Intro.....my humble roots, with some Riv content

[LLM]

HI, I'm Linda of Albany, NY.  I've posted a few times here and have enjoyed reading for several months.  This is a longish post that serves as a bit of an introduction to where I'm coming from.

I pre-ordered a Clem L-Style complete this spring in-between hip replacement surgeries.  The Clem will take the place of my Surly Disk Trucker, which I will probably sell.  Dreaming about riding a bike again after 2 years of not being able was a great source of inspiration and hope for me.  Two weeks after the second surgery (early May), and with help from a curb at the side of a parking lot, I climbed back on my 1970 Fleetwing English 3-speed to enjoy an exhilaratingly pain-free ride.  (There will hopefully be a photo of the bike sporting my new MultiSack and a Wald Folding Basket.)

The Fleetwing came to me almost unused when I was in my early teens.  I proceeded to ride the snot out of the bike, logging well over 1000 miles over the 3-4 mile stretch of country roads I had permission from my mom to ride.  There was a long hill about 1/4 mile from my house that I would fly down over and over again just for the thrill of going as fast as I could.  My father surprised me 5 years ago when he pulled the old bike out from under a tarp and asked me if I'd like to take it  It was like a reunion with an old friend.

The bike clearly needed some work.  My prior experience was limited to tire changes and minor adjustments.  Fortunately, a Google search took me straight to Sheldon's page on "Servicing English Three-Speeds."  He gives the Fleetwing a one-line mention:

"Fleetwing - A house brand of Boston's Jordan Marsh department store chain."

The woman who passed the bike to me was a personal friend of the wife of the owner of Jordan Marsh.  I believe it was a Phillips model that Raleigh continued to build after swallowing Phillips.  The Fleetwing has the characteristic Raleigh dropouts (according to Sheldon) and wacky Raleigh threading.

Sheldon's site gave me the assurance I needed that the bike was worth fixing.  So I learned about cottered cranks and got a cottered crank tool from BIkesmith on my way to the busted bottom bracket.    I think I ordered Phil Wood bearing grease from Rivendell.  Got new bearings and assorted tools from my LBS.  A set of Panaracer Col de le Vies didn't fit under the fenders.  A set of Continental World Tours did.  I added transmission fluid to the Sturmey Archer hub; eventually the pawls started ticking again.  My first test ride put a familiar big smile on my face.

Sometime later, after my first terrifying attempt to stop the bike going downhill in the rain, I sprung for a new set of alloy wheels from Harris that included a modern SA 3-speed Hub.  At the same time, I upgraded the brakes to some long-reach Tektro side-pulls.  To make room for the modern hub, I spread the rear dropouts Sheldon-style, with a caliper, a long 2x4, a chair and patience.  It worked.  Outside of a slightly bent front fork which made the front end twitchy, I ended up with a great city bike.  A couple of months ago, in the course of conversation with Jeffrey Ferris of "Ferris Wheels" in Boston, Jeff offered to look at the fork ("We are an old school shop with old school tools and old school skills!").  The fork couldn't be saved, but a shiny new chrome fork has resolved all of the handling challenges.  Handling has risen to a new level of importance now that I have a mid-range Subaru's worth of fancy hardware (not counting cost of installation) where my hip joints used to be!

One of my goals at the outset of the Fleetwing project was to learn enough about bikes to be able to make an informed decision about purchasing a new bike.  I ended up with the Surly.  The Clem L-Style is an obvious successor.  While I wait to hear from RBW that they are shipping my new bike to me, I continue to pedal around town on my first bicycle love, the Fleetwing.

[René Sterental]

Great story Linda!!!

Hope you get your new Clem shortly but continue to ride and care for that first love!

René 

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[Patrick Moore]

Your exploits sound like those of Flavia Sabina de Luce (long "a" -- British pron, not the Latin one): 

Until I rescued her from rusty oblivion, my trusty old three-speed BSA Keep Fit had languished for years in a toolshed among broken flowerpots and wooden wheelbarrows. Like so many other things at Buckshaw, she had once belonged to Harriet, who had named her l’Hirondelle: “the swallow.” I had rechristened her Gladys.

Glady’s tires had been flat, her gears bone dry and crying out for oil, but with her own onboard tire pump and black leather tool bag behind her seat, she was entirely self-sufficient. With Dogger’s help, I soon had her in tiptop running order.

— pg. 72-73 (The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sweetness_at_the_Bottom_of_the_Pie

On Sun, Jul 24, 2016 at 8:15 PM, LLM <mccr...@gmail.com> wrote:

HI, I'm Linda of Albany, NY.  I've posted a few times here and have enjoyed reading for several months.  This is a longish post that serves as a bit of an introduction to where I'm coming from.

snip

[dougP]

Linda:

Great story & thanks for the background.  Welcome to an eclectic group of cyclists.  Ride reports & photos are always welcome.  Please be sure to post pix of your new bike with it arrives. 

dougP

[Evan E.]

