cudak888 

A box arrived today from pastorbobnlnh containing some all-original Raleigh goodness:



Yep, I have twins now. (For info on the creme-tired machine, see 15 years of ownership: My '51 Raleigh Sports). I snagged the newcomer on eBay a while ago for all of $75 - luckily, Bob turned out to be a short drive away.

It's an all-original 1952 Raleigh Sports bearing a late hub date (51/12) and BD frame date code. It was probably made in '51, but there's no way that it was sold as one given the hub date. Every last original bit is here, including the Brooks B.66, the pedals (not installed - bent shafts), what's left of the Raleigh Industries grips, and the cables. And despite a few dents on the fenders, this one is pretty clean and should polish out very well.



Perfect it isn't - it has seen at least one front ender that's brought the fork blades back a touch. The left seatstay also has a fair whack in it. But I'm not concerned. These guys are not Reynolds 531. The older Sports are not made out of Kleenex like the TI-era stuff, and you can pretty much bend them up and bend them back. With grunt, but easily.

Same bike. Believe it or not, the one on the left is arguably a lot rustier and banged up.



For once, I'm working with a chaincase that hasn't been spraybombed!



A look at the cockpit:



Factory bracket vs. an adaptation on an original Heron light crest (with a stainless bracket). Both the bulged (not sleeved) handlebar and the Heron light bracket on my '51 are from a slightly later 1950's Raleigh IIRC. Nice to have the originals for once.





Time for new grips:



A very gummy AW. Bearing raceways are also super loose.



Gotta do some artful bending on the fender:



(Continued)

cudak888 

Some more:





The FRAIM lock may be one of the most amusing details of the whole package:



-Kurt

Narhay

I'm more and more enamoured by these early Raleighs. Looking forward to seeing what you do with it.

Mad Honk 

Kurt,
Please box up the Satelite in the background foto and send it to me. Darned hard to find original Mopar parts these days. Smiles, MH

cudak888 

They deserve the interest. They're great examples of a fairly heavy bike, but built with pride. Simple, but not shoddy. A far cry from just about anything built after 1965.

"Parts" - how'd you know it's a More Door?

Not kidding though, I've got the entire original front end suspension from it. The LCA and UCA's are untouched, but the spindles and hubs were redone with new 10" drums and studs. Less than 50 miles on the combo. Have any use for these bits?

-Kurt

Mad Honk 

Kurt,
There are none of the 2 doors left in the world. But the front end is worth a ton in the mid america world. That same front end was the one used in the Road Runner series. I have witnessed four of the only five hundred 1970 six pack series be totaled. One killed a guy I know by hitting a train engine at 110 mph. The other three were crashed or given an engine destruction via blowing up from 7400 rm for ten minutes. I can look for a buyer her in B-town, but you will do better by putting them upon flea bay or facebook, A lot of those parts are made out of my favorite material Un-obtainium. You are sitting on a bunch of $ for those parts. Smiles, MH

cudak888 

Yep, and there's enough Bondo for that front clip to stay where it is

There are enough repop fenders to go around + RR used a different hood. Roadkill Garage recently took a lamp-posted 383 RR and moved the bits onto a '68 Satellite shell. Has potential.



I'm not a fan of city driving though, so I haven't done much with the Satellite of recent. It needs a Firm Feel steering box - way too much slop in it, even by factory standards. They've quoted me $450 to get one with the spring adjustments that'd ensure proper lock-to-lock for a Challenger TA (I have the fast-action idler and pitman arms which require the throw to be a bit narrower), plus core shipping costs.

I'd rather spend that money to get around town by cargo bike...if the traffic engineers down here finally get their act together and make something that actually resembles a half-connected, protected bike lane network.

Stupidity behind the wheel or some other bonehead showoff manuver always ensured the quick demise of anything with a six pack 440 or HEMI in it.

There's no market for B-body front drums and the rest. Everyone wants 11.75" discs (guess what's on the Satellite now?), modern aftermarket UCA's, and they're rebushing and reinforcing factory LCA's (or replacing them - the LCA's are second to a Mustang for being stamped steel trash). I haven't been able to sell these bits for a year here in Miami. A C-note for the whole kit and kaboodle too. Might have to go back to Craigslist; have had it on OfferUp the last few times.

