# 1970 Raleigh Sprite S5



## SirMike1983 (Sep 27, 2015)

I'm presently working on a 1970 Raleigh Sprite 5 speed. This bike uses the Sturmey Archer S5 hub, which is derived from the FW 4 speed hub. The five speed version of the Sprite was a high performance version of the basic 3 speed Sports.  They later converted the Sprite to 27 inch wheels and a 10 speed rig.

Initially, this bicycle arrived in a damaged state. Fed Ex damaged the non-drive side bell crank shifter, the sun gear push rod, and the chain ring. The seller was accommodating and gave a partial refund. I'll bet Fed Ex walks away from the claim on this bike.

http://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2015/09/raleigh-sprite-5-speed-beat-down.html














A weekend's work and the project is really taking shape.

http://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2015/09/1970-raleigh-sprite.html

I repaired the damaged parts that could be repaired and located a bell crank to replace the ground off one.





The bronze green finish cleaned up really nicely.





The wheels look decent enough and cleaned up fine.





The Brooks B72 saddle received cleaning and Proofhide. It looks nice and should ride very well.


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## SirMike1983 (Sep 30, 2015)

Got a replacement bell crank on Monday.

http://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2015/09/sturmey-archer-s5-bell-crank.html?m=1


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## SirMike1983 (Sep 30, 2015)

Some more work this evening: wheel truing, tire/tube mounting, and rubber restoration of grips using an Oil of Wintergreen bath.

http://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2015/09/raleigh-sprite-5-speed-continues.html


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## SirMike1983 (Oct 4, 2015)

The bike is assembled, wired up, and running. I need to get better pictures when the light is good. I am also waiting on a frame pump for the clamps I have for this project. In the mean time... a look at the cool "muscle car" type double stick shifters on this 5 speed.


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## SirMike1983 (Oct 5, 2015)

A few more shots:

http://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2015/10/1970-raleigh-sprite-5-speed-continued.html


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## wrongway (Oct 6, 2015)

That's a very sharp bike! I like it. Good job. Can you tell me how that 5 speed works and when and how you use both shifters? I'm a 3 speed guy, but that is really different.


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## SirMike1983 (Oct 6, 2015)

wrongway said:


> That's a very sharp bike! I like it. Good job. Can you tell me how that 5 speed works and when and how you use both shifters? I'm a 3 speed guy, but that is really different.




 The left control manipulates the dual sun gears and has two positions. The right control is similar to a basic three speed with three positions, moving the clutch as a three speed might have. You end up with two climbing gears, one "normal" or direct drive, and two over drive gears for speed. The AW has one climbing gear, one direct drive, and one over drive. The range offered on the S5 is much wider. However, the operation of the hub is somewhat busier than the three speed. There's a bit more to deal with than just the trigger of the AW.


  Bottom Gear:  Left back/Right Back. This is lower and better for climbing than the AW three speed and equal to the FW four speed.

  Low: Left Forward/Right Back. This is slightly higher than the lowest gear on the AW, but still lower than direct drive/middle gear.

  Normal: Left Either position/Right Middle: Right. This is direct drive. This is the same as the middle gear on the AW three speed.

  High: Left Forward/Right Forward. This is slightly lower than the high gear on the AW but higher than direct drive.

  Super High: Left Back/Right Forward. This is a very high gear. A fair bit higher than the high gear on the AW.


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## wrongway (Oct 6, 2015)

That would keep you busy!


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