Could be my catch of the year... friend tipped me off and will be picking this up tomorrow.

1949 Raleigh Sports... if I tell you how much it cost you will hate me.

Seller's picture... he said he bought it new in 1949 and is giving me a B&W picture of him and the bike so I can copy it.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...ighsports.jpeg

Sixty - That's THIS ! :eek:


http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...ortscanada.jpg

The cool 1949 Canadian version in "Flamboyant Electric Blue" with drops!

Indeed... :D

Color-coordinated sheathing on the SA shift cable, Sixty? That's over the top!

PS - Looks like the pump mounts are still there - You''ll need a silver pump - and a saddle bag, to complete "the look". :thumb:

auchen - I always match the cables on three speeds... :D

Looking forward to tomorrow.

Me too - I want to see a lot more pics.

I love it sixty-fiver! now you'll need to come up with a nice pudgy Miller lamp for that bracket.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...ighsports.jpeg

And the optional dynahub... wonder where I might find one, or three of those ?

:innocent:

sixty fiver you totally make me sick.. :)

Sixty Fiver,

I saw the ad. Catch of the year is an understatement. If you hadn't have picked it up I'd be full of anxiety until payday tomorrow.

Congratulations!

Pretty hard to pass up a bike like this... it does not look much different from what my '54 did when I received it although it is in far better condition.

Should have it later today...

Was up early and out the door to meet a man about a bike... have spent a good part of the afternoon going over the new 3 speed which is all original save for the John Bull grips (a find in themselves) and one brake cable.

The bike has an interesting history so will come with a story... and it is a 1950.

As received...

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/1950sports1.JPG

A Little Snapshot...

Why were they called The All Steel Bicycle? No one else was using other materials.

^ Be sure you follow Sixty's link (A little snapshot) for a feature thread in his new Sports!

(I almost missed it)

The British were very proud of their steel and aluminium had begun to make inroads into many industries but was not highly trusted... Dunlop offered aluminium rims in the EA1 sizing but many preferred the tried and true steel rims that had been produced for decades.

These aluminium Dunlop rims are very hard to find as not only were they sold in smaller numbers... they were very expensive.

Once again, Sheldon has the answer.

http://sheldonbrown.com/raleigh.html

From the mid 19th century, well into the 20th, the word "steel" was magic in Britain. Britain's rise to an industrial superpower on the crest of the Industrial Revolution was based, as much as anything else, on the steel industry and the new technologies it made possible: steel ships, steel bridges, steel buildings...and steel bicycles. Raleigh originally introduced the slogan "The All Steel Bicycle" to differentiate Raleighs from competitors who used cast iron for some critical parts, a heavier and cruder technology.

Ah, that makes a ton of sense, pun intended. Thank you!

Hello everyone, I'm reading through this thread and slowly educating myself on English 3-speed bicycles. I found a nice 50's Sports but it is a 21" frame. I'm exactly 6.0' tall and have relatively long legs. I believe that the 23" will be a perfect fit, however, based on the frame of the 50's Sports, do you think I would fit on a 21"? The bike is two hours away from me. Thanks.

I think that the 23 inch frame would offer a better fit for your height and reach...

I am five foot nine and a bit with a 33 inch riding inseam and have pretty decent reach... my ideal size for a road bike is 22 / 55cm so I can swing both ways, so to speak and fall in that in between size.

I made a few adjustments to the new Sports as the previous owner was in that 6 foot range (and was a tall kid) and had the saddle set really high... essentially a Merckx fit (higher saddle to bar drop).

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/1950sports8.JPG

Here is another one for my "Why can't I ever find a *normal* Raleigh" file:
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...g/IMG_0437.jpg

Made in Canada.
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...g/IMG_0438.jpg

Looks like a 1973 hub but the saddle has a 1974 date code on it.
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...g/IMG_0439.jpg

Nottingham headbadge:
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...g/IMG_0440.jpg

I like this sticker. I think I'll leave it on there.
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...IMG_0442-1.jpg

Raleigh LTD-3 26" ? Do you know what type of Raleigh is this one ? The add says it's a 26" frame but it doesn't look like it. Also, this color is new to me. Can you folks help me, as you know, I'm in search of a Raleigh 3-speed.http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=224460

70's vintage me-thinks, have a black one in the basement, that one looks blue to me and a 21" frame, wheels are 26". The LTD's are minus brazed on pump pegs and less the lamp bracket.

Thanks and yes, I was right, this is a 21". But the bike was sold already.

Nice looking bike. The gun metal gray is very attractive; from the decals I'd say it's a '74. They switched to braze ons for brake cable stops that year, too.

kingsting, I hope you're not complaining. I'd enjoy that bike very much.

65r'd the Raleigh... :D

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...rtglenora2.JPG

Love the color.

Now that you're doing the Pletscher rack, you need to carry something...
How about making yourself a tool roll to carry along with the 12 pack?
(We know you have a sewing machine!)

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...ng1951004a.jpg

auchen... I have a lot of irons in the fire right now but plan to make a few tool rolls as this was why I got the sewing machine in the first place and have made similar items for other purposes in the past. My daughter's have cutlery rolls for their lunch boxes that I made for them.

They say I am like a mom and dad rolled into one... :lol:

Not at all. I'm a big fan of my new found friend although it desperately needs a B-72...:rolleyes: It appears to be an all-original, unmolested bike.

I was merely pointing out that when I find a Raleigh it's usually an oddball.

I wanted a rod brake roadster to ride and ended up finding a chrome Boss Bike with balloon tyres.
I tried again and found a Dawn. It ended up being a wartime bike with blackout parts and war grade tyres,
I wanted a plain ladies Raleigh and found a nice Dutch loop-frame Cameo with a lot of extras.
I wanted a Twenty and found a blue one with drum brakes.
I found a ladies Sports in the trash and it was a Malaysian made bike.
I wanted a Chopper and found a 1969 tall frame 3+2 that has all kinds of rare, one year-only parts.
I wanted a Sports in a color other than green, brown, or black and found the grey Canadian one.

I do have a couple of "normal" Superbes and DL-1's but I seem to attract the unusual bikes. I don't really go out of my way to look for them but they find me and I've grown quite fond of the ones I have. I'm actually a Schwinn collector and never found anything other than the more common stuff. (I have a couple unusual color Schwinns but that's it.) Heck, I don't even think we had any Raleigh dealers anywhere near here.