So I'm a retired geezer getting back to bikes. I've had this frame that my dad stripped of parts maybe 20 years ago, and since it FITS me, I've kept it. Now I want to put it back on the street. I'm planning a hub gear coaster brake setup, and have a couple of options, one pretty straight forward, the other goes into territory I'm not so familiar with. Pretty much all Sturmey-Archer parts, just cuz I'm pretty secure working on them.
First, S-RC3 3-speed coaster brake rear, SLS30 seatpost mounted shifter, XL-FD front drum brake hub. Could go X-FD if the smaller drum brake is deemed adequate. There's only about a 5-buck difference, but there is weight difference.
Second option, X-RC5(W) wide-ratio coaster brake hub, same front hub, and then I get into unknowns. I want to stay with a seatpost/seattube mounted shifter. I'm thinking to use the braze-on SLS50 thumb shifter mounted on a clamp-on adapter on the seattube, so I can (maybe) keep the shift cable running down the seat stay. But I have no idea id the shifter can be made to operate in that position, like the SLS30 seatpost shifter.
The OLD of the 5-speed exactly fits my frame, the 3-speed is skinnier and I'd need to cold-set the frame. Not scary.
S-A North America tells me there is/was a 5-speed seatpost shifter made and marketed in Europe, but I can't find any on-line references to it. I think that's not an option.
I'm weighing the simplicity of parts sourcing of the 3-speed option against what I don't know about the 5-speed questions. I like the wide-ratio 5-speed idea, but don't know if I really need to spend the extra money and deal with doing work-around with the seatpost shifter questions. Maybe it's easy, maybe it doesn't work at all.
Ideas?
First, S-RC3 3-speed coaster brake rear, SLS30 seatpost mounted shifter, XL-FD front drum brake hub. Could go X-FD if the smaller drum brake is deemed adequate. There's only about a 5-buck difference, but there is weight difference.
Second option, X-RC5(W) wide-ratio coaster brake hub, same front hub, and then I get into unknowns. I want to stay with a seatpost/seattube mounted shifter. I'm thinking to use the braze-on SLS50 thumb shifter mounted on a clamp-on adapter on the seattube, so I can (maybe) keep the shift cable running down the seat stay. But I have no idea id the shifter can be made to operate in that position, like the SLS30 seatpost shifter.
The OLD of the 5-speed exactly fits my frame, the 3-speed is skinnier and I'd need to cold-set the frame. Not scary.
S-A North America tells me there is/was a 5-speed seatpost shifter made and marketed in Europe, but I can't find any on-line references to it. I think that's not an option.
I'm weighing the simplicity of parts sourcing of the 3-speed option against what I don't know about the 5-speed questions. I like the wide-ratio 5-speed idea, but don't know if I really need to spend the extra money and deal with doing work-around with the seatpost shifter questions. Maybe it's easy, maybe it doesn't work at all.
Ideas?
