Head Count

This photo was taken over 4 years ago, back in spring of 2016. That is when I had intended to make this post. Oh how things have changed! Not!

Ol' Gilbert's Still Got It

The last time I made a specific post about Gilbert was over THREE AND A HALF years ago. I was thinking of selling, but decided against it. After riding that summer and realizing that this 1979 Raleigh Superbe was far too good of a bike to "retire," whatever that would have meant, I was going to write some more. This post was supposed to be published in the fall of 2016, at which point I had the bike for 1.5 years. By next month, I will have been riding this bike for 5. Since I last wrote about this bike, I have put at least 2,000 more miles on it, which is a conservative estimate even with the presence of other lighter, faster bikes. The title of this post has not changed. 

Bike Stickers!

It's been a year and a half since I last posted because I got swamped in work, as we all do. I've just finished school and will now present something that I, for whatever reason, got involved with a few months back: Bike stickers!

A New 3-speed

Alright! Three post in one day after four months of absence. I used to be a stickler about spreading out my posts but I don't have time for that.

Reverence for the Raleigh 3-speed Sports Roadster

After a brief peruse on this site, it may be obvious as to what my favorite type of bike is. I am going to take the time right now to explain why that is.

Gilbert's Re-Reincarnation: A (bit over) One-Year, 1,000-mile Review

This was going to be a "Farewell and Safe Travels, Good Gilbert" post but I am thankful to say we will not be parting ways for a long time.

DOPPELGANGERS

Because of shipping taking longer than expected, I have been waiting to write again about my Schwinn 3-speed.  Until then, here is something to keep y'all occupied:

As you may recall (if not, look on the menu to the left), I built myself a heavily modified 1979 Raleigh Superbe at the same time that I was building an also-heavily-modified 1976 Schwinn Varsity for one of my good friends.  Tonight after work, I went to dinner at the Fleetwood Diner as I do sometimes.  I spotted the unmistakable white tail of a classic Raleigh 3-speed across the street as I was waiting for my food. Praying that it didn't move before I finished eating, I kept my eye on the street corner, ready to run out to chat at the sight of the owner unlocking it.

Fortunately, the Raleigh stayed in place.  I made my way over expecting it to be one of the 3-speeds that I've already seen parked around campus.  To my surprise, it was a Superbe, essentially a Sports that came standard with a Dynohub generator, fork lock, and rear rack.  Not only that, but it was the same color as my own! It looked to be an early-mid '70s British model, made when they still came with the Brooks B72 saddle.  The headlight and chain guard were gone, but I hope the owner knows what he or she has.

On top of that, there was a mid '70s Schwinn 10-speed parked right next to the Superbe in the same color as the one I built for my friend.  I didn't feel it right then, but I am now in utter disbelief.  Somewhere in Ann Arbor, there may be another me and another Yoon rolling around on another "bronze green" Raleigh Superbe and another "flamboyant red" Schwinn 10-speed, both from the '70s.  The only major difference is that theirs are almost bone stock and ours are very clearly not.  I stuck a note on the Raleigh saying something along the lines of "Yo, we have the same bike! Are you into bikes too? [...] email me if you wanna chat! Cheers" Fingers crossed that the owner of the Raleigh responds; if he or she is indeed acquainted with the Schwinn's rider, the four of us will have to meet up.

Gilbert Lives Again!

As a recap, my 1979 Raleigh Superbe restomod had been immobile for about a month due to a broken axle.

Well, the folks at Sturmey-Archer were nice enough to give me replacement internals free of charge.  It turns out the people who sold it to me on Amazon were supposed to sell them as replacement parts for the Torker Graduate (which has since switched to derailleur gearing) but did not specify it.  They told me that my hub shouldn't have been warrantied, but they did it anyway.

The Best of Luck

Within a week of completing the Wrench-A-Thon, all three of my bikes fell victim to some rather unfortunate events.

First, one of the nuts on the rear axle of the '58 Sports got stripped.  This is the 1979 wheel and hub it's using, so the right side nut is two pieces rather than one.  I guess I tightened the nut down too hard thinking it would prevent the wheel from slipping forward, as this had been a constant problem ever since I repainted the bike.  The nut actually gave out while I was at work so I had to walk the bike the whole way home.  I ended up replacing the 1979 right side axle nuts with the one-piece 1958 one for the time being.  I think I should order some new ones just to be safe.

