# Conversion.



## FICHT 150 (Mar 15, 2021)

For about a decade, my family and I have participated in The Lake Pepin three speed tour, a two day 90 mile ride in May, around Lake Pepin, a wide spot in the Mississippi River between Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is a pretty spot for a nice bike ride, and perfect if the weather cooperates.
You can use 3, 4 or, 5 speed internal gear English hubs. The club is an English bicycle club.  I’ve always used an S5, due to the hilly nature of the area. We were given a DL1 Roadster that was in tough shape last year, and after I serviced and threw money at it, my Son has fallen in love with the monster. Since that bike came along, three other Roadsters have joined the club, two 24” men’s bikes, and a 22” woman’s bike. One of the men’s bikes is in about perfect condition, the other has seen some use and neglect.
I am going to service and convert the AW three speed hub on that bike to S5 configuration, to fulfill my Son’s wish that we use DL1s for the Tour this year. Boy gets 3 gears with a 22 tooth sprocket on the back, and a 48 on the front. The old man will be using 5 gears, 46 teeth on the front, and a 22 tooth rear.
Pictured is an older FW hub, that was missing the rods and shifter, a common state of affairs. Rods and shifters bring pretty big money when they turn up, Moulton guys are usually hot after them. The hubs, without those parts, are cheap.
The FW sun gear has ramps on one side of the dogs, that don’t transmit power to the axle. There is a picture of both parts shown. Literally, all you need to convert FW to S5 is a bell crank, either a Sturmey Archer or modified Shimano three speed, a nail,  an S5 sun gear, an AW indicator spindle and retainer, and your shifting mechanisms of choice. I plan on using an original Sturmey bell crank, and nail, the very early threaded version.
The bike itself is one of the last Roadsters produced in the Raleigh factory. The absence of the white paint on the rear fender, the lamp bracket with holes for a reflector, and the reflectors in the spokes of the wheels all identify the bike as late production, even though the two dated parts, the Brooks saddle, and the rear hub, have been replaced with earlier versions,
More comments and pictures as I go through it. Plan at this point, is, complete service, new Schwalbe 28” rubber, new Fibrax brake pads, new Brooks B66, clean and polish painted surfaces,  and conversion to S5.
Ted


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## dnc1 (Mar 16, 2021)

Nice work!
Sounds like a fun ride too.


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## FICHT 150 (Mar 16, 2021)

The red Sprite, in the photo, above, started out life as a 5 speed derailleur bike, it now has 27” alloy wheels, and an AW that I converted to S5 configuration. Chris used that bike in 2019 for the first day. We punted on the second day, that featured rain, at about 37 degrees.

You want to consider, when you are riding with a minor, where a bike ride ends and child endangerment begins. I’m not really interested in having that discussion, on the side of highway 61, with a member of the Minnesota State Patrol.

Anyway, Momma runs SAG duty in the Ford F-150.

Ted


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## FICHT 150 (Mar 26, 2021)

The AW hub installed in the bike is now converted to S5 configuration, it has five gears and a 22 tooth sprocket. As I said earlier, this is not the wheel that came in the bike, the bike is early 1980s and the wheel and seat are earlier. I remove the cages and use 9 bearings on each side, and I use hybrid lubrication, synthetic grease on the bearings, and a blend of ATF and synthetic motor oil everywhere else. I clamped the hub in the vise and tested it, and I do indeed have a five speed. I did not use the early threaded S5 rod, I cut a piece of stainless round stock to 2.445”, and that looks about right for the bell crank I will be using. Roadsters use 28” X 1 1/2” wheels, and they really sail down the road in the right conditions.
Pictures of a sad old Roadster without its rear wheel and fender, but, good things are coming.
Ted


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## FICHT 150 (Mar 28, 2021)

Chugging right along. On Roadsters, there is always a brazed mount, that was used if the bike got a full chain case. It the mount is there, it is drilled and tapped. Sports models, prior to about 1960, usually have the same mount. Back in the day, a bike that didn’t get a full chain case, it got a bolt stuck in it, which would allow a guy to put a chain case on the bike, or, if that didn’t happen, keep crud out of the bottom bracket. At some point, the bean counters at Raleigh quit putting bolts in the hole. The bolt that goes there is identical to the bolt that holds the front fender on a Roadster fork, and the bolts that hold the seat stays on a Roadster-most folks are unaware you can unbolt and remove the seat stays on a Raleigh Roadster. The original bolts are very difficult to source.
If you don’t have a spare, and you want it closed up, (my bikes are riders, I always fill the hole) an option is to use a screw from an old Tube Industries bike front brake, that you have shortened up, put a washer and some Loc Tite on, or, drill the hole and re-tap it to 1/4-20. This one got a brake screw, but, I’ve done it both ways.
That plastic pulley wheel will get a spiffy steel replacement, along with the plastic fulcrum cable stop. If either of those plastic pieces let go on a ride, you are stuck in third gear.
That would be poopy on a ride like the Lake Pepin 3 Speed Tour, which, is this bikes destination.


