1954 English 3-speed

[DebW]

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]

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

[SouthernBelle]

Could an old Brooks saddle be recovered???

[mimitabby]

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]

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:




Sally

[DebW]

Hi DebW

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




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.