# Reliving my past on a '56 Herc.



## Eatontkd (Jun 3, 2021)

As a child of 11(circa 1971), my "practical" Father bought me a used English racer to ride to Little League practice. Now, all the other boys had chopper bikes; Schwinn pickers and the like. One fortunate boy even had a Raleigh Chopper! So to me this tall 3 speed, "old guy bike" was a bit of an embarrassment. Only when we rode to the diamond did it's true nature come to light. It was far faster than anything else in our little pack. Way faster. And it offered something else, that at the time, didn't seem to hit on me; comfort! Still, I wasn't very nice to the old steed. I have no idea what year it was or sadly, what make. And being the source of my pre-adolescent disdain there are no pictures of it either... My recollections are few but I remember the color, red. That, and it was on the large side for me. With the seat all the way down so I could reach the pedals, and God forbid if I had to brake and dismount fast...
Enter this old girl; a 1956 Hercules "Royal Prince". Found it for nearby for $40.00 in neglected condition. I suppose I may have offered less but I was into the idea of reliving my LL days. A strip down with cleaning, new chain, tires/tubes, grease and oil was the order of the day. Viewing this bike from a much later point in my life, I understand why Dad had purchased one for me. It's incredibly well made. Even with it's advanced years, it took to refurbishment with ease. The result is what you see. Not original for sure. But the ride is what I remember; swift, predictable, and comfortable. Needless to say, I look forward to errands. Now if I could only find a bunch of old guys to have a catch!


















...and yes, the chain guard is my own stickers as the original decal was gone. (Apologies to purists) 

Blessings, Doug


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## Pedaltherapy (Jun 3, 2021)

Nice find! My old Herc disappeared while in college- miss that bike


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## 3-speeder (Jun 3, 2021)

I love it! Nice work on the clean up.  These are great riding bikes.


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## SilverBullet08 (Jun 3, 2021)

Here is my 1959 Hercules


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## gkeep (Jun 4, 2021)

Heres the 1960 Hercules I fixed up and gave to the friend. After a few test tides I really was tempted to hang onto it for myself. Great riding bikes. I'm totally with you on going out for some catch!


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## Allrounderco (Jun 6, 2021)

Never apologize for an SOTS sticker 

Looks great!


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## Eatontkd (Jun 6, 2021)

Blackbomber said:


> Never apologize for an SOTS sticker ...



NEVER!!
I was more concerned about the "59 Club"!


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## Allrounderco (Jun 6, 2021)

Well I'd believe you could be a member of The Society of Three Speeds. I'd be more skeptical about the original 59 Club... But we can be fans of both .

So do you participate in any of the SOTS (or Urban Adventure League) challenges?

I completed the most recent three, myself.


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## Eatontkd (Jun 7, 2021)

Blackbomber said:


> ...I'd be more skeptical about the original 59 Club...



Until as recent as this past May, I owned an old Triumph cycle. And yes, was a 59 member!!


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## Allrounderco (Jun 7, 2021)

Well then, much respect!


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## BOB LOBLAW (Jun 7, 2021)

What does 59 indicate?  tia


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## Allrounderco (Jun 7, 2021)

59 Club - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




So I didn't realize this is still going until reading the above link myself. Pretty cool.


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## Threespeedmafia (Jun 26, 2021)

Nice Hercules. Here is mine badged as a Shelby Traveler.


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## Eatontkd (Mar 9, 2022)

Looking forward to another season of cruising. I know that tire choice is a bit limited for these bikes, but I'm looking for a rather substantial one that would be able to handle the occasional broken glass on the road shoulder. Thoughts?


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## SirMike1983 (Mar 9, 2022)

The Schwalbe Marathon Plus is supposed to be more puncture resistant than most. I'd look at those, plus a heavy duty/thorn-resistant type tube inside. They also tend to run a little fatter than the basic Kenda/Duro type tires.

The Kendas, Duros, and even the better Panaracer will not do well if you're hitting a lot of broken glass. 

The Schwalbe Delta Cruiser is a little heavier duty than those, but supposedly their Marathon Plus is even more puncture resistant than the Delta Cruiser. 

If you don't want a fatter tire, look at the Michelin World Tour as well. But I am not sure how puncture resistant those are compared to the Schwalbe.


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## Eatontkd (Mar 9, 2022)

SirMike1983 said:


> The Schwalbe Marathon Plus is supposed to be more puncture resistant than most. I'd look at those.......



Thank you so very much. Great information


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## bulldog1935 (Mar 9, 2022)

If you want light, Cycles Grand Bois offers their Panaracer tire in two casing grades - these old bikes are big in Japan.  

My thought about hard Schwalbe rubber is that it retains glass shards and works them through the tread and tire carcass, while softer rubber will spit them out.  





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						グランボア　タイヤ  650A
					

国産のツーリング車に乗り続けるために作った650×32Aのランドナー用タイヤです。国内発送無料。This is the 650×32A tire made by GrandBois with Panaracer Japan.



					cyclesgrandbois.com


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## Eatontkd (May 12, 2022)

Never knew that Bontrager offered an English/Raleigh tire for the older 590, 26 X 1 3/8 tire size! So far, so good!


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