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## jimbo53 (Mar 28, 2021)

Sounds like a lot of fun. You are fortunate to have a dedicated Brit 3 speed club. Wish there was something where I live, but I can’t find any Brit biker fans in my area other than Oilit. I ride with a vintage club, the Hurricane Coasters but a 2 day 90 mile jaunt wouldn’t suit the prewar ballooners. My son lives in Madison so might put a trip up that way on my bucket list and bring up a couple of Birmingham’s finest!


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## FICHT 150 (Mar 28, 2021)

Calling my group a club is a disservice to actual clubs, that pay dues, have T shirts, bylaws and rules.
We don’t do any of that crap. We meet at a bar. We ride our bikes. We eat pastries. That is about the extent of it. But, you should have an English bike, or, English components, or, failing that, bribe money.

You and Oilit should make the pilgrimage. A blast, and, remember, it is 90 miles in two days. But, you are right, I couldn’t ride my Colson for 9 miles, let alone 90.

Ted


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## FICHT 150 (Mar 28, 2021)

Photo of the steel pulley wheel and good (steel) and evil (plastic) English cable ends. Not much left to do, chain guard, shifter for left side of hub, new Fibrax pads, seat and post.


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## slowride (Mar 29, 2021)

Ted,
Love the work you’re doing on that roadster and all the other herons in your flock!  I have a 1970 loop frame roadster that I need to refurbish that is missing the front fender fork crown bolt. When it was still open to the public I was able to look through spare parts list to get this info on that bolt (see pic).  When you have a moment would you mind taking dimensions on one? I was thinking of buying this bolt (grub screw?) from British faster in NY. https://britishfasteners.com/bsc-bsf-hex-set-screw-1-4-x-1-2-1000.html
thanks, Steve


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## FICHT 150 (Mar 30, 2021)

Total length is 1/2”. Length of the threads to the bolt head is .388”. The head measures .443” across the flats. I attached a photo of the bolt with my dial caliper to give you a feel of the scale.
Good luck.
Ted


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## slowride (Mar 31, 2021)

Thank you so much Ted!


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## FICHT 150 (Apr 2, 2021)

This one, is done. My son and I will be riding DL1 Roadsters around Lake Pepin next month. The bike got new Schwalbe Delta Tour tires, a 22 tooth Shimano rear sprocket, new KMC silver chain, NOS Fibrax brake shoes, new Brooks B66 saddle and a new attitude with the AW hub converted to S5 five speed configuration. All the bearings are new grade 25. The bell crank is from an old Shimano 555 three speed (didn’t want to butcher a genuine bell crank to use the spring) and I cut stainless solid stock to make the nail. I spent a bunch of time truing the wheels, I wanted them perfect since the bike uses rod brakes. I amputated the right side of a Suntour ten speed friction shifter, and removed the cable stop and guide for my high/low left side shifter.
I polished the dead paint off. The bike looks, shifts, and rides like new, with enough signs of use that I won’t care if it gets scratched or wet.

 I’m going to ride it.


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## marklachapelle (Apr 3, 2021)

Beautiful. I just purchased a Tourist myself. Beginning the tear down and clean.


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## FICHT 150 (Apr 6, 2021)

Pictures! Or, it never happened.
Ted


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## marklachapelle (Apr 6, 2021)

FICHT 150 said:


> Pictures! Or, it never happened.
> Ted



HA! I've got the front brakes and stem all clean, moving on to the bottom bracket and rear brake linkage. What a cool bike. Next will be cleaning the wheels and reassembly. I can't wait to ride on the big 28" Schwalbe tires.


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## FICHT 150 (Apr 6, 2021)

Cool. Flip the front brake pad holders around so the pads are between the stirrup and the forks. Yours are on backward.

Ted


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## marklachapelle (Apr 6, 2021)

FICHT 150 said:


> Cool. Flip the front brake pad holders around so the pads are between the stirrup and the forks. Yours are on backward.
> 
> Ted



Duh, thanks.


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## FICHT 150 (Apr 6, 2021)

A lot of times the DEALER set them up that way, once you weren’t in Minneapolis/St. Paul, a dealer might only sell one or two of those a year. There is a tutorial on You Tube, search “Gentleman Cyclist, rod brakes 2009”, my friend Paul worked at bike shops in that era, and has a pretty good grasp on making rod brakes work, or, at least work a little better.
Ted


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## FICHT 150 (Apr 16, 2021)

Dressed up with the finest of kit, ready for the tour. Wish I was as easy to get ready.


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