-Kurt

Wildwood 

I would love a Raleigh Sports or similar vintage 3 speed. But I live in serious hills and am drawn toward the mountain roads. Altho nice to own, a lovely garage queen or wall hangar in my group

Yours are enviable.
Lovely and graceful.
Originality counts.

coolkat

^^^Hey I rode Raleigh Sports and other Sturmey 3 speeds all over Seattle. It can be done!

Alexbaker67

^ Yup! My dad rode his around Mt. Rainier back in the 50s. I imagine he did a fair amount of standing up.

Great score - that will clean up beautifully, Kurt. I've lurked around here for years, but I always enjoy your posts - particularly those about your 3 speeds. I still have my father's old bike. I believe it's a '51, as well. Virtually identical in specification to your new find. I envy your luck with hunting down the 23" variants - mine is a bit on the small side, but still a joy to ride and behold. -Alex

pastorbobnlnh 

Glad to see that it arrived safe and sound. Did the rear fender stays bend in the shipping or were they like this when I picked it up? Here is what it looked like at the time of purchase:


Looks as if those bends were already present. Wouldn't those be considered "patina?"

cudak888 

I'm blessed with flat ground here, but the AW is a pretty wide hub on its own. One could regear it so 3rd would act as a singlespeed, with 1st and 2nd as hill gears.

Funny thing, the fate of the Biketown PDX share bikes (by Social Bicycles) are being discussed at the moment. They're basically a modern Raleigh - a blend between a DL-1 loop frame and Sports geometry. There is a minority of Negative Nancies out there who claim that they're worthless to give away because of their weight - and these things have 8-speed Nexus hubs!



The 23's aren't that hard to come by if you're in the Northeast - the trouble is trying to find a '50s Superbe - or anything that isn't a Sports Light Roadster. Chaincases and lights are about the only frills I've run across.

The stay bends were always there (and thanks for the Wald fenders!). My '51 was about as rough when I got it; no real surprise there. They'll bend back, just like everything else on this (though it appears as if the drive side crank may be bent - not 100% sure).

I'd be worried sick if this was a lightweight road bike. I don't worry at all with an old tank like this. Frame, fork, and stays will bend back and cranks are still out there!

-Kurt

Wildwood 

Yeah, yeah, yeah........
man traveled to the moon....
it's 'fun' to swim the English Channel....
if cows had wings....


truths, 1/2 truths and bullpucky

(or just call me Sissy Boy, no SS or 3sp for mountain me)

i'm moving toward 3 speeds - on the front derailleur!

cudak888 

Speaking of which, where in the English Channel was that lovely photo taken?

-Kurt

Wildwood 

......about the point where I was going to jump out of the saddle on my 40lb 3sp.

_________________________________________________
Back to the celebration of original '50s Raleigh Sports.

cudak888 

The All-Steel Raleigh. Making All-Steel Legs Since 1888.

-Kurt

Alexbaker67

That's the same dad who had to carry a firearm to grade school in Alaska to fend off the bears! Uphill in both directions, of course! :-)

Nice Rainier photo - I'm right with you on the 3 speed up front!
​​​​​

cudak888 

A little teaser...





Also weighed it. Anyone have a frame weight for a '65-76?





It's no lightweight. Fork is lighter than I expected though.



-Kurt

pastorbobnlnh 

Is that weight in "Stones?"

I new you could work your magic on bringing the paint back to life. Beautiful!

Ged117 

My favourite part of restoring my 23" 1950 Raleigh Superbe "Sports Light Tourist", other than the AG hub rebuild (my first dive into a SA hub), was the paint restoration. Like yours, the paint on my bike was also very goopy and nasty, covered in years and years of grime. It came out very well. It looks like the paint on yours will, too.


1962 Plymouth Belvedere. The Raleigh was 12 years old when it the car was built...

noglider 

Fantastic. This was a great era for the Sports, and it has excellent paint. What are you using to polish it?

@Wildwood, I put a 24T cog on my Sports and was able to climb hills easily with it. It currently lives in Florida with the same cog, so I don't need such low gearing anymore. Now when I visit, I just use two speeds.

BFisher

Something tells me that paint is really going to clean up nicely. Can't wait to see it all polished up.

Wildwood 

Well, all I can say is :
there are photos of @noglider somewhere
on this board with .....
‘calves of steel’.
Were those singlespeed days?

My chapeau to 3 speed mtn men!
(and SS and fixie trail riders)

Roll On!

noglider 

I do have muscular legs but somehow that doesn't translate into being a powerful rider. Well better to have one of the two than none.

Wildwood