# 1967 Raleigh Sprite with S5 5 Speed



## 3-speeder (Feb 10, 2021)

I started working on my '67 Raleigh Sprite.  I picked this one up from a small farm in Northern Michigan. It is a twin to another 67 Sprite that I have and originally I thought that I might swap some parts around to have one A-grade bike and one B-grade bike but after I rehabbed my first Sprite I decided that wasn't really necessary. Here are some before pictures to get this thread rolling.


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## 3-speeder (Feb 10, 2021)

You can see from the pictures that this bike is missing the left side components for shifting it into ultra-high and ultra-low.  Likely it was being used as a 3-speed as you can see the standard SA shifter on the bars. Since the time of purchase I have picked up a few of the parts that I need to return it to a five speed and also a nice new Brooks B67 "Aged" saddle.  The tear down is going well with the small surprise of the crunched chain stays under the kickstand mounting. Ugly but not critically damaged.  I pumped up the tires for the "before" pics a week ago and the tubes are still holding air.  The gum walls are shot of course but I'll salvage the tubes. I am currently soaking the void around the cotters one side at a time and will attempt removal of the first one tonight and then soak the other side until tomorrow evening. I wiped down the frame, fenders and guard and they're looking pretty nice.  I'll get some pics of that up next.


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## SirMike1983 (Feb 10, 2021)

That's typical for some of the 1960s era stands. Nothing terrible, just an annoyance.


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## 3-speeder (Feb 10, 2021)

Cotter for the drive side crank and chainwheel came out without too much trouble.  Soaking the other cotter now.  After looking closely at the frame's top tube I can't see where it ever had a Sprite decal.  I'll try to get some pic's of that next.  Here are the parts after a wipe down with a shop rag.  My new project supervisor has me keeping the shop cleaner than ever.  No oil and grease or rust and metal shavings laying around.


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## FICHT 150 (Feb 11, 2021)

My son and my garage helper. The garage helper looks for cans of beer left at her level, and “helps” herself to them.

Ted


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## 3-speeder (Feb 14, 2021)

I got the other cotter out no problem and have the bottom bracket cups out and then took the headset apart.  The stem was stuck a bit but came out with some effort.  Next up is soaking and then cleaning the ball bearings and everywhere they rest.  Just took the front hub apart and the front axle is a little bent but I do have a replacement.  I'll have to see how the cones and cups look after cleaning.


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## 3-speeder (Mar 2, 2021)

Progress has been slow but I am getting things cleaned up. Front hub is cleaned and ready for fresh grease. Rear hub is halfway there.  The non-drive side is cleaned, greased and assembled while the drive side is cleaned and waiting on the grease and reassembly.  Bottom bracket is ready to go. Seems the more that I get done, the more I want to do.


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## FICHT 150 (Mar 4, 2021)

If you get this far into the hub....

My friend Paul took this photo of three different Sun Dog gears, also called dog clutches, from Sturmey 5 speed hubs. The version on the left comes in an S5-2, has no cuts on the shoulders, and is super positive when engaged. If it takes longer to engage in the hub, I can’t tell.
A worthwhile modification to an earlier S5 hub. Use the Bikesmith spring on the Hi-Lo side, remember, pulley wheels make everything work better. The STO sells metal pulleys and fulcrum stops, better than plastic, and better than being stuck in third gear when either plastic component breaks on a long ride. My Lake Pepin Tour 5 Speed Sports does have a pulley wheel for each side.

Ted


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## SirMike1983 (Mar 4, 2021)

Looks like the front hub cups are in good condition. Spindle looks decent too. One of the best feelings is cleaning the project up and finding smooth cups, cones, and spindles. (And one of the worst is opening a project up and finding you're in need of replacements).


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## 3-speeder (Mar 4, 2021)

I was happy to find the cups and cones and other bearing surfaces were nice and shiny and showed no signs of pitting.  The only little hiccup was that the front axle was bent up slightly at the ends but I have a nice replacement for it.

I haven't gotten any deeper than the driver when it comes to cleaning etc.  So far that's all my SA hubs have needed. Really love em.  Just a nice working durable piece of machinery. If I had to I guess I would.


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## 3-speeder (Mar 8, 2021)

@FICHT 150  do they allow rear derailleurs on the Lake Pepin Tour?  I'd take my 62 Sports with the dual drive.  Maybe I could just sneak it in. 
https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/62-raleigh-sports-with-dual-drive.165474/


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## FICHT 150 (Mar 8, 2021)

No, dude. Internal hub gear only. Later in the year, September, there is the ABCE (All British Cycling Event) and anything English is welcome.

Ted


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## SirMike1983 (Mar 8, 2021)

That hybrid gear Sports came out great. Flashy paint scheme too.


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## 3-speeder (Mar 24, 2021)

I got the chrome polished and the rear hub spinning like a top, front wheel too.  Love the click, click, click...... of that SA hub.
I'm also sharing pics of my other 67 Sprite.  The decals are really nice and it seems to have all the correct components.  My theory on it is that the front end damage occurred early in it's life and it was parked ever since. I've thought of swapping the correct parts on to my current project but haven't committed myself one way or the other.


