1937 Raleigh Popular Roadster

[ChrisEyles]

Having decided I can't bear to part with my 1950s Raleigh Sports, I'm now going to be selling my 1937 Raleigh Popular - a rare chance to own a piece of cycling history!

Will be putting it up on Gumtree/Ebay in a couple of weeks but CC'ers can have first dibs, since I'd really like the bike to go to a good home and I reckon it's got a good chance on here.

Here a few pics I took this afternoon on a little ten mile loop:





It's a lovely old bike - a full-on 28" wheel roadster complete with rod brakes, 3-speed Sturmey Archer hub operated with a rather characterful quadrant shifter, and a smashing dynamo powered headlamp. Perfect for summer pootles along the country lanes with a thermos of tea - the upright posture and stately plush ride make for a really fun change of pace. Given that it's a pre-WWII bike it would also make a smashing ride to bring along to a vintage bike rally!

Bike Details:

Frame size 24" from BB centre to the top of the seat tube
(Good fit for anyone in the size range 5'8" to 6'2" - I am 5'9" and it feels just a touch large)

Gearing is 48t front by 22t rear with 0.75/1.00/1.33 wide range 3-speed SA hub
(I also have a 19t sprocket I can throw in, but that makes the gearing really quite high)

The bike has been fully restored, which entailed the following:

Full frame strip-down, de-rust, and re-paint
BB, headset, pedal, and wheel hub bearings cleaned and re-greased, new brake blocks and chain fitted
"New" wheelset (1960s vintage) with 3-speed SA rear hub and GH-6 front dynohub
1930s quadrant shifter fitted
Front and rear lights fitted

Apart from the wheels, lights, brake blocks, and chain, everything else on the bike is the original 1937 components, which are all in good to very good condition, especially considering the age of the bike.

As I said of my 1950s Sports, I realise a restoration is never quite the same as the original, but in the end I'm glad I went down this route with both of these bikes, and am very pleased with the end results. More details are available in the resto thread I made at the time here:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/1940s-raleigh-rescue-should-i-or-shouldnt-i.168167/

I'd ideally like the buyer to collect from the Exeter area to allow for a test ride (and it's always nice to see that big "new bike smile" when selling someone a bike you've done up), but would consider arranging a courier if that's not possible.

Given the pre-WWII vintage and good condition (and expensive restoration!) I'm looking for somewhere around the £150 mark, but am open to sensible offers.

 

[ChrisEyles]

Here are some close-ups to give you an idea of the condition and detail of the frame and components.

That lovely old heron design chainset The chrome is in pretty good condition - I touched up a couple of rusty patches with silver paint, but this is water soluable so will wash off if you prefer a bit of patina.


Seat tube cluster (with bolt on chainstays!), SA pulley and rear light


1930s quadrant shifter - great fun to use (actually looks much sharper in the flesh than in this pic with the glare)


Terry saddle - one of the springs is broken but still does the job it's intended for!


Bottom bracket cluster, complete with oiling port


The old rod brake pulleys and pivots have some lovely detail on them, and the full mudguards look great too. As I hope this shows, the tyres are in pretty good condition too, though I'm not sure exactly how old these are since they came with the "new" wheelset I bought for the bike.


The front GH-6 dynohub. This is all wired up to the front and back lights and while it runs nice and smooth it doesn't output as much power as it should. It's currently only enough to dimly light up the front and rear bulbs. This could be due to loss of magnetisation, or a fault in the windings - since I keep this bike for sunny rides I haven't worried too much about it.


The 1960s rear AW SA hub - currently with a new 22t sprocket, though I will include the original 19t one with the bike (you'll need legs of steel to use it though!). You can also see the characterful bolt on chainstays, and the lovely old chain tugs here. You'll come to love that tick-tick-tick-tick noise of the hub as you glide along the lanes.


The handlebars are in fantastic condition, and were finished in black enamel rather than chrome due to WWII shortages and blackout precautions! I've also added a 60s bring-bring bell, a must for this sort of bike

 

[ChrisEyles]

If anyone wants to see any other pics or have any more info about the bike, just let me know and I'll get back to you with them!