CSA 6 Speed Auto-Bike "Classic"

Hello and Welcome.
I remember the TV infomercial but this is my first encounter with the CSA Auto Bike. A strange little bird indeed.

If those shorty fenders look familiar, they are. I originally used them on the Physio-Phat. But with the balloon tires there was almost no clearance. So I used them to brighten-up this very plain bike.

I replaced the original non adjustable "all black plastic looking" brake levers with these ATB brake levers. Not only an improvement technically but much better looking too. They are from my collection of salvaged parts. The original cable barrel adjuster for the front brake cable was pure rust. So I replaced it with a salvaged one. Also the brake cables were replaced with new Jag Wire Basics brake cables. I did re-use the original cable housings. Each housing received a few drops of clear oil before inserting the new cables.

There was no water bottle cage on the bike, only two rusty button top screws. I added this Schwinn water bottle cage, again to brighten up the bike a little. I don`t know about you, but I do not ride anywhere without water or Gatorade or Ice tea.

The original saddle was badly scuffed and ripped in one corner. So I replaced it with this salvaged Fuji comfort bicycle saddle. It took a little cleaning, but other than that it is in fine condition.

The original kick-stand was the cheapest type. The type you would find on the cheapest of department Store Bikes. I replaced it with this salvaged Greenfield kickstand.

I made this guide /guard to keep the kick-stand away from the Auto-Shift mechanism. I used a generic clamp that was left-over from some long ago project and a piece left over from a rear bicycle rack installation kit. And my family wonders why I never throw anything away. hah! The piece of the guard that hangs down is slightly bent inward towards the wheel. This prevents the kick-stand from accidentally going to the inside of the guard.

The guard works like a charm! And the cost was zero, right in my price-range :)

I decided Not to clean the front derailleur and Not to replace the derailleur cables. I have a very good reason for this. There is no front derailleur and there are no derailleur cables. Only this auto-shift mechanism you see above. I`ll try to explain how this thing works.

As you probably guessed The Auto Shift works by centrifugal force. As the wheel spins faster, the weights A B&C move move outwards sliding down the two spokes (marked with circle and cross) that pass through each of the weights. As this happens each weight pulls a Rod (labeled) with equal force. Each rod pulls a lever that forces a piston of sorts to push the Pie-Plate with equal force in three spots. The Pie-Plate pushes the derailleur till it moves to the next gear. As the wheel goes faster it pushes to the next gear. As the wheel slows, the weights move inward (due to less centrifugal force) and the process is reversed.

You will need to left click on the image to read this diagram. (A) Is where the rod connects to the lever mechanism. (B)Is where I think the lever that connects to the rod is hinged.(C)Is the cylinder that I think the piston slides in and out depending on the wheel going faster or slowing down. As you can no doubt tell, I am guessing at how this works exactly. I was unable to locate a break down or diagram. But I think I have a fair understanding of how this works.

If you are wondering how well this all works. I can tell you this. Once I had it all cleaned-up nicely with Clean-Streak. And then gave it a generous coating of Tri-Flo. It seemed to work pretty good. I did notice, You really need to get cranking at a good rate before it reacts. Although I did also notice it was more responsive when clean and lubed. And the best testimony I can offer is this. The couple who purchased it already have one they have owned for years. I think for occasional use in clean conditions (no dirt) Hey, I can see this bike working for some people.

Here is a road bike that I hope is going to work out nicely for me. This is a vintage 58cm MotoBecane Nomade. You gotta left click on this pic. The paint and graphics are unbelievable! I think if I hide it when people come around maybe I can manage to hang onto this one. This will be my third MotoBecane restoration and the fourth one I have owned. They are not letting me work much during this heat-wave but hopefully it will cool off enough for me to get some more work done. I got a bunch of work done during the last cool down. Yesterday I over did it working in the afternoon sun. And my legs have been hurting all day. Oh well, So it goes..
Until next time Ride Safe and remember to always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE.
Cheers,Hugh

P.S. I`m not sure how I forgot to mention this but. The Auto-Bike has a front free-wheel. Which makes sense if you think about it. Especially during sudden down hill accelerations and panic stops.

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