1970s Raleigh 3 speed "Pub Hopper"

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Zumo

Zumo

Joined
Oct 13, 2011
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Waxahachie, TX
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My brother picked this up after we spotted it on CL with another almost just like it for $40. The other bike is complete but in a few pieces and has a lot more rust.

This one came with the handle bars off and a modern road bike style neck on it. I removed that and put on a BMX style stem with handle bars. It was pretty stiff do to rust from setting out side but I have been working with it and seem to have loosened things up. Right now I am trying to adjust the 3 speed shifter and hub. It will shift into 3 but will shift into 1 or 2 only when it feels like it. I am still learning how to adjust the Sturmey Archer 3 speed so I hope I can work the bugs out.

Here is how is sits right now. Installed one new tire up front and have one for the back to but I am waiting on new rim strips to come in. I and currently trying to get some of the rust of the chrome parts. This thing is a blast to right and I plan to take a ride down to the local "pub" here in town to take a few pics.



PubHopper1.jpg


PubHopper2.jpg


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PubHopper5.jpg


PubHopper.jpg
 
Use light oil on the rear hub, I use 30 weight motor oil. Along with the oil port on the hub, I add some inside the axle after pulling the shift chain out. The has helped free up the shifting on older hubs I've had. A good lube of the whole shift cable and shifter can help it shift better.
 
I looked closer and noticed the shift cable is mounted wrong. The little wheel on the seat tube needs to be almost to the top, so the cable won't catch on anything, The cable should follow the frame. You'll have to loosen the mount on the top tube and move it toward the rear to get the proper adjustment of the cable.
 
Yeah I noticed that too and actually you can see fading where it once was. I have moved it up there an rode it but don't think it was shifting well. I have been messing with it moving it higher and lower. i will, however, go back and try to move it up and reset the position of the wheel and shifter.

I think the last time I adjusted it with the wheel up high I could not get the bike to go into first gear. It would just not engage and the pedals would just spin freely.

I have also oiled the hub with 2 and 1 oil in the oil hole and a little where the shifting chain goes in the axle.
 
The free spin spot is between 2nd and 3rd gear on Sturmey Archer's hubs. That's why I don't stand up and pedal on those. A way to adjust the cable is to first make sure everything is operating well, that's where the lube comes in. Then shift into 3rd, and leave just a little slack in the cable back by the chain as you tighten up the adjuster or cable bracket on the top tube. On these you need to roll the wheel or pedal backwards to get some motion going or it may not be in gear yet. With just a little slack, 2nd and 1st should be right on. If not, make small adjustments. Remember to let the hub roll between gears, letting it shift. Then later, over time, the cable will need an adjustment as it stretches slightly.
 
Just went out and played with adjusting it again and I think I have it adjusted the best I can with the condition of the cable and pulley. The pulley is brittle and is breaking apart. I will probably end up ordering a new pulley and cable and maybe shifter.
 
The shift chain may be a problem also, it needs to threaded in all the way, then backed off just enough so it moves freely and in line with the shift cable. I add a little oil to it also.
 
It looks like you have the chrome cable stop on the top tube, far forward, so that the cable has enough reach upto the BMX bars. When the bike would have had flat bars originally. Thats why the pulley wheel has to be lower on the seat tube, as theres not enough cable length to reach the hub.
You need a new longer cable. Preferably one that has a bolted bracket at the hub chain end. So that you can fit a cable outer casing cut to the length you need, to reach from the bars to the top tubes chrome cable stop.
It has to be a specific 3 speed cable to fit your shifter, a cable from a mountain bike will have the wrong nipple. So you might not get that at a local shop.
As said by others, the hub needs oiled. Theres 2 sets of Pawls in a Sturmey Archer hub. They are little diamond shaped things that are sprung loaded to engage in the ratchet teeth on the inside of the hub shell. These are the parts that make the freewheeling clicking sound. Theres a 2 pawls at either end of the inner section of the hub. Thet can get rusty and stick, or the springs can break.
Heres a fuzzy phone pic of the inner section of a 3 speed hub. you can see the rust on there thats sticking the Pawl in the groove. On top is the Pawl from the other side, that I took out and cleaned up. The hub worked well after that.
It can be tricky getting the hub apart tho.
 
I forgot to mention it's shifting pretty good now. I can at least get it into all the gears now.

alecw35
I took the cable length and position into account when I mounted the new bars. When I got the bike it didn't have any bars on it and the brake and shifter cables where just hanging loose. I test fit the shifter cable and didn't have to move the cable clamp on the top tube just after the head tube holding the cable to the frame. It seemed fine where it was. I just wanted to make sure the I could get everything working with out having to take the hub apart. I does look like it can be tricky. So now I can work on getting a new cable and replacing worn parts.

Thanks for all your hep on this guys. Feel free to mention anything else you can think of.
 
raggedjim said:
Zumo, I had a bad shifter pulley and replaced it with a sliding door pulley from Lowes. I can get a picture if you want.

Is that a 68 chevy in your pics?

Rg
Click to expand...

Good idea, I ended up find one on ebay for a couple of bucks. Yes that is my 1968 C10. It's been a little negleted since I spend my free time on these bikes. I plan to finish up a couple of bike projects I am working on and get the C10 on the road again. It's got a rebuilt motor and trans in it but I need to "hook" everything back up.
 
Zumo said:
raggedjim said:
Zumo, I had a bad shifter pulley and replaced it with a sliding door pulley from Lowes. I can get a picture if you want.

Is that a 68 chevy in your pics?

Rg
Click to expand...

Good idea, I ended up find one on ebay for a couple of bucks. Yes that is my 1968 C10. It's been a little negleted since I spend my free time on these bikes. I plan to finish up a couple of bike projects I am working on and get the C10 on the road again. It's got a rebuilt motor and trans in it but I need to "hook" everything back up.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know how these things go... I looked for you on the 67-72 site, I thought your user name sounded familiar.

Rg
 
Just a small update on the Pub Hopper. I replaced the rear tire and polished the rust out of the rear wheel, crank arms and sprocket. Rides real nice now.

PubHopper6.jpg


I also replaced the shifter cable pulley with a newer less brittle one. Thinking about finding a new shifter for it to maybe.
PubHopper7.jpg
 

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