those tools). The two pedals are different and both in poor condition.

Rear Hub: A nice Sturmey-Archer in reasonable condition. Should be fun to take apart - I haven't played with one of those in 30 years.

Front Hub: Dynamo generator hub. Pulled it apart and saw the magnet - that thing is heavy, and it adds lots of drag. It generates current, but the bulb still won't light. May need a new lamp circuit (I think it converts AC to DC).

Rims and spokes need to be replaced. I haven't decided if I want to stay authentic or go for lighter weight parts.

The old Brooks saddle is stretched and cracked badly. Wouldn't be fun to ride on, as I'd be sitting on the metal frame.

Sturmey-Archer trigger shifter looks OK. I've got a spare cable I've had for 25 years.

mimitabby

11-26-2006, 09:15 AM

Yes, show pictures as you progress, will be fun and educational!

SouthernBelle

11-26-2006, 09:47 AM

Could an old Brooks saddle be recovered???

mimitabby

11-26-2006, 10:01 AM

i doubt it. once the integrity of the leather is gone (think old shoes with holes or old gloves) there isn't much you can do with it.

ClockworkOrange

11-26-2006, 10:16 AM

Hi DebW

It really sounds quite a challenge, be good to see some pics.

Oh yes, came across the following, not sure if it is the same:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y272/Missbe/19543speed.jpg

Sally

DebW

11-26-2006, 11:22 AM

Hi DebW

Oh yes, came across the following, not sure if it is the same:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y272/Missbe/19543speed.jpg

Sally

The 3-speed coaster brake was the S3C hub. We used to see those in the shop in the 70s. I've got an AW hub, without coaster brake.

Further web investication reveals:
The S3C hub came out in 1970. Your poster looks older than that. There were a number of earlier 3-speed coaster brake hubs, such as the TCW in 1952 and the KC in 1922. The AW wide-range 3-speed that I've got came out in 1936. SA even made some fixed gear (non-freewheeling) multi-speed hubs.

Another oddity of my 3-speed: The trigger shifter is labeled "3 or 4 speed". It has a round window to show the gear setting: H, N, L, B

The double-ended cables on my 3-speed were used until 1966.

The full chaincase on my bike was supposedly discontinued for the US market in 1953. Either that date wasn't a firm change-over, or perhaps my bike was sold in England? The tapped hole on the right chain stay to secure the chaincase was continued for several years after the chaincase itself was no longer installed.

The 3-speed cable pulley is a clamp-on. By Sheldon Brown's table, it should have been a braze-on on my gent's frame, clamp-on for a lady's frame of the same year.

margo49

11-26-2006, 11:29 AM

Lovely, lovely, lovely
Please post pictures and tell us stories

DebW

11-27-2006, 11:21 AM

OK, here are some pictures. Unfortunately, I didn't take a pic before I started dismanteling it. Here's its current state (and the state of my basement workbench):

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r222/dkweis/bike-3spd.jpg?t=1164656104

The steel cottered crank, 44 teeth, and pedals and cotter pins:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r222/dkweis/crank.jpg?t=1164656205

The bottom bracket and spindle. You can see the notches for the cotter pins. Sorry for the mat on the floor - it makes the picture harder to decipher. I'll try to redo this one.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r222/dkweis/bbracket.jpg?t=1164656575

The chaincase. Normally the chainstay passes through the wide center opening. That tiny slit at the rear gets it on and off the chainstay. Chaincase attaches to the frame in 2 places. The round panel over the chainring pops off. The oblong opening in the round panel probably had a sliding cover at one time.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r222/dkweis/chaincase.jpg?t=1164656754

The front brake and fork. The center wire is from the generator hub. Note that the brake has no fixing bolt, just a lugged cable end that fits in the curled end of the caliper. Fork crown is a horizontal piece of pipe.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r222/dkweis/fr_brake.jpg?t=1164657382

The rear brake after removal of caliper and cable from the bike. The two cable ends are part of one cable, and so is the barrel adjuster.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r222/dkweis/rear_brake.jpg?t=1164657612

Last picture is the Brooks saddle. I think it says 72L but it's very hard to read.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r222/dkweis/brooks-back.jpg?t=1164658311

That's all for now. I'll probably get some more photos eventually.

mimitabby

11-27-2006, 12:39 PM

hey did you try putting some leather treatment on that saddle? It looks like the top surface is cracked but maybe not all the way through?

