FICHT 150
Finally riding a big boys bike
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
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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