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1948 Raleigh Sports Model Rebuild with slight conundrum
Started working on a 1948 Raleigh yesterday and have run into a slight conundrum as to what to do about the wheelset. But first:
As purchased https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0b85a033_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ffa4ff1e_c.jpg What caught my eye was the general patina and what I though, was a complete, but mixed bag bike. I have dated the frame to 1948 by the serial, which conforms to convention 2 at the Headbadge site:Raleigh Serial Numbers & Charts https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...68df0380_c.jpg And by this City of Vancouver registration decal from the same year https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...62716b39_c.jpg What also caught my eye was the (not original) Bendix 2 speed coaster brake hub which is sort of a cool oddity. It works. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c250b127_c.jpg My plan is to clean the frame and protect the patina as is and maybe convert it to a more path style look. Stripped the main components off and washed the frame and rims with Dawn dish soap. So far so good https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...26a07f3a_c.jpg Gently peeled away this old decal with an exacto knife. Good. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a30f8c52_c.jpg Began reviving the old saddle (plus another) by heating in the oven and applying coats of mink oil to soak in. Still good https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b66a6cc5_c.jpg Even found two donor bike sources, a 1970's Sports and old Raleigh folder, for period looking brakes and replacement pedals (one original is slightly bent). Still good. Took off the old 26x1.25 tires and decided to put some 26x1.75 tan wall Pasela's on to see how they looked. Could not mount them on the rear. Do tires shrink??? Double checked the old tires - yep, 26". Decided to measure the rims. The rear is actually 27"! Makes sense in one way as the rear Bendix hub is obviously from a different bike but somehow fits an old loose 26" tire. Uggh... The problem is either reusing the old tires which I don't want to do as they are semi rotted or matching a 27" rear tire and a 26" front (which is the actual size). Or... abandoning the Bendix hub on this bike and installing a very nice wheelset from the 70's era Sports. Beautiful condition, everything works and chrome not pitted or rusted. Next problem - the hub is actually a Shimano 3 speed, not Sturmey Archer, yet it has an SA trigger. Somehow the 48 and donor both have oddball drive trains. I can't decide what to do between the two choices short term until a period correct solution comes along. I could bite the bullet and try my hand at rebuilding a 26" wheelset using the hub I suppose. |
Wheels should be 26x1-3/8" ISO 590.
What's the ISO size of the tires you're trying to mount? Decimal-sized ISO 559 will never fit. -Kurt |
Learning something new every day.
They are 559. Just read up about the older 590 650a designation. Never thought about it as I assumed 26" was 26". Thanks :) |
Originally Posted by Happy Feet
(Post 21162595)
Learning something new every day.
They are 559. Just read up about the older 590 650a designation. Never thought about it as I assumed 26" was 26". Thanks :) One golden rule of thumb when dealing with bicycle tires: Never take any conventional measurement at face value - measured, claimed, stamped, or molded. Given time, tire size will become second nature, but the ISO number is the size to follow if you want to avoid confusion. -Kurt |
One other possibility — do the tires say “26 x 1.25” or do they actually say “26 x 1 1/4”? The latter is yet another wheel size with a 597mm bead seat diameter. I’d be interested to know what the rim stamps say. :)
EDIT: Dangit, Kurt beat me to the punch! |
Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
(Post 21162646)
One other possibility — do the tires say “26 x 1.25” or do they actually say “26 x 1 1/4”? The latter is yet another wheel size with a 597mm bead seat diameter. I’d be interested to know what the rim stamps say. :)
EDIT: Dangit, Kurt beat me to the punch! The tires look like the balloony type 597's that you'd get on a Schwinn (rather than the narrow, racing 597's of an EA1 tire). Yet, the rear rim looks a lot wider than an EA3 or EA1 Endrick, and the front wheel looks like a generic aluminum MTB/beach cruiser rim. I can't quite make out the hub, but it also looks like some generic cruiser hub rather than the really small flange of a Raleigh hub. Can we have some closeups of the rims? Any markings on them? I haven't tried shoving a 559 rim in a Raleigh Sports in a while to see what the combo looks like - although I seem to remember they'd appear a lot smaller than these do. Still, that also looks like a fairly large brake drop... -Kurt |
Boy, you can tell a lot from a photo!
Too late to take pics tonight but... No markings on either rim set. The front is a regular mtb 26" rim, hence my idea that the Pasela's might fit. The rear Bendix tire is 26 x 1 3/4 Raleigh Gold Dot, made in the USA. No ISO. The more I think about it the more I'm inclined to keep this wheel until I find another project for it. The mix match rim sizes and resultant tires isn't the look I'm going for. If I found a similar front rim I might change my mind but I'm trying to downsize donor bikes, not add to them :) The replacement wheelset has matching rims 26x1 3/8 Dunlop Gold Seal tires, made in Canada. No ISO but it says EA3 rim. For those I've looked online at some Panaracer Col de la Vie 650a Randonee in 26x1 3/8 tan walls. The chrome is in amazing shape, if only it weren't a Shimano hub :( |
Originally Posted by Happy Feet
(Post 21162674)
The front is a regular mtb 26" rim, hence my idea that the Pasela's might fit.
The rear Bendix tire is 26 x 1 3/4 Raleigh Gold Dot, made in the USA. No ISO. Your front wheel is ISO 559. An MTB wheel. Belongs on a MTB or cruiser, not this frame, unless you're planning a restomod. If your plans were to take off the coasterbrake too, there are very few calipers that would reach it anyway (Tektro's big beach cruiser dual pivots just might). Your rear wheel, given the width and the coaster brake (I had taken it for granted there was a Sturmey back there, not a Shimano 3CCC), might be a Schwinn S-6 rim or period S-6 replacement - ISO 597, a.k.a. 26x1-3/4". Even though it uses a different fractional measurement, this rim has the same effective diameter (and ISO value) as an EA1 rim - but EA1 rims and tires are fairly narrow like EA3's. S-6/26x1-3/4" tires and rims are not, and generally don't even fit well (is there any rubbing on the inside of the stays? I bet there is). If that explanation doesn't make sense, look at this chart, then re-read the paragraph:
As for your Raleigh Gold Dot tire, since it is marked 26x1-3/4", it was probably sold as an aftermarket replacement for Schwinn S-6 applications. These tires were probably marketed 15-20 years after EA1 had fell out of favor, so it's not an unreasonable possibility that Raleigh marketed tires to fit the competition. -Kurt P.S.: I happen to have a pair of EA3 Westrick rims for sale from a 1970's Raleigh. Front also has a GH6 Dynohub in it. IIRC though, you're in Canada, right? If so, no real value in shipping them - and at the speed you find these things, you'll probably be able to pick up a bike for donor rims pretty quick. |
Thank you Kurt :)
Gotta say, this is what I like about this hobby. As well as an outlet for my physical, artistic and (meager) mechanical skills, every time I tuck into a new rebuild I learn something new about bicycle history. |
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