DebW

11-27-2006, 01:55 PM

hey did you try putting some leather treatment on that saddle? It looks like the top surface is cracked but maybe not all the way through?

I haven't done anything to it. It's close to pulling through a few of the back rivets and one or more of the front ones.

Popoki_Nui

11-27-2006, 06:01 PM

NEAT bike! Enjoy the rebuild, especially the SA hub. :D Never been brave enough to tackle one of those, myself....

DebW

11-28-2006, 06:07 AM

The steel rims on this bike are very rusty and the spoke tension rather poor. So it will get rebuilt wheels. Needs 26 x 1 3/8 (590 mm) rims, 40 spoke rear, 32 spoke front. Sheldon Brown, bless his heart, stocks alloy rims in this size with 32, 36, and 40 holes. So I'll be making a pilgrimage to West Newton at some point. Not sure if I want to keep the front dynamo hub as is because it's really heavy and creates drag. I could just remove the magnet (it's like a 3 lb annular rock) or replace it with a non-dynamo hub or maybe look at modern dyanamo hubs.

The BB lock ring came off easily. Not so for the cups. I've sprayed on some Liquid Wrench and will try again later. This project is using lots of Liquid Wrench.

I'm definitely going to follow Popoki_Nui's instructions on rust treating this frame. Portions of the exterior are showing more rust than I'd like.

Popoki_Nui

11-28-2006, 08:49 AM

The steel rims on this bike are very rusty and the spoke tension rather poor. So it will get rebuilt wheels.

Do you have a chroming company near you? Just a thought, but if you wanted to keep the bike close to stock, you could have the rims re-chromed, and rebuild them with new spokes.

The BB lock ring came off easily. No so for the cups. I've sprayed on some Liquid Wrench and will try again later. This project is using lots of Liquid Wrench.

Liquid Wrench is a girl's best friend. Hope you can get the cups out with it. I usually try twice with LW; if that doesn't work I head for the torch. :eek: A little heat on the cups and a tap with a mallet does wonders. :rolleyes:

DebW

11-28-2006, 09:57 AM

Do you have a chroming company near you? Just a thought, but if you wanted to keep the bike close to stock, you could have the rims re-chromed, and rebuild them with new spokes.

I've always considered rims something that will wear out and need to be replaced, so I don't mind losing the originals for something lighter. Though if you ride on steel rims and get them banged up and dented, you can just take a hammer to them and straighten them out again.

Liquid Wrench is a girl's best friend. Hope you can get the cups out with it. I usually try twice with LW; if that doesn't work I head for the torch. :eek: A little heat on the cups and a tap with a mallet does wonders. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the advise. Hopefully I won't need the torch, but we'll see...

I may be asking your advise about dealing with the external rust. You do your own frame repainting, right?

DebW

12-09-2006, 05:01 AM

Here's an update. The 3-speed is down to bare frame except for the bottom bracket, which is quite frozen. Removing the stem required visegrips, as the stem bolt was very munged. Hope I can find a replacement stem bolt. This bike looks like it's never been disassembled for maintenance, but oiled regularly. The headset has cupped bearing surfaces to hold oil, so it was obviously intended for oil, but had some very old grease in there as well.

I've posted more pictures here:
http://s145.photobucket.com/albums/r222/dkweis/?sc=1&addtype=local

New pictures include: the funky vertical springs of the Brooks B72 saddle, a pic of the Sturmey Archer AW hub, more pics of the bottom bracket, the fork after removal, the bare frame with bottom bracket.

My best efforts with liquid wrench and a 12 inch crescent have failed to budge the bottom bracket. See picture below of my "through the frame" wrenching technique, which as the only way to get a good purchase on the narrow wrench flats of the cup. Next I'll be trying the torch, after getting some pointers from Popoki_Nui. Wish me luck.

Popoki_Nui

12-09-2006, 07:36 AM

Is it just me, or do the forks have an unusual bend/rake in them? Any sign the bike was in a front end collision?
Usually the forks keep more-or-less the same rake as the head tube....

