2fat2fly

Here's the wheels with the tires on them, they cleaned up pretty decent, but they do have a bit of peppering on the chrome here and there. They're better than any I've had before though besides the set on the men's bike. I guess they look okay for being 54 years old.
I was surprised to see that they have little to no brake track wear. The original John Bull brake pads don't look very worn either.
The tires look wider in the pics then they do in person, the sides of the tires do not expand past the rim edges.
I have a newer Raleigh Sports that still has its original Raleigh scripted tires on it and those tires are nearly as wide as the 26x1.75 tires on my old Columbia middleweight.
These are probably the hardest tires I've ever mounted, they fought me the whole way and took almost 80 psi to get them to 'pop' up on the bead area. They were just as hard to remove from the other bike. I had to use a pair of tire pliers to get them to unseat from the rim. If I had sealed the spoke bed they'd likely work tubeless they're so tight. They still have their original threaded stem Dunlop tubes in them as well. The tires are marked Hwa Fong, which I believe is now called Duro. No idea how old they are, but by the look of the bikes, they've been sitting a LONG time. My guess is the tires are from the late 70's or early 80's.
These tires are serviceable but not ideal on these rims. A better set of tires would no doubt improve the whole bike, but if I end up selling it, it simply won't bring enough to justify new rubber. I already have far more into it in time than it'll ever be worth.

clubman 

They look great. It's worth the effort to clean up old Dunlop rims.

markk900

2fat2fly There was quite an alarm raised here some months back about the "end of the 27" tire", and indeed while selection is vastly less than 700C both online and through my LBS (who is admittedly vintage friendly but he buys from the same distributors as everyone else from the same catalogs) I did some "research" there are still plenty of tires available. If you want rim protectors for little used bikes or flippers Kenda/CST are readily available in gum and blackwall for around $20 each; for better bikes the Pasela is my go to (but more expensive for sure).

2fat2fly

The problem isn't availability of a particular size, its a matter of cost and the fact that local shops no longer stock parts, not even tires.
I've had dozens of people tell me the same thing around here. People bring me bikes here to fix all the time, and most have 27" or 26x1 3/8" wheels, the rest are mostly 26" mountain bikes. I can count on one hand the number of 700C bikes I've run across here.
Most newer bikes are Walmart type bikes, most older bikes are old American road bikes or three speeds. English bikes are rare here, they always were.

markk900

Well, cost may just be a fact of life: in my area the tires we are talking about (at least the Kenda/CSTs) are about as cheap a tire as you can buy for 3 or 10 speeds.....and $20 today isn't (I hate to say it) much anymore when you consider a trip to the local fast food will cost you $20 for a couple of burgers and drinks. Sure I get that the bikes may only be worth $50 but that is kind of the way it is today.

As far as stocking: my vintage friendly LBS keep a good stock of various tires on hand (he serves the BMX and MTB crowd as well as a selection of Roadies) but even he has had to order in tires for me on occasion.....it takes a little longer but the prices are equivalent to online and I am supporting a good shop. And I guess my point is every "real" bike shop I know has access to the same catalogs and should be able to bring whatever you want in at a reasonable cost.....saying "they don't make them anymore" or going on ebay is a sign of laziness and a lack of respect for the business they are in and the customers they are supposed to be serving.....I expect they won't last long.

Its funny how many regional differences there are: growing up I never saw an american bike (Schwinn/Huffy/Monkey Ward) other than Sears; but plenty of english and euro and especially Canadian brands. I know they were around but for me they were pictures in magazines. Now as an adult there are more of them but hardly the predominant brands....now I see TONS of newer MTBs and hybrids of various quality levels, and a decent number of road/gravel bikes (if newer then they tend to be higher end). There are plenty of department store bikes here but I would say an equal or greater number of "name brands"; even kids with richer parents are riding KHS or Giant or better.

Rherdegen

Re: tire availability and cost….Right now this is compounded by the current problem of disruptions to the supply chain. It is even difficult to tind 26 x 1 3/8 and 27 inch tires when shopping online let alone at the LBS, whether through big sources such as Amazon or individual vendors, even the big bike tire specialty online sites. Every step of the process has been has been affected: getting sufficient raw materials and manufacturing (with slowdowns due to worker shortages), shipping (for US markets most tires and made overseas), and distribution. There is a scarcity of some products which increases cost (along with significantly increased shipping costs themselves), and reduced manufacturing capacity has forced those manufacturers to focus on the items for which the demand is greatest (alas, not the 26 x 1 3/8 and 27 tires). [For the same reason, this is why certain Gatorade products—the ones more on the periphery, like Gatorade Zero—have been very difficult to find at times during the pandemic.] So, fewer brand/model options of speciality tires, fewer tires available, and significantly increased costs are largely the current norm. I only hope that as things slowly return to normal these problems will go away.

