robatsu

Wow, the gas prices are definitely cleaning out people's garages/attics/basements. On my commute home today, on the Capitol Crescent Trail, I pull up to the light to cross Connecticut Avenue here in the DC metro area. Waiting to cross as well is a lady, looks late fifties, on a Raleigh Blue Streak. Something about the whole rig - the bike condition and her overall fredness - told me that she was probably the original owner and has just broken this bike out after a *long* hibernation and got back on the road.

While I'm contemplating this - it is a real long light - another fellow pulls up on a Dawes Super Galaxy. After the light changed, it turned out we were heading the same way at about the same speed, so we fired up a conversation. Turns out his is an 82 and he has owned it since new. Really didn't seem to have any appreciation for the vintageness of it, sort of grumbly about how it was worn out and he needed to get a new bike, etc.

Forget the thrifts and CL, I'm just going to start carrying a wad of cash w/me on my commutes. I sort of had the feeling that for either of these people, I could have bought their bikes for several Jacksons and called them a cab home.

And me, I was on my 85 Trek 620 - a year or two back, I felt almost like a anachronistic freak on this thing. But now, a random vintage cluster at the crossing. This gas thing is really changing the bike scene around here, I'm seeing all kinds of people in places you almost never see bikes, riding whatever they dredged up out of the basement.

Sierra

I've got a Blue Streak. It's 1962 model. I'm not sure what other years if any that they made them, but I know that it was a short lived model. For a frame made from nothing special tubing, it rides surprisingly well. It's head & shoulders above my also 1962 Schwinn Varsity. I've got to change the crankset though. The 46/49 combo is just ridiculous. I don't know what they were thinking with that. You can't even make a good half step with it using a freewheel with any range to it. I'm hoping to find a Williams or something like that that has at least a 5 tooth difference between the rings.

nlerner

I'd love to see pics of that Blue Streak. I've only seen it in the catalog.

Neal

cudak888 

I might have a couple from various past eBay sales. They aren't much but a glorified 10-20 frameset with kitchy lower-end components from the mid '60s. Here's one at CR:

https://www.classicrendezvous.com/Bri...Bl_Streak.html

That said, they seem to be a tad more common then one might believe. Frankly, I think that the mention of the model on the CR list is mostly at fault for the hype that surrounds this model - after all, it is no more or less unusual to see in comparison to the Gran Sport from the same era, and the only thing particularly attractive about it is the blue-to-silver-fade paint scheme.

-Kurt

nlerner

Huh? Given that the '62 catalog lists only the Gran Sport, Blue Streak, and Sprite as the only 27" road bikes that year, I'd say they're likely pretty unusual, particularly since they pre-date the Record and Grand Prix.

Neal

cudak888 

Thank you Neal - indeed, I meant to refer to the Gran Sport, not the Grand Prix. Don't know why I mentioned the Record though.

-Kurt

Sierra

I would also note the graphics of rockets, and little stars & planets as being pretty cool, and indicative of the time period that it was produced.

I'll see if I can shoot some pics of mine this weekend and get them posted on Photobucket.

Sierra

This is for Neal
I'm not a very good photographer but you should be able to get an impression of the bike.



I shot some more pics of the bike and posted them on Photobucket with a few notes included. Here is the link;

https://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q...Blue%20Streak/

The bike is missing the original fenders. I would like to find some to fit that would look appropriate.

If you look at the other photos you will see that the bike is dirty. I didn't bother to clean it up before shooting the pics. I ride my bikes, so they get dirty, and there always seems to be something more important to do than cleaning & polishing.

nlerner

Awesome! Thanks for those pics. Btw, that lamp boss on the fork gets fitted with a bracket, and the lamp gets attached to that bracket. Here's what it looked like on a '61 Raleigh Lenton Grand Prix that I sold off awhile back:



Neal

Sierra

Thanks for the pic of the lamp bracket!
This has been a mystery to me since I bought the bike five years ago.

Mystery1

My parents bought me a brand new Raleigh Blue Streak in 1960-61 when I was 12 or 13 years old. It was a surprise present. I thought I was dreaming when I saw the new bike - especially as was obsessed with space rockets at the time! My parents were not wealthy people and I'm wondering how much they would have paid for the bike.
Anyone know the price?

Sixty Fiver

That bike needs a 5 speed mega- range freewheel to exploit that half step... most of these "nothing special" 1020 frame sets do have very nice ride qualities and put some of their higher end brethren to shame in that respect.

sailorbenjamin

Nah, 9 speed cassette. Always have exactly the gear you need as long as the hills aren't too steep.

IsleRide

Getting back to robatsu's post, opportunities abound. Be on the look-out for the old-new cyclist looking to modernize. Could be great times for C-Vrs.

Sierra

Ooh, I like that! But what cassette is that? I don't think I've ever heard of a 12-36 cassette before.

I'd probably almost never use the 110 gear inch top gear, but the rest is great!

753proguy

No, but a new Schwinn Typhoon was about $49.95 in 1963, iirc, so around that level. Maybe even a bit less, as Schwinns were definitely not cheap...

blaise_f

Yea, $40-50. A corsa Paramount was $230! And we scoff at the cost now! Granted, it's new vs used, but $230 back then is well into the thousands, post-inflation.