My commuter bike that I used all through college (a couple decades ago - never mind....) has a 1967 vintage S-5 five-speed Sturmey hub with double triggers.
I built it up on a "B-grade" Raleigh 3-speed frameset that had had been painted with a brush using grey housepaint (bought the complete bike for $7.50 at Salvation Army). I subsequently had it stripped and repainted with Imron by Mike Appel with "leftover paint" (we called it Team Grey - everything that was left over at the end of the day was mixed together, creating sort of an Anthracite Grey metallic) for $30!!!
I set it up with gearing that gives me about a 50-100 gear-inch range (approx.) and used to regularly draft behind city buses at close to 30 mph! I still have and love the bike - it has Super Champ Model 58 40-hole rims in 700C, a Campy-NR-copy Sakae crankset & BB, aluminum bar/stem setup, and ESGE full fenders.
Regards,
Greg "steel and Sturmey rule" Parker Ann Arbor, MI USA
In a message dated 1/2/2003 1:47:17 PM Eastern Standard Time, classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org writes:
<< Tom, I'm basically using this same setup for my commuter bike and I think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread! I've done a few loaded tours on the bike and I enjoy the simplicity of the Sturmey hub - but sometimes find myself wishing for more (=lower) gears in the hilly areas. I can't tell that the bike is that much more inefficient than any other lightweight in my stable. Granted, it does feel slightly sluggish, but that could be all in my head. I guess it is all what you get use to.... The Sturmey will certainly ride differently than a derailleur, but after a while it just becomes second nature. Cheers, Byron Morton Nashville, TN
--- thomas g witkop <tomwitkop@juno.com> wrote:
> Dear Byron,
>
> Sorry, I am unable to help you identify the bicycle
> but it sounds very
> interesting. I have wanted to do the same thing-how
> does it ride
> compared to a derailleur bicycle? My experience
> with three speed
> internal hubs is there is a sluggish feelings but I
> have never had one of
> those hubs attached to a lightweight rim. What are
> your impressions?
> Best wishes for the new year.
>
> Tom Witkop
> Rockville, Maryland
>
> On Tue, 31 Dec 2002 06:25:57 -0800 (PST) Byron
> Morton
> <koga_miyata2002@yahoo.com> writes:
> > Greetings all,
> > I recently picked up a "Londoner" bike and was
> > wondering if anyone had any informaton on this
> brand.
> > Here's the details....Reynolds 531c decal on frame
> > (plain 531 decal on forks). Single "Londoner"
> decal on
> > down-tube and round (yellow & red) decal on
> seat-tube
> > "Supplied by the London Bicycle Co." Long-point
> lugs
> > with diamond-shaped cutouts, single eyelets on
> > dropouts, Shimano SE horizontal rear dropiuts
> > w/derailleur hanger. Sloping fork crown and lamp
> > braze-on on right fork blade. Under BB cable
> guides.
> > 26.8 seatpost.
> > Currently equipped with 27" wheels and Sturmey
> Archer
> > AW rear hub (dated 1980).
> > My guess would put it somewhere in the 80's since
> the
> > Reynolds decals are the same as the decals on my
> '82
> > Trek. I'm also guessing it might be a "house
> brand"
> > for a shop - possibly in England???
> > Any thoughts?
> > Many thanks in advance,
> > Byron Morton
> > Nashville, TN
> > >>