gster

Sadly, the world has spun very quickly the last few years and it's not to my liking....
I needed some old style glass fuses (vintage audio/cars etc) Spent 1/2 a day riding around on my bike and
came home empty handed.

browngw 

If $30 tires are out of the question, you may have to find a new hobby. It just is what it is and the price will not go down. My LBS ordered and 8 months later got me some 27x1 1/4 tires at $24.99ea. He apologized for the price jump but I paid. He had actually bought tires from me earlier in the year to get a customers bike back on the road. I bought the last two 27" tires at our local Walmart at $22.99 ea as well. The upside is, a bike with new tires now has more value.

vintagebicycle

I think the whole tire price issue is a matter of local shops simply matching the prices they see on ebay. The whole sale prices didn't guy up anywhere near that much. Any shop selling Kenda or Sunlite tires for $40 each is price gouging. They can be had for far less. Local shops here jacked up their prices over the past two years, I bought two pair of 27x1 1/4" Kenda black wall tires and a pair of 26x1 3/8" S6 tires and paid $12 each, by mid 2020 they were trying to get $45 per tire. All that did for me is motivate me to find a cheaper source.I was able to buy a dozen pair of tires for not much more than the dealer wanted for one pair. Often if you buy enough or hit a price point many online retailers will ship for free.

Vintage Schwinn

There is a pretty, almost cobalt blue, Raleigh 3 speed in very nice shape in the Charlotte NC area for just $70.
https://charlotte.craigslist.org/bik...426174470.html

nlerner

Just picked this 23” men’s Sports for relatively small money. Seems mostly original, including tires. Not sure about that tall stem, however.

Edit: rear hub dated 1970. Stem was set to right around where the slot starts. I lowered it.

dedhed

What amp & length you looking for. I have a bunch in my electrical drawer.and pretty sure every vehicle I now own is blade fuses.

gster

thx..
that was a while back.
I found them and stocked up....

BFisher

@nlerner, that color has become one of my faves from Raleigh. Is that a Raleigh branded bell on there?

nlerner

Nope, something more domestic.

Commando

I shopped there when I first moved to Toronto in the 90's. They were a lot of help with my newly inherited Raleigh Superbe, as I'd not had a 3-speed before then. Do you know when they closed?
I also would go into the shop on Bathurst, just North of Bathurst Station. Last time I visited home (2014) it was still there but the former Vietnamese(?) owners had gone and it was very trendy.

thumpism 

$15 for a ladies' Phillips in MA.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...97718854248869

oldspokes

Over the past 10 or 15 years I've found a few dozen of these bells on many English bikes, the emblem says YWS. They're a fairly large bell and quite loud.
My guess is either a local parts supplier or bike wholesaler was selling these to dealers in the 70's here. 5 out of the last 6 bikes I bought had one of these on it. Each one came from a different area.

gster

I can't say when they shut down but they had expanded to several storefronts..
1990 seems to be the last year.

There still is a small shop on Bathurst as you mentioned.
Honest Ed's is gone, replaced by condos....
In th late 70's I worked at Honest Ed's after school....

Commando

gster I reckon I kitted out my first apartment, on Palmerston Blvd, solely from Honest Ed's.
Wandering around the back alleys of The Annex and Toronto on my Superbe are some of my best memories. That bike saw constant workhorse duty the entire time I lived there. I miss my Toronto dearly.

clubman 

Palmerston was a majestic street if there ever was one.
I miss it too but I'm never goin' back.

Commando

I couldn't believe how many 3-speeds were left abandoned locked up along the streets when I visited. It was a Sturmey Archer gold mine.

I miss the old Toronto, but it has lost its charm. I reckon I got out at a good time, 2004.

gster

I agree with you.....
I was born at St Joe's Hospital (1959) and have lived there most of my life.
It's not the city it used to be.
If you like streets lined with coffee shops and pot shops, you may find it to
your liking...
I've given up my Toronto History blog but ther's some good stuff here
Toronto History Blog: https://losttoronto2.wordpress.com/

gster

A Raleigh Stowaway for $100 on Kijiji Toronto

oldspokes

_____________________________________________
Men's Raleigh 3 speed

https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/...401691146.html



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1963 Huffy / Raleigh Sportsman 3 Speed Bike

https://delaware.craigslist.org/bik/...404566211.html


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Hercules Bicycle (by Raleigh) vintage 1971 Restored

https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/...422215228.html


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Raleigh Sports - 3 speed - 23" frame

https://southjersey.craigslist.org/b...415791912.html