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.
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