Conference noted::bicycle

I agree - nothing wrong with a small number of well placed gears! I have a 
1964 Moulton Deluxe that uses a Sturmey Archer 4 speed FW hub. I found that I 
could use a Shimano 12 tooth sprocket, extracted from an old 7 speed freewheel, 
by suitably grinding down the splines to match the three of the hub. This was 
required because the Moulton has 16" wheels and you need either a small sprocket
or a dinner-plate chainwheel!

In addition the sprockets fit a 3/32" chain and, I am told, that you should be
able to get two, plus a spacer, on the S/A hub. Thus you could have, say, a 14 
and 21 tooth sprocket with a cheap derailier and double the range of your gears.
You can also use a modern chainset. 

Is the Shimano sprocket that you have 3/32" or 1/8"? Whats the smallest size they
make?

John (this was my first notes entry!)

    I don't have my catalog with me but the smallest sprocket is not that
    small; probably 16 or 18 teeth. The mounting hole itself is pretty big.
    The Shimano gear appears to be a bit thinner than the SA version, but
    the snap ring that holds it on seemed to take up the slack. It doesn't
    wobble, at least.
    
    I don't think you could get two sprockets on there. On mine there is a
    dust shield, a spacer (about 1/8"), the sprocket, and another spacer
    before the retaining clip. You might be able to put the two spacers in
    between a pair of sprockets.
    
    Probably you would want to have two close sizes if you wanted to try
    the two-sprocket theory. The spacing of the internal hub is pretty
    wide. 2nd gear is direct, and I think that 3rd is 1.25 and 1st is .67.
    If you used say an 18 and a 19 it might work. Best to work out the
    ratios...
    
    I'll stick with my three gears!
    
    Doug.

>>    The spacing of the internal hub is pretty wide.

I nominate that as The Understatement Of The Year.  Personally I hold the 
original Sturmey WA responsible for making yer average Joe think that cycling 
is hard.  As you say, middle is direct, top is +25% and bottom -33% (or maybe 
the other way round).  This meant you got 1 gear you could ride on the flat 
and 2 gears which were totally useless.

Even worse, once the cable broke, as it does on all work-bikes, and was never 
replaced, the poor guy was left trolling along with a gear that would make 
Big Mig's eyes pop out.

At one time, they brought out close ratio hubs which were something like + & 
- 5% (ie: about 1 tooth on the back) but only the racers used them which 
meant a small market and therefore no market.  Anyone think this looks like 
the precursor to the 42/52 x 12-19 stock racing market scenario??

    I distinctly remember as a kid riding around on my English 3 speed, I'm
    pretty sure it was a Sturmy Archer, and seeing these new fangled 10
    speeds from France.  My first though was what a waste of gears.  I had
    low, medium, and high.  What else do you need? ... as I ride on my
    carbon fiber 16 speed.
    
    Note Tim ... this was not a complaint!
    -L

    Ahh, Sturmey-Archer hubs.  Right now I've got about 20 English
    3-speeds:  Triumphs, Raleighs, Dunelts, and Robin Hoods from about
    1938 to 1971.  I love these things and can't pass them up.
    Over the winter I came across a Raleigh with a S-A 3-speed hub with 
    2 freewheels and a derailluer (sp). The bike was built in 1955.
    
    And last night I just sold one of the world's ugliest bikes.  It
    also had a S-A 3-speed hub.  The bike:
    (Shoot, I forget how to put a <ff> in here)..
    
    Anyway, it was a 1973 Raleigh Chopper!
    
    -Vin

  >>>Anyway, it was a 1973 Raleigh Chopper!
    
    
    I *really* wanted one of those as a child.  I'm glad my parents had the
    good taste to not buy me one...

Fortunately in 1973 I was old enough to have a _real_ bike ...

-1 Me too, but I started working here that year :-).

   Chip

    I looked in detail at the hub and chainwheel on my Triumph, and found
    that it has 48 teeth and that the ratios are 0.75 and 1.33. With a 22
    tooth sprocket my ratios are:
    
    1 - 42.5"
    2 - 56.7"
    3 - 75.4"
    
    These work well for casual riding.
    
    Doug.

    From rags to riches: I just got another 3-speed. This one's a "girl's"
    frame (what's the PC way to say that?) Raleigh which cost me $3. How can
    people give up such treasures??? Two questions:
    
    1. What's the difference between a Raleigh and a Triumph? They look
    identical to me, down to the lugs, except for the front forks.
    
    2. Is it possible to somehow refurbish an old Brooks leather saddle?
    The new bike has a nice women's springer seat but the leather is in
    tough shape. Does Brooks still exist? I suppose if they do their seats
    probably cost $100 now...
    
    Doug.

Raleigh certainly do still exist as part of TI and I think Brooks is also a 
part.  Our UK friends could give you a location, but the web page given to me 
by Steve Fuller (www.tandemseast.com) listed Brooks saddles, with prices 
which is probably more useful to you in the US.  As for Triumph/Raleigh etc. 
it is most certainly badge-engineering.

In the good ole days, you could get leather saddles "re-blocked" which meant 
they went back on the last and were given a good blast of heat and steam 
before being put back on their original frame.  I suspect this procedure 
would now cost about 3 times that of a new saddle!!

BTW, you could say an "open" frame if you are really into not offending all 
the PC loonies (now is my frame "coloured" or just plain "black"  ??)

The correct esoterica is mixte frame. nnttm

    Actullay it's probably a "Step-through" frame.  A Mixte frame is a
    whole nother animal that is a compromise between a diamond frame and a
    step-through.  On a mixte there are two thin tubes going from where the
    top tube would start, past the seat tube, and to the rear dropouts.
    
    Rich

I believe that all contemporary references refer to the mixte as the
"girl's" frame. At least in the mags I read.

    What is wrong with the saddle?  Is it badly cracked or just warped?
    I've repaired many leather Brooks saddles simply by:
      1) soaking them in water for a few days
      2) binding them with plastic ties (rope might work, but might stain
         the saddle)
      3) sun drying for a few days
      4) oiling
    
    

    The leather saddle is badly cracked. The frame is fine, but I'm afraid
    that if anybody put their weight on the center of the leather part it
    would break. I have some old leather grease around somewhere which I'll
    try. It's not a big deal, just a shame to see such a beauty in lousy
    condition...