Tom:
>From your location in Kansas I guess that climbing steep hills is not a big
concern of yours.
If you can tolerate a somewhat narrow overall gear range, I suggest leaving the narrow rear alone and using a Sturmey AM or FM (or AC or ASC). I have an Italvega with an FM (just using some spacers between the locknuts and dropouts to fit into the 120mm rear) that is an absolute joy to ride. Great handling, no-hassle shifting, three fairly-close ratios with a lower bailout gear, and, of course, the pleasure of confounding people on modern bikes who are clueless about what it is I'm riding. (I recently had someone ask if my 1970 Hetchins was CF!!)
David Bean
Arlington, MA USA
beandk at are-see-enn dot com