DebW

12-09-2006, 12:16 PM

It is an unusual rake. When I first saw it, I thought the same thing, but convinced myself it was made that way. Now that I've got the fork out of the frame, I can see that the steering tube is bent. Thanks for making me take another look at that. Most of the reason the fork looks bent back is because the steering tube is bowed. But the fork blades are slightly out of line also. I did take a short ride on this bike before dismantling it, and it rode straight. Usually you can tell if a fork is bent by the way it rides. Now the question is whether I should try and straighten it or leave it as is.

margo49

12-10-2006, 04:57 AM

DebW

12-10-2006, 09:55 AM

There is a tool specially for that - an old guy in a little Swiss valley fixed mine with it in 1982. Looks like something out of a gynecololgists's consulting room.
[thought : maybe Lise has got one LOL]
It is problematic to do tho' and generally not recommended I thought - metal fatigue and all that. The forks have to equally bent out of shape to start with as I recall (like when you ride straight into something and you endo and the bike forks get bent backwards (ie towards the frame))
Might pay to get advice

That's quite the story, Margo. And quite the imago of the gyno room and the old Swiss guy. Can you elaborate? What happened to your bike to require this service?

Here's a picture showing the bends in the 3-speed fork. Almost a crimp in the steerer 1/4 way up from the bottom. And a definite push-back on the blades too. I'm aware of metal fatigue, but unsure where the fatigue point would be on this fork. It's made of such heavy-gage steel that I doubt I could bend it without an 8 foot lever arm anyway. So probably best to leave it alone or take it to a pro, as you suggest. The stem on this bike is also damaged - difference of 1.5 mm in the diameter 90 degrees apart. The headset locknut had to be tapped off the stem.

margo49

12-11-2006, 05:34 AM

I ran dead-straight into something (can't remember what - probably because I didn't get left with any scars !) .After consultation with Other Messengers (which I was at that time in London) it was decided to leave it as the bend didn't go far enough back to affect the steering/wheel movement.

I rode all thru France for a month, took the train under The Alps to Geneva and then north to the Rhine with the BF of those callow youth-ful days. We stopped in this tiny village with a little river running thru it, on the banks of which was a little run-down shed and a handpainted sigh saying "velo". Inside this real old racer (ex-TdF) had all this old stuff. We chatted in a mixture of French, English and German and told our stories then he noticed the angle of the fork and offered to fix it. Reckoned "pas de probleme" and "ca ne fait rien"

He took out this tool with like a clamp on one end and a kind of ratchet at the other end of which was a bar a bit wider than the distance between the forks. Then he clamped it to the frame and extended the ratchet so the bar was pressing the inside (side facing the fame) of the forks (both). Then he ratcheted it slowly on out thereby pushing the forks outward (ie to their original angle) till I said "when".

This was on a Raleigh Touring 14 (1980) so it was steel.
Worked like a treat and never had any trouble. Tho' I was sweating a bit that there was some invisible fracture and imminent shear-off or something for a few hundred km's. Then I forgot about it.

I see the crimp on the top 1/3 clearly and the actual fork-y part looks suspiciously straight to me (even tho' it is not attached to the bike for perspective). Have you managed to find a picture or specs for the model so you can check the angle?

I'd make a good gynecologist, don't you think?

DebW

12-11-2006, 06:54 AM

This is a 1954 frame, and I suspect that the fork damage could have happened decades ago. On the steerer tube, you can see where the top edge of the lower head race was rubbing the tube and has worn down a 3 cm wide patch of steel. Given the thickness of this tube, I don't think the 1 mm worn depth makes any difference. If it's really been this way for decades, and I believe it was ridden regularly through most of it's life, then it's plenty strong as is and maybe I shouldn't try to straighten it. It's really a matter of how much money I want to put into it and how much I'm really going to use it. The only way this bike might see much use is if I give it to my daughter and her BF who live in the city and commute 2 miles to school. Just to replace the parts that really need to be replaced (rims, pedals, grips, stem) is going to cost ~$120. Getting the fork repaired or replaced would at least double that. I'd be happy to hear opinions of what other people would do with a 1954 three-speed, whether you'd value it more as original as possible or update parts or replace the fork and repaint the frame or just keep it running for minimal $$. I really started this just as a fun project to learn from and keep me busy.

DebW

12-16-2006, 06:25 PM

Finally got the bottom bracket apart. Thanks to some advise from Popoki_Nui, I torched the bb shell today. It took 3 tries with the torch, taking it hotter each time. I got it too hot to touch, but didn't bubble the paint (surprising). After each warming, I'd try wrenching the cup, soak in some liquid wrench, then try wrenching again. On the 3rd try, it still wouldn't budge even when quite hot, then let the liquid wrench soak in for 10 minutes, then it finally came. The cup was quite stiff to turn all the way out. I haven't yet worked on the fixed cup - ran out of time today.

