jedge76

It would seem that way. These bikes seem so numerous on the east coast, and the midwest to some degree. That's what I've found when I was looking.

Like I said, I'll keep my eyes open. Yesterday after finalizing my Raleigh deal, I saw a pick-up truck pass me by and low and behold there was a red, vintage Raleigh-esque bike in the back of the track. It may have been an older Schwinn Suburban, or whatever. But I just thought to myself that I know I'll start seeing these things pop up all over the place now that I've bought mine. I hope that's true...I'll send it your way.

banjo_mole 

Deal. Also, which one did you finally settle on? CONGRATULATIONS!

Sixty Fiver

Watched a lot of commuters this morning and most seemed to be bereft of those little comforts like full fenders and a chain case... it was another wet and cool morning and it was nice to arrive at my destination not looking like I was a skunk.

And my new chain (rustproof) still looks clean as a whistle.

noglider 

What rustproof chain?

jedge76

Thanks! I settled on the '72 Superbe on found on Craigslist. The ad has been taken down since, but I'll have plenty of pics soon enough. Should be here late next week or early the following week. Can't wait!

Athens runner

I supose, a KMC 10. They are very popular lately. (and well priced too).

Athens runner

Congratulations! Welcome to the club! (don't forget the pictures!).

noglider 

How is the Superbe going to travel to you?

wahoonc

What colour? I have a '72 in the green. Great bike! mine is by no means pristine but I ride my bikes not show them.

Aaron

jedge76

Thank you very much and the photos will be around soon!

Pure Energy Cycling in Lambertville is boxing and shipping the bike. Not sure of the shipper just yet as it will leave tomorrow, but should be fine. I hope!

Same here Aaron....I'm a rider firstly. I guess we will have twin bikes---mine is the green as well. A beauty you have there! I can't wait to roll this thing around the neighborhood and down the bike path.

noglider 

Have you ridden one already? I hope you like yours. I like mine, but I don't ride it far. It's heavy and slow.

Andrew F

[QUOTE It's heavy and slow. ][/QUOTE]

So am I! So in comparsion the bike is light I really enjoy riding my Sport, in time you build a relationship with the bike, your route and you. I don't commute but take mine on the same route each time. I noticed the first time I struggled up the hill, raced down and pushed my way across the flats. Now I anticipate, and keep a more even speed, often without thinking. The bike begins to dictate your speed and the effort seems to be much less. It's really a very gentlemanly way to ride, I enjoy it.

jedge76

I've ridden a 5-speed Schwinn Suburban and Nirve Fifty Three cruiser recently. I think the Nirve has to weigh in at around 60 lbs. That's the idea for me, to go a bit slower and take in the ride so I've been looking at the heavier, slower bikes. My town is a heavily-paved, flat area with lots of bike trails (paved).

Tom, I should add that I'm a photographer and often ride around downtown and a section of town called the "tower district", which is our cultural heart beat, and this bike will be perfect for me. Riding w/ my 12-year-old, cruising the bike paths and 4-mile round trips to the grocery will be most of my riding needs. Plus, I hope this has me riding everyday.

Sixty Fiver

I rode my Superbe as far as 80 miles and at one time these were using for cyclo touring and camping... also know a fellow who rode 1000 miles on a Sports 3 speed... through the rockies.

wahoonc

May be heavy...define slow. But they are durable, easy to maintain, comfortable to ride and will probably out last you.

Aaron

noglider 

OK, I'm sorry I opened my mouth. This thread is about the love of English 3-speeds. I do love them. And I know about the mechanical advantages, as I wrenched on many of them, long ago. I love riding them around town, because their handling has a very "friendly" feel to them. When I get on one, a smile comes across my face.

I also know that they were the cutting edge at one time, so they were the best for loaded touring.

wahoonc

I took a history class years ago that covered the industrial revolution and further forward. One of the modules dealt with when steel was king in the UK, and it happens to coincide with the rise of Raleigh...the All Steel Bicycle, which at the time was a technological marvel. Admittedly they are now overshadowed by the plastic and space age alloys being used, but I really wonder how many CF bikes will still be around and being ridden 100 years from now? I have seen several nearly 100 year old Raleigh/British bikes and they are amazing.

Aaron

jedge76

Ok...a friend of mine found a '56 Rudge Sports. He said it's in great shape and was surprised the hub read '56 b/c it looked so clean. I have no pictures as he is in Jersey, but what would you think is a fair price just from what I've described. A rough price, obviously. He's a flipper of sorts and is wondering whether it's worth his time. I really wasn't sure as I haven't seen too many '56s on the marketplace that weren't covered in rust.

jedge76

As a photographer, I can't wait to take my own photos of this bike. But here are a few in the interim. The bike shop that shipped the bike was raving to me about the bike itself and the shape it's in. I guess they have a Sports or Superbe in theie storefront window and were saying how much cleaner mine is!

wahoonc

One thing looks good for sure and that is the fender braces, those are usually one of the first things to get beat up if the bike is ridden much at all. On my black Sports there just about isn't any paint left on them, but that is after 38 years and 30,000+ miles.

