Velognome 

I think they must be trying harder is all

nlerner

^ Or maybe the flippahs haven't cleaned out everyone's shed already like in this country.

tjkwood

There's not quite the same flipper culture here I don't think... most eBay sellers are focused on the Raleigh Chopper (there was a huge trend here about 5 years ago for collecting them) or newer stuff. Plus where I am, most students either want Dutch loop frame bikes or 80s racers, so it's easier to pick up pre-war bikes. Now just to stick at two...

rhm

This is the best photo I have of a 1940 hub:

In the lower left corner triangle, you see the letters AW 0 . That "0" is the date. Does yours, with the "1", look like that? If so, that's a 1941 hub.

The hubs of that age have a rectangular cutout in the right side axle nut, and the cog is threaded onto the driver.

PalmettoUpstate 

Thank you, I finished up a transaction today for a women's late 60's/early 70's gold Hercules but haven't picked it up yet. A nice bike that will probably go to one of my kids... Will post a pic or two when I take delivery...

slowtostart

My gut feeling is that it is not that old, but what do I know? The prof I purchased it from bought it used in the 70s and did little more to it than lose the part of the chaincase I have since replaced.

Any thoughts on the all green rear fender? I did not see any evidence of white paint under the reflector. The cafe lock is very "Dutch", but aren't they all? We live in an academic, military, and academic military community with a very international flavor. This one could have been shipped from almost anywhere.

I'll check the hub once we thaw out a bit.

sts

gster

The chain guard is the same one they would attach to the store brand Gliders they used to make for Eatons in Canada.
https://threespeedmania.wordpress.com...er-by-raleigh/

mkeller234

Wow, that is really cool! That suspension on the front looks like it would really change some things. For one, it definitely puts the tire close to the fender. It also seems to dramatically change the height and trail of the fork. Can the position be rotated at all?

tjkwood

I'm really not sure if I can adjust it - I kinda assumed it was in the right place but I may have a fiddle when I feel brave!

Schwinnsta

Has anyone tried Raincheaters? These are brake pads that are composed of laminated leather bonded to an outer core of Fibrax. Do they work better in the rain then salmon Koolstops?

jrecoi

I thought that was the interim measure before Kool Stops started to get big, marketed as a Fibrax variant.

yellowbarber

WHOA! nice one!

graywolf

Not real positive, but I seem to recall that 1955 was the last year they used the oiler bottom bracket, so your frame has to be earlier than that.

graywolf

Please don't break that bike up. As you show it in your photos it is worth a few hundred dollars to a collector. Sell it to someone who will restore it, and use the money to upgrade your Sports. If I was not so old, poor, and living in an apartment I would make you an offer on it, unfortunately, I am at the point where I am wondering how to keep my good old stuff (none of it is actually really valuable) from winding up in the trash in a few years.

Breaking stuff up that has a real antique value is simple vandalism. You seem to think that because you got it cheap it is junk. That is not so, you are just lucky. SIGH!

yellowbarber

Yes, raincheaters do a great job stopping wet steel rims. I have them on the bike I ride in London where the rain is a fact of life.

noglider 

I have a Rudge with a 1962 hub, and it has an oil port on the BB. I'm pretty sure the bike is a 1962 model, i.e. not a replaced rear hub.

Where can I get rain cheaters? My Rudge's braking is frightful in the wet. And how well do they work in the dry? In the dry, with Kool Stop pads, the braking is excellent.

Number400

Just wrapping up a de-rusting and basic restoration of a 1965 Cavalier. All original down to the John Bull brake pads.

My Wife has put some sweat into it and now wants to keep it for herself. It is a pretty sweet ride! I am not sure what to do about the paint. It seems so thin and has a very dull finish. I used some Novus fine scratch remover and it shined up some areas. Any tips? I would like to get it repainted but just does not seem worth it.

Schwinnsta

https://www.ekmpowershop25.com/ekmps/...cks-3143-p.asp
https://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/pr...r_Brake_Blocks

These look like they could work. I have not asked them about shipping. They come up on eBay from time to time.

conradpdx

In the last couple weeks I got some rain cheaters, put two on the front kept the kool stops on the back (I just use the backs for slowing anyway). They seem to work a lot better to me anyway,but I've been kind of too busy to do much riding (house repairs and such) other than to the store and back since I've gotten them and there hasn't been much rain on the day's I've ridden either.

Of course I adjusted the brakes (not much but slightly) when I swapped them out too, so it might just be that. But so far they've been worlds better than the pinkies, and they don't make noise. I never was able to chase the squeal out of the kool stops.

adventurepdx

Might as well post this here, since it's the most appropriate thread, but if you are in Portland, Oregon, I encourage you to attend the upcoming Three Speed Ride on Sunday March 3, 2013. (3/3/13, yes that was on purpose.) We'll meet at 11 am at Kenilworth Park, SE 32nd Ave at SE Holgate Blvd. More info over at Society of Three Speeds.

And the poster I whipped up for it:

larger image here.

Sixty Fiver

Do we get a point even though it has 7 speeds ?

yellowbarber

I'm getting a couple sets from these guys and shipping was not too horrible
https://stores.ebay.com/bankrupt-bike...p2047675.l2563

they have a constantly revolving stock of tons of other useful stuff, so they're worth a browse every couple of days
(whitworth tools, single speed chains, sturmey bits, proper tyres, ect...)

JohnDThompson 

I assume you have the original steel rims? If wet braking is still dismal even with Kool-Stop pads, your best bet is to replace the rims with e.g. aluminum Sun CR-18s.

jrecoi

According to Kurt, the serial is Convention #1, of which there is a list published by Raleigh online some ten years ago. Sheldon Brown has the start serials for each year. According to Sheldon, 681325 T corresponds to a 1954 bike, probably made in the latter part of the year.


Now that I'm looking through your older posts, what happened to the Dunelt? I'm assuming that your husband is currently riding the Dunlet. This '54 Raleigh is a big step up in quality, and I would canibalize the Dunlet to swap parts with this Raleigh. I would suspect that the trouble is in the somewhat low handlebars and saddle not being as comfortable as the setup the Dunlet has, and perhaps the rod brakes not working as well as the caliper setups the other Sports have.


The wheels on the Raleigh are Westrick, so you can transfer over the caliper brakes as well as the saddle and stem/handlebars from the Dunlet and use them on the Raleigh without trouble. Alternatively, Kool Stop salmon pads for rod brakes are now available, so if you want to keep the rod brakes, that is a good way of improving the braking.




Quality in Raleighs started to deteriorate in the early 60s, so anything pre-1962ish is quite a treat. Greywolf wrote on this a while ago, but the pre-60s Raleighs have oilers everywhere, so that both hubs and the bottom bracket can be maintained by simply opening the various oil ports, and adding a few drops of motor oil, no need to grab the wrenches to disassemble and lubricate the moving parts. The only tools for day to day maintence are the air pump for the tires, an oiling can for the moving parts, and an adjustable wrench to tighten anything that might be loose.

akcapbikeforums

That's some really nice work on the poster -- and looks like a fun event!