Interestingly, there was a sleeve of metal flashing inside the bb shell blocking the holes to the other tubes. After I removed it, lots of grit came out. There were also a couple pieces of flatish white stuff about 1 cm in size.

Popoki_Nui

12-16-2006, 09:38 PM

Nice job. Given the age of the bike, you may well have a real enamelled frame. That could explain why the paint didn't bubble.

Real enamel is a glass-like substance, baked on the frame in a similar manner to today's powder coating...but MUCH more durable. Modern "enamel paint" was developed as a cheaper, but less durable substitute to real enamelling, and will almost always bubble and burn when you torch it. If your bike has a real enamel finish, it's another reason to keep it and restore it.

Good luck with the fixed cup.

DebW

12-17-2006, 02:32 AM

Nice job. Given the age of the bike, you may well have a real enamelled frame. That could explain why the paint didn't bubble.

Popoki_Nui, you are a wealth of information.

Popoki_Nui

12-17-2006, 04:24 PM

Popoki_Nui, you are a wealth of information.

TY. Just trying to help....

DebW

01-01-2007, 09:15 AM

Today I finally got a chance to take the torch to the fixed cup on the 3-speed. I had 2 more items in my favor this time: bought a fixed wrench made for the 16 mm raised flats on the cup (unfortunately only 7 inches long so not a whole lot of leverage), and realized that I could use my headset press to hold the tool firmly in place. After three torch sessions and soaking in liquid wrench while hot, it finally yielded to DH's arm strength. [I don't feel bad about that because I loosen the other side after he'd failed.] So now I have a bare 3-speed frame and can give it the rust treatment, then begin reassembling. I still have the fun of the 3-speed hub waiting for me. Sturmey Archer oil is in the mail and should arrive in a couple days.

Woohoo! That's a good start to 2007.

donnambr

01-06-2007, 09:54 AM

Thank you for sharing this. I love bikes like these, and while I have no advanced mechanical skills to speak of, it's thrilling to read about your progress. (Yes, I am pretty nerdy...)

DebW

03-11-2007, 06:32 PM

The 3-speed is going back together. The frame has been rust-treated for a month now, so I started putting parts back on. First the bottom bracket. The cups and spindle are slightly pitted, so it's not the smoothest bb in the world, but not too bad. I did have a problem screwing the adjustable cup in far enough and had to force it the last 2 revolutions. Maybe it's never been screwed that far before (was a bit loose when I got it).

I pressed the headset cups back into the headtube, then discovered that the fork didn't align properly with the cups because of how much it's bent. So I did a little cold bending of the steerer tube with a vise, pipe, and mallet. It's now straighter and aligns with the cups well enough to assemble, but binds at one point. Maybe someday I'll want to invest in a new fork for this bike, but for now I'm going to reassemble it and see how it rides. Felt like the frame gained 10 lb when I put the fork back on.

Also reattached the chaincase and did some de-rusting on that. Next task: cotterpins. Will they fit or will I be filing them down? You never know until you try.

BleeckerSt_Girl

03-11-2007, 06:38 PM

That bike and I were born the same year (1954). I hope if I get all bent out of shape someday, I can get you to put ME back together too! :)

mimitabby

03-11-2007, 06:43 PM

looking good Deb!

DebW

03-11-2007, 06:48 PM

That bike and I were born the same year (1954). I hope if I get all bent out of shape someday, I can get you to put ME back together too! :)

It's one year older than me. And I don't think you'd want me to do to you what I did to that fork. Would you like to be clamped in a vise and beaten with a mallet?

KnottedYet

03-11-2007, 06:53 PM

Deb, that bike is just so cool! Thank you for keeping us informed, I love reading this.

You've got a lovely picture of the chainring, are those duck or goose heads decorating it, or just a figment of my computer? Seems a shame to cover that with the chain guard, eh?

There is a guy collecting pictures of chainrings, and having them tattooed on his arm. He might be interested in this one. I'll see if I can find the link.

Edit: here it is. This guy also has the Gazelle chainring that Amici Veloci uses. http://www.blackbirdsf.org/chainwheels/

Trek420

03-11-2007, 07:02 PM

..... I don't think you'd want me to do to you what I did to that fork. Would you like to be clamped in a vise and beaten with a mallet?

Now Deb, this is a family forum.

