My shop is now the hub of excitement

Well the hub part anyway, and I am excited to have them...

Was tidying up the work bench earlier today and realized that I had quite a few hubs laying on it waiting for someone to verify dimensions so spokes can be ordered....wonder who that would be?

Hard photo op to miss out on ;-)


These are the hubs laying on the bench. Sturmey Archer vintage, Sturmey Archer new and Shimano. One pair of the vintage hubs are getting laced onto a set of CR-18 alloy rims to go on my Raleigh Superbe for everyday riding. The original steel rims have a kink and hop that I cannot get out, but I want to save the wheels for shows. Another of the vintage hubs is for my wife's Colt, she is getting a dyno hub on it. The newer SA hubs are for the Raleigh Record build, that one is getting the CR-18 rims also. The Shimano hubs are just there for the moment, both are 8 speeds, one interestingly enough is coaster brake.

Seeing How it IS Saint Patrick's Day

I give you some pictures of the lovely "Green" at my place...

The smaller bike in the top photo is the newest addition to the family.
It is a 1973 Raleigh Colt in fabulous condition.

Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo aris!
Aaron

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaack

Sorry about the impromptu hiatus.

Work has been a real beast these past few months, but with the current economic situation any job is better than no job.

As time has rolled along a couple of new members have been added to the metal side of the family.

I purchased yet another Twenty. This one is a 1975 Raleigh Stowaway, with the 451 wheels. These were never sold on the US market as far as I know, so this one must have wandered its way in from the UK somehow.

The newest member is a 1973 Raleigh Colt that I literally picked up today. I actually purchased it back in early December. But just got a chance to pick it up today. It is in spectacular condition for it's age and matches my Superbe in colour. It has the petite 18" frame that my lovely bride needs to be able to ride. It will need a bit of tweaking and a couple of upgrades prior to her riding it. But here is a picture...beauty shots will come a bit later.

I did get the 1964 Hercules completed and off to my sister late last year. More on that one too...in  a bit.

Spring has Sprung here in the Carolinas, so riding season is hard upon us!

Aaron

I haven't died...honest!

They say the older you get the faster time passes...I must be at the stage where I am approaching warp speed! :-D

I have been meaning to post...HONEST! We took a vacation in Denver in June. No pictures the camera crapped out. But did get a chance to try their bike share and ride their light rail. Both were excellent.

Just got back from a week in Boston, lots to see and do. We used mass transit almost the entire time we were there, and walked the rest of the time. I even got pictures. Here is a picture I snapped out behind the State House. Appears to be a late 1960's early 1970's Raleigh Sport in good condition for its age. FWIW those are the original tires!

I have much more to report on in a bit. Including several bike builds and acquisitions.

Aaron

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

Double the Fun!

Received my new to me Twenty from Ebay today!

It is a 1972 model and is complete and in great shape. Only thing missing is the head light bracket. It will need a new set of grips, the old ones are cracked. Other than that a complete and thorough cleaning and we are good to go.

These things are addictive!

Aaron

Loaded and Locked

Here is one of the reasons I wanted a Twenty. It is locked down in the truck and I am headed out for a couple/three weeks at an out of town job site. It takes up a lot less space than a full sized bike and can be locked in the cab if necessary. So far all I have done to it is general cleaning. I have a new set of alloy rim wheels being built up for it. Plenty more pictures to follow.

Aaron

Another Part of the puzzle located!

A while back I posted a teaser photo of a Rescued Hercules. It has not been on high on the priority list for rebuild. My day job keeps getting in the way of my fun! I was meandering through ebay listings and came across a gently used Hercules saddle. They don't show up very often and it was the correct one for the bike, so a bid was placed and I am now the proud owner of a very nice OEM saddle for the Herc. Yet another piece of the puzzle, a large part of the fun of dealing with vintage bikes. And I am sure the readers will agree this saddle is an improvement over the one that came with the bike!

Aaron

Hat Trick

The alternate post title was a "Field of Green"...Raleighs. I just got the Twenty (the one in the middle) a couple of weeks ago. I have been trying to win one on ebay for quite some time, and finally did. Fun little bike and I have great plans for it. Sheldon Brown was a huge fan of the Raleigh Twenty. It lends itself very well to upgrades and is a very stable bike to ride. Not to ruin the hat trick, but I do have a ladies Raleigh Sports in the green also, but it is still in parts for the time being.

The bikes in order from smallest to largest are: 1968 Raleigh Compact RSW, 1971 Raleigh Twenty, and 1972 Raleigh Superbe. I will post more on the Twenty as it evolves.

Aaron

Teaser...

I got the bright idea of a "teaser" post from Alex over at Hank and Me with her new Bakfiets. This is a picture of the bike as found. It came from a town dump in NH! Why would anybody throw out such a beautiful and serviceable bike! Ticks me off more than a little bit. It was rescued by pastorbobnlnh a fellow Bike Forums member. He is more into vintage Schwinns, so it was passed on to me. It was rescued from his "magic" dump. That dump has produced more than a few nice bikes over the past couple of years including a nice Robin Hood that went to a new home in the Midwest.

But back to the Herc. I have finally cleared the project palette to the point that I have room on the workstand for it!

It is a 19?? Hercules Skyliner. The year has yet to be completely determined, it is probably between a 1947-1954, based on the paint, the name and the fact that Hercules was absorbed by Raleigh/TII in 1954. The bike has several unusual features: single speed freewheel and rod brakes being the two most outstanding. It was built at the Britannia Works in Birmingham, England...says so, right on the head badge. ;-)

Parts have been ordered! We hope to have it back together in time to take to the ABCE Tour in September. Stay tuned for updates!

Aaron