New arrival: 1950 Raleigh Sports

[DCLane]

Bought some time ago but finally collected today this is a vintage Raleigh Sports with 3-speed Sturmey Archer gears and what appears to be a front dynamo wheel.

Took it for an initial test ride and despite the weight it rides well. The wheels need a decent spoke tightening and truing plus new tyres. Also needs a new gear cable plus brake cables as the brakes only sort of work, together with the gear cable only working when pulled up.

Otherwise it's surprisingly good for 67 years old and almost 50 in storage. Some parts were added/changed before sale so it's not original but still usable.

 

[biggs682]

@DCLane that looks great if it rides anything like my similar aged Raleigh then you are in for a treat

 

[DCLane]

Cleaning the Raleigh up I've found a serial number; 958996 P

That, I believe, makes it 1950, not 1951: http://www.kurtkaminer.com/TH_raleigh_serials.html#47

Either way it's slowly being cleaned. The rust is off most of the spokes and the frame/mudguards have the gunk off them. I'm going to need to fit new bearings to the front Dynohub wheel and possibly new spokes to the rear as they're loose and welded in. The wheels will get a metal polish and then new tyres/tubes.

The front gear-change wouldn't work because a) the cable was frayed and b) the Sturmey Archer shifter was broken. New shifter and gear cable/outer inner plus connecting parts are now awaiting fitting.

The bottom lip of the front mudguard has lost a little of the edge - I'm left with either fitting a mudflap or re-building it. Re-building would mean re-painting the mudguard, which I'm loathe to do. 'Patina' is the theme here; I won't be going full re-paint and re-build.

All I need now is a vintage-style saddle to add to the frame.

 

[Ian H]

Beware dismantling Sturmy dynohubs. Taking them apart without a 'keeper' to preserve the magnets leads to permanent loss of electrons.

 

[DCLane]

Beware dismantling Sturmy dynohubs. Taking them apart without a 'keeper' to preserve the magnets leads to permanent loss of electrons.

Yep - aware of that, although I'm not sure yet whether it still works. I'll be following the guidance in this video very carefully:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SnEkpU0YeU

The front wheel's now cleaned and ready for new bearings, the frame's cleaned and new Sturmey Archer shifter fitted in the correct place. Now need the rear wheel sorting, gear cable, possibly brake cables and new tyres.

 

[biggs682]

Yep - aware of that, although I'm not sure yet whether it still works. I'll be following the guidance in this video very carefully:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SnEkpU0YeU

The front wheel's now cleaned and ready for new bearings, the frame's cleaned and new Sturmey Archer shifter fitted in the correct place. Now need the rear wheel sorting, gear cable, possibly brake cables and new tyres.

@DCLane is the fr hub 32 spoke ? if so got a couple of nice old Campagnolo 32 hole hubs

 

[DCLane]

@DCLane is the fr hub 32 spoke ? if so got a couple of nice old Campagnolo 32 hole hubs

Yes - 32 spokes front and rear. The front is in a decent state apart from the braking edge so I'm hoping the hub is OK. The rear has lots of loose welded spokes.

 

[DCLane]

Five spokes and a 32 x 597 rear tyre fitted today. Plus more cleaning of the frame. I've also fitted a Sturmey Archer gear cable which is waiting for the back wheel to be fitted. Also some new steel-wheel brake pads were fitted, with the outgoing ones being at least 40 years old. Front and rear mudflaps were added, along with an vintage hard plastic saddle I had. Oh, and a horn.

Beware dismantling Sturmy dynohubs. Taking them apart without a 'keeper' to preserve the magnets leads to permanent loss of electrons.

This evening I've been very, very carefully dismantling the dynohub. The result: fully cleaned and greased with new bearings AND working

The downside? It's not a 26 x 1 1/4 front wheel, it's a 26 x 1 3/8 dynohub front = a 37 x 590mm tyre needed rather than a 32 x 597. So an extra tyre's been ordered.

Still a new chain to fit, along with front tyre plus greasing the rear wheel. Then connecting everything. Once that's done I'll add some new photos.

 

[biggs682]

Sounds like it is coming together nicely

 

[DCLane]

With the new Gitane arrival, plus a new TT bike and a possible track bike I need to make some space. After today's Tour de Ossett ride for Yorkshire Air Ambulance it's time for the Raleigh to find a new owner.

So, onto eBay it goes: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163841662713

 

[Paulus]

That's a nice bike, shame you have to sell it. Hope someone gives it a good home.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

That's a nice bike, shame you have to sell it. Hope someone gives it a good home.

No-one has to sell an old bike like this, it's just a question of which ones you prioritise owning in your fleet. The start price is cheap considering it's a good quality Raleigh and it's had some time & money spent sorting it out. Sadly, I have my doubts it will sell that well, as it's not a piece of garish modern plastic and fewer and fewer riders seem to appreciate proper bikes that were built to last.

 

[biggs682]

Seeing this has reminded me that i have a very similar machine in the garage that hasn't seen tarmac in 2019

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Seeing this has reminded me that i have a very similar machine in the garage that hasn't seen tarmac in 2019

Time to get the cobwebs off and give it a spin then. I've been clocking up a few miles on my old Puch 3-speed roadster, and although very much a low end bike when new, it's still a good ride. The worst thing is Puch cut corners on their chrome plating, which doesn't hold up as well as something like a Raleigh or Hercules 3-speed. Ride quality from the gas pipe frame is still fine though.

 

[DCLane]

Provisionally sold on eBay and I've offered to deliver the bike for free as it's near-ish.