It's a beautiful bike, and 2 years older than me 8-)

SouthernBelle

03-12-2007, 05:32 AM

It's one year older than me. And I don't think you'd want me to do to you what I did to that fork. Would you like to be clamped in a vise and beaten with a mallet?

Actually, Lisa likes that sort of thing. :p

DebW

03-12-2007, 05:44 AM

You've got a lovely picture of the chainring, are those duck or goose heads decorating it, or just a figment of my computer? Seems a shame to cover that with the chain guard, eh?

I hadn't noticed that, but you're right. Actually, they look more like mergansers or grebes to me since the back of the head has that extension. But maybe they are herons given the long neck and bill. Guess I should be looking at English birds, but I only have North American bird books.

DebW

03-12-2007, 05:50 AM

There is a guy collecting pictures of chainrings, and having them tattooed on his arm. He might be interested in this one. I'll see if I can find the link.

Edit: here it is. This guy also has the Gazelle chainring that Amici Veloci uses. http://www.blackbirdsf.org/chainwheels/

He's already got this one, listed as a 1960s Raleigh under "the remaining chainwheels to choose from:"

mimitabby

03-12-2007, 06:09 AM

Oh, that is a cool crank!!

what a surprise!

SouthernBelle

03-12-2007, 07:36 AM

Went back and looked at the chainring, I love little details like that.

DebW

03-18-2007, 03:02 PM

I printed out several internet pages on disassembling the Sturmey Archer AW 3-speed hub and I've gotten started. Removed the sprocket, spacers, and outer dust cap from the RHS. Removed the lock nut and cone from the LHS. Next step is to unscrew, with a hammer and punch, the ball ring that is screwed very tightly into the hub body and has been there for 53 years. The first attempt was unsuccessful, so liquid wrench is now working it's magic, I hope.

edit: It worked the next try. The hub is apart. ***applause*** Low gears pawls are out. Pawl springs are incredibly thin and delicate. Pawl pins are robust. I'm taking pictures as I go, so I try to post some soon. But now my dinner is ready.

BleeckerSt_Girl

03-18-2007, 04:57 PM

Actually, Lisa likes that sort of thing. :p

:eek: :cool:

SouthernBelle

03-18-2007, 05:12 PM

:eek: :cool:

:D :p

DebW

03-18-2007, 06:22 PM

Here are pictures of the AW hub coming apart. This job was not for the faint of heart, but not really difficult. Just don't want to lose any parts or put them back in the wrong order.

KnottedYet

03-18-2007, 06:27 PM

Cool!!! INNERDS!!!!!

DebW

03-18-2007, 06:45 PM

I'm trying to figure out if all the gunked grease in there was really grease or very old oil. You are not supposed to grease anything but the ball bearings (of which there are 3 sets).

KnottedYet

03-18-2007, 06:54 PM

looks like chocolate syrup. bad chocolate syrup.:eek:

DebW

03-26-2007, 08:41 AM

I went to Harris Cyclery on Saturday for parts. Got a new 32 hole rim for the front wheel, spokes, gear cable and pulley, chain and sprocket (the old ones were probably usable, but why not start fresh?), pedals, handlebar grips, rim tape, and AW indicator spindle. Also sprung for a new Brooks B72L but I may throw the old saddle back on until I'm sure that the project is worth that expense. At this point I'm waiting for a 40 hole rear rim, 4 pawl springs for the rear hub (I could just reuse the old ones but official repair documents say to replace them) and a used stem bolt. Think I'll have to pull the chaincase back off to size and align the chain. I'm thinking I may lace up the wheels without axles in the hubs - the rear hub is just a shell right now with all the innards out of it. In my shop years ago, we had holes drilled in the work bench for bolt-on axles to stick into while lacing wheels. Since I'm reluctant to drill holes in my current workbench, I think I'll leave the axles out until I'm ready to true the new wheels. The front wheels gets built with short spokes and 2x on the dynamo side, long spokes and 3x on the other side. Rear wheel in 4x with 40 spokes.