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## 3-speeder (May 31, 2021)

After a long lull in bike project work I have finally made some more progress.  I guess this project has been one of my longest to complete just due to lack of enthusiasm and also the fact that in April and May I spend most of my time out bird watching.  Now after getting further along I have been more excited to get to completion.  I put the nail and the bell crank on the non-drive side and it seems to shift into ultra high.  We'll see how the road test goes.  Both wheels are spinning great, perfect pendulum as they come to a stop and no play to speak of.  I swapped in an Esge stand with a foot on it.  Sits a little nicer. I could use some proper pedals.... Here are a few pictures.  Not much left to this project.  I hope to complete it soon as there are a few bikes that I want to tweak a little to make them just a touch better.


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## FICHT 150 (Jun 1, 2021)

I usually toss the non rebuildable pedals in a coffee can with some kerosene and mineral spirits in it, submerge them a day or three, take them out and work the shafts round and round, blow some compressed air through them,  let them drain on a rag a few days, detail the outside, and work some 80W90 grease down the shaft. Same deal, let them sit upright a day or three,  so the lube makes it all the way down.
Other than they are a step down from the good Raleigh pedals, they usually work just fine.
Nice work. You think you are almost done, but, there is work to be done getting those shifters on, set up, and operational. Dead stock gets points with the 5 Speed brothers, but, the Bikesmith modifications really make it a rider.

Ted


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## 3-speeder (Jun 1, 2021)

FICHT 150 said:


> You think you are almost done, but, there is work to be done getting those shifters on, set up, and operational.



I know you're right.  Setting up an old quadrant shifter was harder than a thumb shifter.  Setting up dual shifters is probably like trouble squared...  I'm hoping I can use my other bike's measurements as a starting point.  I'm going to use the NOS shifters that I have (cables and clamps included).  Maybe if I make it up there to the Lake Pepin tour I might revisit that but for now my 10 mile tours on our river trail here won't stress things too much.  I'll be glad to have saved this one from the rafters and get it rolling again.


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## FICHT 150 (Jun 1, 2021)

Your first Sprite has the correct stem. On one of these posts, I mentioned it was a good idea to put a spot of Loc-Tite on the screws that go into the 5 speed plastic shifter knobs, and that bike bears witness to that suggestion.
It appears the frame is bent. I’d likely just get the best parts together, make one good bike, have some spares/trade bait, and junk the bent frame. 
It really won’t be missed.

Ted


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## 3-speeder (Jun 2, 2021)

Yesterday I came to the conclusion that I will swap the stem and pedals onto this bike.  No better time to do it then now.


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## SirMike1983 (Jun 2, 2021)

3-speeder said:


> Yesterday I came to the conclusion that I will swap the stem and pedals onto this bike.  No better time to do it then now.




When the tubes bulge like that, that's the end for most frames. The Park HTS tool (hard to find, but useful if you have one) will straighten slightly bent frames, but we're talking a little bend, not something with a large buckle in the tube wall. I think you're basically on the mark if you pull the parts and combine into one good bike. 

The five-speed metal shifters can be fiddly, but once you get used to them, they're alright. My old Sprite had one and it was fine. If you're commuting in heavy stop-and-go traffic with the bike, I'd go with a modified set up. But if it's just a weekend hobby rider, the stock should be OK.


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## 3-speeder (Jun 7, 2021)

I installed the shifters and had them adjusted, shifting through all gears, while the bike was turned over in my basement. Time for the road test.  The bike felt great and it shifted into all gears, both shifters adjusted properly however low gear wasn't working right.  It kinda jumped or skipped a bit. No amount of adjusting would fix it.  I figured it must be internal so I swapped the wheel set from my other Sprite and  decided to deal with that later.  I had also swapped the stem and pedals so that this bike is complete with the correct parts.  The S5 hub that got swapped over had the pin that went into the left side so I used the same bell crank that was on it because the engagement piece was wider and flat. I thought it might work better.  It does work just fine.  @FICHT 150 can you share an image of the spring that you had mentioned you'd used to improve this set up?  I'd appreciate it.  I had a great ride last night and took a few pictures.


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## FICHT 150 (Jun 7, 2021)

Two photos, and some ‘splainin...

You have the dreaded stamped sheet metal bell crank. This bell crank is used with a threaded nail, that seemed like a great idea at the time to keep the nail, that resides under the bell crank from getting lost when the bell crank was off for service, but, if the wheel falls, or takes a solid rap to that side when the wheel is on the bike and the bell crank is installed, it splits the key. Bad juju.
I have heard many times over the years that this is the most inferior of the 5 speed setups, but, I have two of them, and they work just fine, but, I believe the spring installation is the answer to that.
The setup you would use (easiest) is shown on the blue ladies bike that I built for my wife. The other shot is of my most recent DL1 build that I converted to 5 speed, using a Shimano 3 speed “555” bell crank, that I drilled and tapped to fit the Sturmey axle. I used a die grinder and a thin cut off wheel to cut slots in the end of a surplus Sturmey 3 speed axle, to make my tap. My nail was pretty much just an old nail, that saw enough grinding to make it pretty and to get it to fit everywhere. If you used the nail from the Shimano 3 speed, it would just need to be shortened up to work.
I usually install Sturmey pulley wheels, from an AW shift mechanism, to both sides of a 5 speed that I convert, but, that is optional. It will work, either way, the pulley wheels just add refinement, and a better feel for where you are.
Let me know if there is anything else you need to see.

Ted


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## 3-speeder (Jun 11, 2021)

Thanks for the info and images.  I'll get a hold of Bikesmith Mark and see about getting that spring set up.  I felt like it needed something to help draw the cable back toward the rear hub


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