It's a 53 it says on the seat tube decal.

A few pieces came off the 49 today.


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Well that's what you get for looking...I'm above all that ;)
Hercules must have taken the same approach as Raleigh when they released a differing range of styles directed at the flashy NA market. The home market 53 Sports appears to retain the austere British look while the Toronto bike has more lipstick. It does say it's a Coronation model so maybe it was a special release.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UH...A=w699-h902-no

Thanks for posting this picture. Always learning new things here. Didn't know Raleigh used gun barrel blue on the rear fender hanger. Makes sense though. They seemed to move away from bluing and into using that gray finish in the mid 50s. You even have the original blued cable clips, very nice. I know they sell home cold bluing kits, but I know manufacturers use a hot bluing process. I'm assuming the hot process produces a better, longer lasting surface, but I don't really know.

I noticed this ad says "Cut away lugs" And I was just getting used to calling them brackets.

Clubman, the Queen of England was crowned in 1953. Coronation year, British commonwealth countries made quite the celebration of it. The model may be the typical 'Top Tier' Eatons bike of the period.

One thing I should mention. The right hand brake was for the front wheel on the 49 Raleigh.

Raleigh routed the brakes right/front for the home market and left/front for the US market.

Nice Lugged AMF Hercules $60
 

https://delaware.craigslist.org/bik/...353144760.html

I emailed the owner about the bike and he told me that the bike is in excellent working condition. I was planning to give it a look, but I already have 1 bike too many.

It has a set of the lever and swivel link brake levers we talked about earlier on this thread, which is interesting. They seem to have been used on a variety of "base model" bikes. That's a nice bike for the price. It's typical of what an economy model "US-spec" Raleigh product would be.

23" frame, very nice condition and I like early Birmingham bikes in general. Glad I'm not in TO or it would be mine.

Yes, it is a very nice bike - from before AMF started sourcing welded frames with Shimano "333" 3 speed hubs and ashtabula cranks. The owner has obviously cared for it as well. I would like to buy it, but it would only sit in my garage unridden mostly.

As I was having my morning coffee, the phone rang. It was a neighbor who knew I liked old bikes. He was at his church helping with a rummage sale and had set aside an "old Raleigh" for me. Grabbed my cuppa', jumped in the van and off to church I go. Indeed it was an "old Raleigh", a 24" DL1 of 1977 vintage. I offered up $35 and it was graciously received. Dirty, rusty and freewheeling between gears (the indicator is stuck) but with air in the original Raleigh Roadster tires I brought it home. Another future project I guess.

To be fair, the bike is in Whitby, about an hour outside of Toronto. Had it been closer I would have it in my garage by now.
I may try to go out there next week. He says he has some other vintage bikes.
Eatons decorated for the Coronation, 1953.
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Nice find! I love finding bikes like this. It would just be junk without a little TLC from a dedicated 3 speeder. A couple years ago I bought a 35 dollar roadster. It was a super fun project and turned out to be my favorite ride.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4241/...7aec8a1c_z.jpg69dl001 by Billy Bones, on Flickr

Squirted some oil in the hub end and the indicator shifts easily but still have no hub engagement forward or backward. Is there a magic potion I can apply? The owner, who dropped it off at the sale, says it "RAN WHEN PARKED" I put an ounce or so of ATF in the hub as well.

I suspect you have something similar to this going on. The pawls are stuck. Since there's no grease in there to dry up, chances are that it's rust binding up the pawls and or damaging the springs.
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But after an overnight in Evapo Rust and replaced pawl springs it looks like this and now the hub works good as new.
I love AW hubs.
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The miserable state of that chain could indicate trouble inside the hub. It's worth your time to take it apart. I've been collecting these bikes for about 10 years and only recently delved into the hub....
A bit of a learning curve but well worth the effort (frustration).
This Youtube tutorial is very helpful.

Yesterday I could even look at these bikes you folks have been coming up with. My bicycle pennies are done for the month, it hurts too much.

Check out these prices on this site someone posted in another thread.

https://budgetbicyclectr.com/catalog...+speed+vintage

LOL, you may be right!!! :p

Seriously though, lovely as this bike is, I think I might like one size larger even better. . . :(

A very pleasant day here in Toronto and a perfect day for a fall ride.

This bike is a true Bitsa in every sense (Bits of this and bits of that).

It’s a Raleigh built Glider 5 speed frame with a ’71 3 speed hub. The hub internals are from a 1961.

The trigger is mid ’60’s and the rest of the parts… who knows.
I’m calling it a Semi Scorcher because the handle bars are in the upright position rather than being inverted.
Saddle is a used Brooks B66 and the pedals are a pair of brand new MKS 3000R (reflector) from Curbside Cycle.
The bike is a pleasure to ride and without any fenders or racks, rattle free as well as being somewhat lighter.
The only cosmetic issue to address are the mis-matched crank arms. The drive side is the rounded type while the other is squared. Something to do in the spring….
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[MENTION=298130]browngw[/MENTION], I'm sure [MENTION=301310]gster[/MENTION] and [MENTION=398265]BigChief[/MENTION] are right. I suggest you get new pawl springs even before you open the hub. I don't know where to get them in Canada, but Harris Cyclery in Massachusetts is where I would go here in the US.

Urbane Cycle in Toronto carries them and if you scroll back several pages Big Chief shows how to make your own from guitar strings!

I did see that explanation, but I would probably go crazy trying that. Just installing pawl springs is annoying enough.

Out this early evening for a coffee stop. Up to #8 on pedal tried to find a knee friendly set.