redfoxdogs

Makes for an artful photo though!

gster

This one is being delivered today. It's not for me but for a former student who had her bike stolen last month. 1960's Raleigh built Eatons Glider. From the photos it appears very good and the seller has put new tires on it. Even the shifter's palstic cover is intact.A bargain at $150.00!

gster

Bike arrived looking much better than the photos. Looks to be all original except the seat. 1974 stamped on the hub. I'll give it a good going over and change the brake pads etc before handing it over.

michaelz28

you don't see to many with out cracks

BigChief 

That is rare to see a plastic shifter cover in good shape. The one that came on my latest rust bucket looks like it's worth salvaging though. Only a small hairline crack at the mounting bolt and the graphics still look sharp and clear. I'll have to grind the nut off the back to get it off. The bolt is well beyond the help of penetrating oil.

gster

[QUOTE=BigChief;18153146]That is rare to see a plastic shifter cover in good shape. The one that came on my latest rust bucket looks like it's worth salvaging though. Only a small hairline crack at the mounting bolt and the graphics still look sharp and clear. I'll have to grind the nut off the back to get it off. The bolt is well beyond the help of penetrating oil.[/QUOTE
I search out and buy the earlier all metal ones with the graphics stamped on.

BigChief 

I always preferred those too. But lately, since the GC2 restoration I did, I've developed a taste for the even older ones with the embossed faceplates.

nlerner

I think these are the coolest looking S-A triggers:

smontanaro 

For anyone looking for a Raleigh Superbe, here's a pretty nice one on Milwaukee CL:

Raleigh Superbe

BigChief 

I have never had the privilege of riding a pre-war Raleigh with a quadrant shifter. Is that your bike? What's it like to shift? I tried my rebuilt GC2 on my DL-1 and can report that it does shift just as well as the 60s GC3Bs I've always had.

nlerner

It was my bike (a '37 Sports Tourist), but I sold it to a local friend. That shifter worked great. It's in a great location, and shifts were right on each time. I actually set up my Velo Cheapo entry with a quadrant shifter. That one worked great, too:

Narsinha

Hello,
just wanted to say what a nice thread that is! I'm in Germany and the Raleigh/Rudge/Humber etc. situation is not as it is in England, or the US (or Australia, India ...)
I am fairly new here, and there are so much tips and hints and .. photos! that i almost regret having bought this almost new DL-1 from the 1980ies, instead of an older one.

Made a thread here https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...-problems.html, before i found this one. Have reached page 79 of the current 324, and it is always interesting. The "Sir weighs a tonne" thread is also very nice
Of course when i thought i "needed" an older three-speed, i had no idea of this forum, but at least i read a lot at the Sheldon Brown pages.

So the bicycle i just bought is almost new, but i sure did not like the original square plastic headlamp, and sought for an original Miller one (or was there a special Raleigh lamp). The backlight is also not very pretty, the tyres should be Schwalbe Delta cruiser cream, the dynamo is a cheap plastic Soubitez (chromed plastic - bah!) and some other details are somehow wrong on this otherwise beautiful bike.
So i wonder whether i fit it out with some older and better parts .. of course there goes the originality .. what do you think?
I am currently working on the rear axle (new cones, hope the outer shell is still ok)

Thanks and greetings,
Kai

gster

I want to start a thread on artistic photos of bikes like "Bike Boudoir" photos...
I'll start it off.

smontanaro 

Your Hercules pees out by the fence???

gster

Yes... and so do I.

BigChief 

Kai, Just my opinion, but I wouldn't think twice about modifying details you don't like and personalizing your DL-1 Roadster. That's the fun bit about these more utilitarian vintage bikes, especially the later ones. It's not a 1930s Hetchins that belongs in a museum. If you like, you can store the original components, but do you think anybody will ever want to put them back? I don't. I say personalize your bike all you want. It's fun and doesn't even cost a lot of money.

Narsinha

Hello BigChief,

it's always hard when you have worked in a Museum, regarding originality .. I will keep the original parts then ( i am almost sure no one wants to buy those lol), and make the DL-1 a bit more 'historical'.
I also have a lot of questions already..
First the spokes: the spokes are very slack, so i really should tighten them a bit. Then i realised that the spokes do cross each other, but they are not "interwoven" (right word?), meaning as far as i know every second spoke crosses the previous one "behind" it, thus making contact with it. The way the spokes are arranged now, they go straight to the rim. So what gives ?
Also they are of the zinc-coated type, so i thought of buying stainless steel ones, and make cleaning a lot easier, in the future..

BigChief 

Wheel building is a great skill to have. Takes time and practice to get good at it. Simply tightening loose spokes and adjusting side to side true-ness is something I do all the time with only a spoke wrench using the brake pads as a guide. Relacing the wheels is a worthy project. Something I've only done a couple of times. I managed to get through it, but I'm far from a real wheel builder and not very qualified to offer opinions.

wahoonc

The factory built wheels on Raleighs don't typically have interwoven spokes, that would be a sign of a rebuilt wheel IMHO. If you do choose to go with SS spokes, you will need to consider washers on the hub end. The "elbows" on the spokes today are longer to allow for the thickness of alloy hub shells, versus the thinner steel ones. Yes the wheels probably need a tune up. As long as the spokes are in tension and consistent you are fine. These bikes are rock solid and aren't built to a close tolerance like the more modern stuff. Close enough is usually good enough. If you are OCD god help you if you ride a Raleigh.

Aaron

gster

I thought I'd document this 1974 Raleigh built Eatons Glider before I do any work. It appears to be a very original bike with minimal use over the last 42 years. It's a good reference for cable routing and placement of the cable retainers. The tires are the original Canadian made Dunlops and the shifter was mounted in a flattened position. The work will be basic, repacking the bearings, replacing the tires and brake pads and general adjustments.

markk900

That Glider is in great shape. I thought mine was a 74 based on the hub date, but my decals are a bit older style (doves on either side of the downtube logo). There should be a Glider shield on the rear fender too I think - see if there's any remains.

Here's a crappy .png of a 1975 catalog page....I can send you the original if you want.

noglider 

@gster, I like that Glider, and it's in really good condition.

gster

Thanks for posting that. I can pull the image from this site.

gster

Thanks, it's not for me. It's going to a former student who had her bike stolen last month.

markk900

Tom, if you got one you'd have to change your user name....