DebW

03-28-2007, 10:41 AM

I started on the front wheel build last night. Below is a picture of the front wheel with the old rusty steel rim, and then the dynohub after I cut out the spokes. Looks like the front rim is original and the rear a later replacement, based on pictures I found of original Raleigh rims. I laced up the larger dynamo side of the hub and all was well. Then I tried lacing the other side and found out my spokes were too long. I could have laced it 4-cross, but 32-hole hubs do not like to be laced 4-cross. I took in a few old spokes when I bought new, but Elton had to round up by 1-2 mm to match a size he had. Today I found an online spoke calculator with Sturmey Archer hubs, and I need to go 6 mm shorter. So I'll head back to Harris Cyclery Thursday or Friday and swap spokes. The non-dynamo side of this hub is hard to deal with - every pair of spoke holes is linked by a hole large enough to fit the spoke head through (since the dynamo side is so large that spokes can't be inserted through). Makes it hard to hold the spoke head in place when lacing, and sometimes they fall out when you're not looking. Also you can't shift a spoke one hole since the hub allows a pull from only one direction. Since the old rim was right handed and the new one left-handed (or vice versa, anyway they are different) I may have to settle for less-than-optimum valve hole placement.

mimitabby

03-28-2007, 11:31 AM

cool, Deb.
What about that rusty bolt? is that going to get restored too? Or just hidden eventually?

DebW

03-29-2007, 05:41 AM

cool, Deb.
What about that rusty bolt? is that going to get restored too? Or just hidden eventually?

You mean the axle and axle nut in the hub picture? Actually it looks black. Somehow the camera flash changes the color (or reveals things I can't see?). Maybe I should soak the nut in rust remover and see if its color changes.

DebW

04-05-2007, 10:40 AM

The front wheel is done, brand new Sun alloy rim and butted spokes.

KnottedYet

04-05-2007, 07:59 PM

it's beeeeooooootiful!:D

DebW

04-06-2007, 03:15 AM

Yesterday I talked to the builder who is building (and has mostly completed) my new frame. I asked him if he could straighten the 3-speed fork, and he said to bring it in Sunday when I see him. So the 3-speed is going to have a straight and properly aligned fork. :) :)

margo49

04-07-2007, 08:43 AM

I am really glad you can get this job done on the old boy. It has been worrying me a little.
If you can watch it all the better. An experience not to be missed (see my previous post on this thread).

DebW

04-08-2007, 08:17 PM

The 3-speed AW hub is back together. The pictures show the clean and empty hub shell before re-assembly, the innards all together, and the 2 tsp of Sturmey Archer Oil that I poured inside the innards just before inserting the innards into the hub shell. Can't test the mechanism until I get the wheel on the bike, a chain installed, and the cable and trigger. I did remove the chaincase so I can size the chain, and installed the crank arms. Even trued the chainring. It's obvious this bike has been ridden without toe clips/clipless because the chainring is shorter on the right pedal downstroke.

I took the fork to Peter Mooney at Belmont Wheelworks. He remarked on the fork blades being round rather than ovalized. Then another guy came in and saw the fork and started asking about it. This guy is very into restoring old Raleigh 3-speeds. He claimed the fork was from the 30s because of the round blades. So maybe the 1954 AW hub wasn't original on it. He said lots of those bikes came with single speed/fixed gear instead of 3-speeds. Peter kept the fork, so I won't get to watch him straighten it.

Trek420

04-08-2007, 08:32 PM

it's beeeeooooootiful!:D

It's a work of art! :D

margo49

04-09-2007, 06:53 AM

That's one use for kids' medicine measuring spoon I hadn't thought of - just threw out 3 before Passover since DS#2 is now nearly 15 and has been able to swallow pills for 10 years!
Very arty-farty photo-composition, Deb

DebW

04-09-2007, 07:35 AM

That's one use for kids' medicine measuring spoon I hadn't thought of.

Another good use is measureing oil to mix with gas for a chainsaw or other 2-stroke engine. They sell the engine oil pre-measured to mix with 1 gallon of gas, but I prefer to mix smaller amounts (like 22 oz in my camping gas bottle).

DebW

11-01-2007, 05:48 AM

Here's the 3-speed, together again and fully operational. I had some incentive to finally put the old girl all back together again (need to empty my basement before the mold remediation work next week and figured it was easier to move 1 piece than 20 pieces). I still need to rebuild the rear wheel when I can find a new rim. And had to put the old chain back on because the replacement that Harris gave me was too narrow for the chainring. It took me a couple tries to get the 3-speed adjusted properly. First I had only normal and high, then tightened the cable more and got low also (and the in-between adjustment was a freewheeling forward normal gear). I rode the bike up and down my street this morning checking out the gears. There are occasional clunking sounds coming from the rear hub. Not sure what that means. Anyway, I'm happy. :) :) :) Still have to decide if I want to keep this or let my dd and sil use it for commuting in the city.