Wrench-A-Thon Part 3: 1979 Raleigh Superbe

Finally, updates for the third bike have been completed.  I'm not going to say it (or any of my other project vehicles) is ever done because everybody knows that would be a lie.  I'm just talking about the series of things I've been planning to do as of this spring.

Six Weeks After Groundhog Day

Before I get to the point, I want to present this gem:

Just your average college kid polishing off an entire pizza before heading to a meeting. Finding no other surface in my room on which I could place a super hot pan, I unfolded the basket of the Raleigh Superbe and put the pizza on it.  I like having racks on my bikes for this reason.  Not specifically for pizza pans, but it's surprisingly convenient to have a small table always at my disposal.  On a daily basis, I have a habit of tossing my phone, trouser straps, gloves, or any number of those things onto the rack while I unlock and get ready to ride.  In the warmer months, I'll sit on a concrete berm to have lunch and use the rack as a lunch table, keeping the food a safe distance from the creepy crawlies on the ground.  If I remember correctly, the first time I had done that with the Superbe was just a few hours before the photo above was taken.  Fun stuff.

Raleigh Reflectors!

Image from Lovely Bicycle!

As many bike lovers know, almost all English 3-speeds back in the day came with these cute little "Fairylite" reflectors on the rear fender.  Unfortunately, they seem to have a tendency to disappear.

Complete, As Far As I Know: 1979 Raleigh Superbe

The week I got Gilbert running, extensive road testing began.  

First, though, I had to deal with shifting problems.  That cable clamp in the center of the photo is mounted backwards.  If I used it the right way, it couldn't be clamped hard enough to prevent the cable housing from slipping.  When I tightened it down just enough to keep it still, the housing was crushed and I wasn't able to move the cable.  I decided to free the clamp from its clamping duties and use as just a cable stop.  I have learned that no matter how much money is spent, nothing is guaranteed free of my hackery so I might as well stop counting on "plug and play" kits.  Also, the English white tail had to be painted onto the rear fender.  

That feeling when your bike has a Valentine on Valentine's Day and you don't (kidding, that photo was taken earlier).  

Also, yes, it is locked the wrong way but that was corrected after the photo to the right was taken.  

Gilbert Lives!

After a heavy week at school, I was finally able to relax on Friday afternoon.  Except, I didn't actually relax.  My plan was to do as much work as I possibly could on my Raleigh Superbe and my friend's Schwinn while still getting my other homework done.  Having set aside the entire afternoon for play time, I had lunch at noon and got to work.

The new spokes arrived more than a week ago so I got to work lacing the hubs into the wheels and truing them.  I used the bike as the truing stand and made a jig out of a Cap'n Crunch cereal box (it's my favorite cereal so I have a bunch of those lying around).  I used removable strength Loc-tite in hopes of preventing the nipples from rotating in the recessed spoke holes.

The Suspense: 1979 Raleigh Superbe

Well, after the small amount of work I did yesterday and today, I think the only thing the bike is waiting for is the package of spokes.  Maybe a light bulb, too, but I'll get to that.

I cold-set the frame yesterday.  I had been planning for the longest time to go out and find a 2x4 as suggested in Sheldon Brown's article, I then got the bright idea that this tubing might be soft enough that it didn't need the additional leverage, and I my guess was correct.  I'm willing to bet the new spacing change (front 90 to 100 mm, rear 110 to 130 mm) isn't perfectly symmetrical, which can lead to problems depending on how bad it is.  I think I'll be fine seeing that the unrefined tubing of these bikes is so flexible, anyway.  Tightening the axle nuts would probably result in bending the dropouts to the right position as opposed to bending the axle.  Fingers crossed.

Baby Steps: 1979 Raleigh Superbe

The title says it all: parts have been trickling in and I've been putting together what I can.  Various small things have been assembled and prepared for installation, but until I build the wheels and cold set the frame, none of the stuff can be installed once and for all.

I have decided to put the headlight bracket upside down.  For fear of the bolt gradually loosening and dropping the headlight on the street, I drilled a hole to put a screw in and "made" a lock washer.

Gilbert

Three months ago, I wrote about what I thought would be my ideal commuter bike.  I am excited to say that the project is now underway!

Gilbert is a Raleigh Superbe built in Canada in 1979.  Precisely, the hub was made in July and the frame in October, as the serial number states.  The original Dynohub is also still there and probably in working condition.