Help please in identifying an old Humber bicycle
 

I bought a cool looking vintage bicycle without knowing anything about it. I was not certain if it was real or a knockoff, but after a bit of googling it seems to be real.
After googling I think I am closing in on what it is. But would like confirmation and perhaps a little info

I think it is a 1955 Raleigh Humber Centur 2030 with AW hub (based on a page about Sturmey-Archer Bicycle Hubs)

The finish is in rather rough condition, so looking for advice if it is worth having it restored?



Thanks,
David

Can't seem to be able to post pictures. Sorry, I'll keep trying...

You can't post until you have 10 posts as an anti-spam measure. But we can see them and frankly, it looks to be in excellent shape. Clean and polish it up and post in the Love of English 3 Speeds thread.
Never heard of a Centaur but congrats, it's a very good bike.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a0950c6149.jpg

Thank you! I'll get to 10 posts soon :)

clubman - you beat me to it....pic assist:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b53749ba8.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3cc048468.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6d04747b0.jpeg

There is no Centaur in the 1956 Humber catalog, but there was a historical connection to the Centaur/New Centaur bicycle company in the early teens......Looks a lot like my Sports Light Roadster with an optional or accessory chainguard and a Centaur decal.

Also here is a clip of the 1956 catalog with the relevant bike....note that a chainguard was optional for the mens model.


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...308e023a63.jpg

Thanks again for showing the pictures.

I wiped it off a little, but I fear damaging it if I get too agressive cleaning it. Guess I'll read up on cleaning a vintage bike.

If it is not against forum rules can someone give me an idea of the value of this bike?

I am going to clean it up a bit. I collect vintage audio gear and in my search stumbled upon this bike. I learned many expensive lessons from getting overly aggressive with cleaning vintage audio gear, don’t want to make same mistake with this bike. Not sure if a good soap and water cleaning would remove the decals which I want to avoid at all cost.

If it is a highly collectible bike, I may invest in a full restoration by a skilled bike tech. Looking for guidance from knowledge forum members.

Thread moved from C&V to C&V Appraisals forum.

...it's old enough to be interesting, especially to people who like to ride old British 3 speeds. It's not old enough to be especially valuable, and any money you give someone to "restore it" will not be recovered at resale time. Just clean it up, make sure it has grease in the bearings and that the rubber parts that might be dried out are replaces with new stuff, and ride it at you local Tweed Ride.

Or maybe just use it for basic, stylish, around town errands and shopping. They made a lot of these, under various brand names and iterations. They are mostly pretty solid transportation bikes, and are underappreciated in the current era.

The decals can be a little fragile. Just use Dawn dish soap and water, with a rag. See where that gets you at first.

.
...Humber is especially noted for their way cool chainring designs. :) Yours is no exception.

I really like the look of the chain rings on these with the somewhat slender crank. Also the duoblex wide fork is pretty coll looking. As for value I would say $250 or so nicely cleaned up.

I cleaned it up a bit and aired up the tires. I was able to ride it around the block. So FUN!

It does needs to properly restored but it is functional. The 3-speed gear box is sticky but did change gears. It's back in the garage as I don't want to ride it more without more cleaning and lubricating the moving mechanisms.

I can't upload pictures to the thread yet but I'll save a few and perhaps someone can post them to be visable as before.

What type of oil should I put in the AW 3-speed hub? It has a filler tube with a flip top.

...the recommended oil for these is any good quality 20 weight oil, unless you are riding in a very cold winter area, when you might have to experiment with 10 weight viscosity. If it is a little bit sticky, the usual cure to try first is to remove the rear wheel from the bike, and flush the hub with kerosene or mineral spirits, then put in about a teaspoon of 20 weight oil. They are not well seald, so if you put in too much oil it just drips out, usually down the spokes. Which kind of makes a mess of things, but doesn't hurt anything, mechanically.

The reason there is always so much crud on the rear hub's exterior is this leaking oil, mixing with road ddirt and grime.

.
...there's a whole thread devoted to this sort of bicycle, running since 2010 and still currently being added to: For the love of English 3 speeds...

Every time I see one of those, I think it's trying to depict a bunch of naked people dancing around a fire in some sort of pagan ritual.

That, the vintage badge and decals caught my eye and I could not pass on it.

I've learned a lot about english 3 speeds, thanks for the information and links. I'll post a few more pics when I get to 10 posts.

Ten :D

Pics of progress so far


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1a18f76c5.jpeg
Right side
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3e0e01e87.jpeg
Left side
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c5bebe9cb.jpeg
Badge
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a7abbf765.jpeg
Light
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dfab5d08d.jpeg
Seat

...I rode on English three speeds all my college years, at the University of Maryland. They were cheap and plentiful back then, in the used bike marketplace. The Salvation Army was full of them. Everyone wanted one of those new fangled "ten speed" bicycles. :) They served me well and carried me a lot of miles around D.C.

Looks great to bad it doesn't have the original slightly slender original paint match fenders. It sucks but most kids that used these in the these of in the 60's or 70's stripped the fenders and extras to save weight clean up the the look so most are long since scrap metal and nearly impossible to replace.