Aaron

jedge76

Aaron--how much are you riding your Sports these days? Thirty-thousand miles is impressive, to say the least!

There doesn't seem to be too many things, including the fender braces as you astutely pointed out, that show this bike has left the garage much. I'll have more photos in about a week.

Athens runner

Nice bike jedge76!
Congratulations, once more!
The bike seems to be in almost perfect condition and in this case, the price you paid, was OK. I don't think you will ever regret it.
I got my Sports, almost for free, but till now, I have spent quiet a lot, but never regretted it either.
In the beginning, I thought it would be just a "second" bike, for the times when my MTB, would be under repair, and I should be able to have a spare bike for commuting. I must also admit, that I was attracted from it's looks, from the beefy 1/2x1/8 chain and gears, and the 3 internal speeds, promising many trouble free/low maintenance kilometers.
There is also a discussion, about how heavy/capable, these bikes are, and I would like to contribute from my short experience with it, till now.
The bike, is heavy, with today's standards. But in comparison with my loaded MTB when touring, it's a featherlight. So the word heavy, depends a lot from the point of someone's view, and from the things he is used to. I could also mention, A LOT OF high quality touring bikes, which are way heavier (with fenders, racks, dynamo, lights, etc), than the Raleigh Sports I have. So, I wouldn't put the Raleigh, on the heavy side.
The SA 3 speed now: Some might say that there are big gaps between speeds, but I find that this is one reason for witch I have increased my speed in the city. The bike came with a 48x18 gear ratio, but given Athens is not flat, it was a bit long for me, so changed it to 48x19, and found the ideal gear combination, to deal with the hills of the city, without loosing a lot of speed downhill. 5 speeds, would be perfect, but 3, are not bad either.
In fact, the gap from SA gear 1 to 2, or 2 to 3, corresponds to 2-3 gears of an MTB. So, used at a higher "MTB gear- peddaling cadence", I find myself pressing a bit harder on the Raleigh pedals, but going much faster, and at the same time hitting the potholes and bumps, with no side effects whatsoever. (The bike, could very well "suggest" a more relaxed rythm, but in the traffic chaos of the city, it is just not possible to relax, fighting to survive).
The other reason for speed, must be the bigger wheels (bigger than MTB ones).
On the rack, I put easily loads of 15 kilos, and I think that's not it's limits. The ride is sweet, even loaded,(saddle springs contribute to that), and the brakes are more than adequate,(with new good quality blocks, on Sun CR-18s).
The daily covered distances, vary. Everything from 10-20 km a day, to 140km. Depending from things to be done, and my available time. But never from the bike itself.
I still remember, how I felt the first time I decided to go for a longer ride with it, from Athens, to the Posseidon temple at Sounion, and back. 120 km more or less. It's first long ride. The bike was a revelation. By the time I came back, I knew, that the Raleigh would be my everyday/short excursion bike.
Now, it's a beloved bike.
So, enjoy your new bike, and don't hesitate to explore it's limits and qualities!
P.S.: What they say, must be true: those bikes, are going to outlast us all..

wahoonc

That Sports got most of those miles between 1982 and 1996 or so. Both my brother and I rode that bike at one point or another. I was car free from 1982 to 1992.

It is still getting ridden as a grocery getter and beer hauler, but the trips are a lot shorter these days. What is amazing to me is how smooth that old AW hub is compared to some of my much lower mileage ones.

Aaron

Sixty Fiver

KMC... they offer these across their product range.

Seems like all my R20 has seen since I picked it up has been rain and after nearly 300km / 180 miles the chain is still running smoothly despite my having done nothing but install it... will have to check but it appears that KMC uses a dry lube on the chain which does not seem to wash off.

noglider 

Right, but these days, manufacturers don't even aim to make things durable. Performance is stressed over durability. This is not just in the bike industry. Remember when you couldn't buy phones, and it was illegal to hook up a phone to your line? You only leased phones from the phone company, and they weighed several pounds, had no features, and you couldn't break them with your hands. They had to send a repairman out to replace phones, so they made them to last. If you wanted to buy one of these phones today, and if they still made them, they would cost $200. But today's buyer wants more features than were offered than last year, so a featureless phone, designed to last decades, won't command an appropriate price.