199?'s Stratos Speedster

[Mark Manley]

One of the nice things about the Alfine is it takes any 3 lug gear hub sprocket from Sturmey, Shimano or Sachs/Sram and others, I am currently running the offset 24 tooth Sachs 3/32" wide sprocket that gives a nice 42mm chainline. I believe Sturmey made a 26 tooth that takes 1/8" chain so the gearing choices really very wide.

I have not seen an SA sprocket bigger than 24T but do have a Sram the same fitting that is 25T

I am surprised no one asked what inspired this build, the answer is the 1948 R.R.A.

Like my Alfine hubbed Raleigh Royal.

 

[Blackbike]

Canti mounts on a track fork too tight for a caliper is inspired. What bar tape have you used there?

Hi Jonny69,
Thank you for the compliment and as you noted canti's were my only choice.
The bar tape is Selle Italia SMOOTAPE as printed on the box. The price on Amazon was marked down to $20 a kit, I bought three kits.
It's nice tape, it has a silicone strip on the back of the tape that is easy to peel off cleanly, the leather is quite strong and durable as I have been hauling around a 4 inch long piece of this bar tape in my pocket with my keys for a week and the finnish is intact with no visible wear or discoloration.
Also Scotch 35 red vinyl electrical tape is a perfect color match.

https://flic.kr/p/2qBAdaY

https://flic.kr/p/2qBAdbe

https://flic.kr/p/2qBzoy8

Merry Christmas: Mike

 

[Blackbike]

I have not seen an SA sprocket bigger than 24T but do have a Sram the same fitting that is 25T



Like my Alfine hubbed Raleigh Royal.

View attachment 911778

Hi Mark,
Could have been a typo or a limited production part, it popped up during a web search for Sturmey Archer cogs. I said I believe and that does not make it fact, so who knows...
I do like the Alfine 11, a very flexible piece of gear it works well for a very diverse group of riders from a variety of disciplines, I enjoy that the hub is almost silent.
What a wonderful Royal, it presents very nicely and exhibits excellent workmanship
Beautiful fender lines, are the fenders Velo Orange? I went almost mad fitting Honjo fenders to my Bob Jackson World Tour still a work in progress

https://flic.kr/p/2quPrfR

Have a wonderful christmas holiday: Mike

 

[Mark Manley]

Beautiful fender lines, are the fenders Velo Orange?

Hi Mike,
Thank you yes most of the parts are VO which I find nicely made for a fairly reasonable price, very nice Bob Jackson.

 

[Blackbike]

On the topic of 26 tooth Sturmey Archer unicorn cogs... I finally found the listing where I saw it, and here it is.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/285451146895




: Mike

 

[Blackbike]

The long hunt for a very early 70's 27.2 3TTT Record seatpost in decent condition for the Stratos ended last night with the purchase of this NOS in the box item out of Germany (the cost was reasonable). It's a period correct match for the 3TTT adjustable stem that's installed. There really is a Santa... WOOT.




Merry Christmas and may all your holiday wishes come true: Mike

 

[fiveSixteenths]

Amazing!

 

[RetroDavy]

This is a fantastic build. I love the contrasts throughout - the canti brakes and Alfine hub on the track frame, sealed black primer finish on a bike full of top notch parts... Just all brilliant stuff.

 

[Blackbike]

This is a fantastic build. I love the contrasts throughout - the canti brakes and Alfine hub on the track frame, sealed black primer finish on a bike full of top notch parts... Just all brilliant stuff.

Thank you so much for the kind words.
What made this build a natural was the Alfine 11 with a offset Fichtel & Sachs 24 tooth cog installed has a chain line of 42mm, a track standard chain line so track standard cranks are a natural choice.
Spreading the frame to 135mm from 120mm was a bit exciting but that went well. So really not that hard to do.

Have A Great Holiday: Mike