English Three-Speed Bikes

I spent today cleaning up a couple of English bikes - a 1946 Hercules Model C and a 1958 Raleigh Sports. On the Hercules, I was fiddling with the seat and seat post, trying to tweak the riding position to get it a little more comfortable.

The Sports received only a clean-up and a little air in the tires. This bike really doesn't need a whole lot, though I'm considering going to a 22 tooth rear cog from the current 24. The bike climbs quite well, but it does top-out a bit soon.





The Carradice Zipped Roll is an outstanding choice for a day trip or for hauling a few things around. It won't get you through a week-long trip, but it's great for a day or an afternoon riding.








Both bikes are attractive and fun to ride. The weather has been steadily moving toward a mid-spring feel, and tomorrow should be another nice day to ride.

 One of the things I love about the Hercules is the deeper chain guard. It has a very "old style" feel to it. The Hercules definitely turns more heads.

Whereas the 1958 Sports has a very modern feel to it for its age, the 1946 Hercules has an "older" feel to it, owing to its frame angles, rod/coaster brake, and somewhat clunkier frame.

Warm Evening - 1958 Raleigh Sports

Another warm evening here - last one for awhile though. It's supposed to drop from 80 today to 50 by Friday, with thunderstorms tomorrow. I took out this 4-speed 1958 Raleigh Sports for a ride this evening.

1941 Schwinn New World

We had a pretty much par early spring day today - 63 or so degrees and sunny with a breeze. That's not bad. We had torrential rains yesterday, so today's weather allowed some time to dry the roads and get rid of the puddles.




I took out the 1941 Schwinn New World roadster for a ride this afternoon. The bike is running smoothly, though I probably need to true the wheels up a bit.





I built the wheels last fall, and usually after you build the wheels, riding will knock them a bit out of true. This is normal - just the spokes and tension finding equilibrium under the strains of riding.




A quick truing with a spoke wrench will usually remedy it. The wheels generally don't even need to be taken off of the bicycle - just true based on the fork and brake pads.





The adjustments are small enough to do that. Though if you build wheels and they go way out of true quickly, you need to pull them, put them on the stand, and address the issue. These are in good shape and just need a touch-up with the wrench.


 So far, I'm really happy with this bicycle about 6 month in. It's running smoothly, fun to ride, and quite a quick and agile bike.