I can see clearly now...

that I have a new headlight on the Twenty, and I suppose I can be seen more clearly from the rear now I have a new tail light too.



The headlight is the newest Cyo from Busch and Muller
the tail light is their 4D Lite Plus I was using the B&M Retro headlight which really looks nice on a bike the age of a Raleigh Twenty, but the original Sturmey Archer Dyno hub only puts out ~2 watts at speed. The Retro light takes 2.4 watts and the tail light was an Spanninga LED and would barely glow.

Now I have lots of light! I can see and be seen. The Twenty has been getting the most use so far this year as I am working out of town and it is easy to haul along with me.

The bag on the back is a Banjo Brothers Racktop Pannier bag. It has small panniers that drop down out of the side pockets.

Aaron

Progress?

I guess this might qualify as progress, I have the AMF Hercules almost complete torn down. All that is left is to pull the fork and headset bearings. I have done a couple of coatings of heavy oil on the frame, fork and fenders and the shine is starting to come back. I have also been shining up the bits and pieces, the bike will never look new again but it will look like a well cared for 45+ year old bike when it is done. It should ride as good as when new. I will add a few pictures of cleaned up parts a bit later.

Aaron

Madame comes a calling

Another lost bicycle has come home to roost...

This lady is a late 70's early 80' Peugeot Gran Sport Mixte. My sister bought this bike around 1989 to use for college, I seem to recall having had a hand in it. It has been in storage since the mid 90's apparently at one of my brothers' houses. He is in the midst of a remodel and needed the room so "home" she came. I asked my sister if she wanted cleaned up or? But she is waiting on the AMF/Hercules, the feeling being it will better suit her needs at this point in time.

According to Retro Peugeot catalog archives the bikes is a U18E an "all weather touring 10 speed...for touring under all conditions." But further research is proving otherwise.

Not sure what the future holds, it is a desirable Mixte frame in the large size (57cm) I am toying with the idea of a few upgrades and keeping it for Sunday afternoon pleasure rides...like I need another bike!

Aaron

Bits and Pieces

I did a few minor upgrades to my 1972 Raleigh Superbe as well as my bride's 1971 Raleigh Colt.
Raleigh bikes built prior to around 1960 has nice durable steel parts, many of those had been replaced by plastic parts by the time our Raleighs were built in the early 1970's.

The gentleman that heads up the ABCE has seen fit to provide some very nice reproduction parts. While at the 2009 ABCE I picked up the parts and just recently got around to installing them. You can see the difference in the worn and abused plastic pulley versus the steel one. It is going to provide many, many more years of trouble free riding. I also replaced the cable stop/ferrules on both bike too.

Another one joins the "fold"

Sorry couldn't resist :-)

Found this out in the Stuff etc store in Coralville, IA. Too good a deal to pass up, even though I already had two other bikes with me.

It is a Rolling Rock beer promo bike. As best can be determined from the late 90's. It was apparently made by Dahon, there is a single sticker on the downtube that says not to ride it until it has been properly serviced by a Dahon service agent. It has very low end equipment on it, but that doesn't really matter it is slated for conversion to a folding city bike with IGH, coaster brake, fenders and lights.

Anybody know their Dahon models well enough to know which one this is based on?

New Member of the Herd

Meet the newest member of the fleet/herd/flock or whatever you call the collection of bicycles that are currently in residence here.

This one was given to me by one of the mechanics at my LBS, because he knew that I like "old stuff".

This is a 1964 AMF/Hercules. I don't know much about the Hercules/AMF bikes, only that they were built by Raleigh Industries and primarily sold in North America. The bike is typical of the British 3 speeds of the era. Sturmey Archer AW three speed hub, 26x1-3/8" tires, Dunlop steel rims, etc. I have just started the cleanup process so I have a ways to go. Initial impressions is that this is a well built bike and of better quality than what Raleigh was putting out by the 1970's.

This particular bike shows signs of much use, but no real abuse. It has been well cared for in the past, but had been neglected for a while. Mechanically it is in good shape and won't need much done. Cosmetically it is a bit rough, but nothing some elbow grease, oil and polish won't cure.

Hercules was it's own brand started in Birmingham, England in 1911 and was absorbed by Raleigh in 1960. The Hercules Museum webblog has a lot of information gathered in one place.

This bike most likely will be going to my sister to use riding around her neighborhood and the large park behind her townhouse. I will have to find out if she wants a basket and if so what type. Perhaps a Peterboro from Maine or a Wald Woody?

More to be posted as things slowly progress.

Aaron

Labor Day Weekend Riding

I was "supposed" to Labor on Labor Day...but at the last minute my lovely bride got a long layover in MSP so of course having the opportunity to see her and only being 6 hours away was a no brainer. Put the work crew on autopilot, loaded the Twenties into the truck and away I went.



For those that don't know she is a Senior Flight Attendant (25 year veteran) for a US mainline carrier. Works fairly well for us, with both of us being on the road (most of the time).

We had a grand time and rode the bike paths around Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet. The cycling infrastructure in the Twin Cities never ceases to amaze me. It was about a 7 mile run, but that was plenty for my bride and served as a shakedown/checkout ride for my Twenty since undergoing a fairly complete overhaul.




The weather was perfect for riding, and listening to the acoustical band at the bandstand at Lake Harriet. In all a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

I will be headed back to the Twin Cities for another weekend retreat for the ABCE. Stay tuned for a report on that!

Aaron