Welcome, Linda! Great story about your Fleetwing. Please do post pics of (and stories about) your Clem when you receive it.

Evan

[Michael Hechmer]

Wonderful.  Back to riding and a childhood friend returned.  Beautiful.  When I read it I did wonder a bit why you didn't simply put an 8 or 9 speed hub?  Nostalgia or a desire to be true to the bikes history I guessed?

Michael

[Shoji Takahashi]

Linda,

I love this story! You're of Albany NY, but have bike-work with Boston roots. Hope to cross bike paths with you in the Boston area on that Fleetwing or Clem.

Tailwinds,

shoji

On Sunday, July 24, 2016 at 10:15:07 PM UTC-4, LLM wrote:

[LeahFoy]

Just the flavor of romantic tale I love to read! I can't wait for you to get your Clem L and regal us with ALL the photos and ALL the words. I rode my mother-in-law's new Clementine on vacation this summer and it was a delight in every sense of the word. May yours be just the same.

[LLM]

Wow!  Thanks so much for the warm welcome and positive feedback.  I'm glad folks enjoyed the story.  I will post pics of the new Clem-L when I can.  If I can track down the pics I took of the newly opened Fleetwing bottom bracket with bits of hay from the barn we parked the bikes in when I was a kid, I will post them, too!

-Linda 

[LLM]

Hi Patrick,

This sounds like a mystery series to track down!  I couldn't hold a candle to Ms. Flavia - though oddly enough, I ended up a chemist.  When I was eleven I wanted to be Harriet the Spy.

Thanks for the book tip!

Linda

[LLM]

Hi Michael,

For me, part of the magic of the English 3-speed is in the trigger shifter!  I like the simplicity of the 3-speed, and find the range acceptable - though I did change to a bigger cog in the back to make it more amenable to the hills we have around here as well as to the stop and go of city riding.  Also, Harris Cyclery offers the wheels with the hub at a reasonable price.  It was easy!

Linda

On Monday, July 25, 2016 at 6:58:20 AM UTC-4, Michael Hechmer wrote:

Wonderful.  Back to riding and a childhood friend returned.  Beautiful.  When I read it I did wonder a bit why you didn't simply put an 8 or 9 speed hub?  Nostalgia or a desire to be true to the bikes history I guessed?

Michael

<snip>

[LLM]

Hi Shoji,

I was born in Boston and still have many roots and memories there!  The 1000+ miles I put on the Fleetwing as a teen were on 3 roads in Norfolk, MA, where I did most of my growing up.  I ended up at Ferris Wheels in Jamaica Plain because they carry Brooklyn Bicycle Co. bikes.  Their Willow 3 and 7 were on my short list when I was shopping for a step-through.  (Grant P. gave BBC bicycle design advice, which impressed me.  In the end, I opted to pay more and get the "real thing"!)  I thought I was going to have to turn the Fleetwing into wall art until I talked to Jeffrey Ferris, and then....well, you know the story!

I want to check out the new bikeway around Boston sometime.  Maybe we can make it a Riv outing.  :-)

Linda

On Monday, July 25, 2016 at 9:33:29 AM UTC-4, Shoji Takahashi wrote:

Linda,

I love this story! You're of Albany NY, but have bike-work with Boston roots. Hope to cross bike paths with you in the Boston area on that Fleetwing or Clem.

Tailwinds,

shoji

<snip> 

[Patrick Moore]

The series is rather cute, as with the Mma Precious Ramotswe series set in Botswana (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency), but I like them; both are well written, and a nice change from Lee Child!

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[RichS]

Linda:

Welcome and thank you for such a delightful intro. Your Fleetwing is a sweet looking mixte. I admire the passion you have for it and the commitment you've made to keep it rolling.

Be warned though. One Riv can lead to another! Hope you enjoy your Clem as much as the Fleetwing!

Best regards,
Richard

[LLM]

Found it!  My first look at the the inside of the Fleetwing bottom bracket and spindle.  My youngest sister thinks she dropped the bits of hay down through the seat tube way back when.  She has also admitted to 'pretending the water hose was connected to a gas pump and 'filling 'er up'.

The plastic spacers were the source of failure of the bottom bracket.  I removed them and back-filled with new bearings and fresh Phil Wood bearing grease.

[Deacon Patrick]

Ahhhh! The stories that come out when we care for lovely things! I love it!

With abandon,

Patrick