For what it's worth
You can still buy one of these, new, here in Mexico for $125.00 US
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b869d2cb96.jpg
Or just the frame for $34.00 US!
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...51356a360a.jpg

rugged work bikes
 

Thanks gster...


I was actually looking to buy one a few weeks ago...found them on Chinese site but only in quantities of 6 dozen, or more. (approx. $50.00 each)

Can't imagine the plating on the fenders & chain guard being of any real quality.

They were a huge seller in Central America, during my 16 years of living in Honduras. Rugged transportation, often seen with rider transporting at least one other person or bundles of carry-on.

Yellow Jacket in Wisconsin, used to bring in a similar version from India.

Thanks for the good detective work.


Julius in Ohio

"Live simply, so that others may simply live"

Many have tried to make some $$ importing these things but by the time the shipping/duties/taxes/profit are
accounted for, the selling price is not realistic.
I was in Rwanda working years ago (2005), and the Indian version could be had for $35.00...
Brand new.

Another One
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2652189ec8.png
$30.00 as is, in Toronto.
1973 or so.
Worth it for parts or fix up.

A great bargain....
...a bit too far away with the border being closed.....
Thanks for the detective work!

Julius in Ohio

"Live simply, so that others can simply live"

Essential travel?

A Bit of a Mess
This Robin Hood showed up today on Kijij listed as a
1950's bike @ $150.00.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5126606106.png
I was hoping it was a 3 speed fitted with a Cyclo style deraileur.....
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3d8103b6ee.png
Closer examination reveals a Allvit Derailleur and a common 5 speed cassette.....
Probably early 70's.

ascherer Thanks for the lay-back MTB seatpost idea. This has worked out VERY well for me. I can finally ride this old fella (turned 70 in Jan) for as long as I want without knee pain or the discomfort of the small cockpit. With this seatpost, I avoided having to extend the stem with modern parts that would ruin the look. This weekend we're going to do our own local version of the Lake Pepin Three-Speed Tour. I think the Superbe and Mrs. Ged's '56 Sports will make for some nice photos. I didn't think this orientation of the saddle was going to be comfortable (I copied Ascherer's set up from a photo he posted here), but it is perfectly aligned. It feels great, and no issues with squishing at all, even after 3 hrs in the saddle. The only issue would be the age of the saddle (same age as the bike). The leather is a little soft and I can feel the edges. Earlier the sun was out and I was riding along the river, but didn't take any photos apart from this one taken much later just to show the set-up. I have to order some new straps for my lumpy old carradice bag.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7284364315.jpg
Yes, the saddle is comfortable!

Deal of the Day
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bc14e11133.png
Ladies Tourist @ $99.00
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details..._Search_Alerts

Kijiji Toronto
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c42912fd83.jpg
Triumph 3 Speed @ $85.00

Gster are you the ad manager/salesman for Kijiji. Roger

Thanx gster...such a practical English workhorse.....
great price
as always, Julius in Ohio
"Live simply so that others may simply, live"

Ged117 That's great! I glad it worked out for you too. The bike looks great, look forward to seeing the pictures from this weekend's ride.

Andy

No, but I have a saved search so these things show up in my inbox everyday...

S.A hub brake rod controls set.
 

Hi to all.

Just want to say that I have bought a full set(front and rear)of the rod controls for the S.A hub brakes(as shown in the second pic) from an eBay seller in Indonesia. I have yet to receive the set but they look great on the pics. He has a few more sets for sale so if anyone is interested......

USD125 not including shipping. To Malaysia it was USD30.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-set...53.m1438.l2649

OK,thanks. Take care and stay safe everyone. Bye and all the best. 😁👍

Let us know how they work out.
Probably best to buy the whole set.

I've seen a few of these in the past.
A "Canadiana" branded Raleigh.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e5296f6951.png
I don't know where these were sold but would guess through a hardware store chain.
I've also seen "Beaver" branded Raleighs fron the defunct beaver Hardware store chain.

Hi gster.
OK,but it would be some months before the bike is ready. I am still looking for parts. Well,until then take care and all the best. 😁👍

Ok.
Take some photos of your project as we all like to see the work in progress

OK,will try. 😁👌

A Three-Speed Tourabout
 

Hi everyone,

Mrs. Ged and I took out the '50s Raleighs for a good old-fashioned three-speed tour. The National Capital Commission closed the Rockcliffe Parkway to car traffic, and so I thought what a good opportunity to get these bikes out together under the sun. I ran an experiment with the hubs. Mine is a '50 AG, and hers is a '72 AW wheel in a '56 frame (the original wheel has a '56 SW hub laced into it, and the hub doesn't work well). I put blue label 3-in-1 oil in hers, and synthetic 0W-20 oil in mine. The pawls in my hub are very quiet, and they tick quite noticeably in hers. I put it down to the different oils and the lesser quality of the machined parts in the later hubs. Of course, her AW works perfectly. My '53 FW four-speed hub I use with my Peugeot is also quieter than the '72 AW. I nerd out a lot about these details and she is amused by it. We seem to start all of our rides at Maman, the giant spider near the National Art Gallery:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...35ee77c5_c.jpgIMG-20200516-WA0005 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

Then we headed east to the river parkway / paths and stopped some time later for a snack and cold tea. I'm finding a piece for her kickstand, and I have some cork grips coming to replace the tacky ones. My Superbe still has the original rubber grips, and I try to be careful with them. We're using MKS pedals.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3c08378a_c.jpgIMG-20200519-WA0001 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...49b2b5ec_c.jpgIMG-20200519-WA0003 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c2cb4c72_c.jpgIMG-20200519-WA0004 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fa5a41f4_c.jpgIMG-20200519-WA0005 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

I picked up an older 5 speed sprint over the weekend, it needs tires, its got one rotten gumwall that's stuck to the rim, and one original black wall Raleigh Record tire that's lost nearly all its outer rubber. Surprisingly both original Dunlop tubes still hold air though.
I took a ride to the nearest bikes shop and all they could get was a set of cheap gumwall Kenda tires.
They wanted $22 each plus tax for two of the cheapest tires made and he had to order them.

I don't want gumwalls, they look wrong on the bike.
What is going on with the cost of bike tires?
While I was there I price a pair of skinwall mountain bike tires, nothing special, just stock type tires and they wanted $66 for a pair plus tax.
I find the same thing online, the tires are a bit cheaper but the shipping costs more than the tires.
A few years ago I was paying $5.99 for these tires both online and at the LBS.

Does anyone have a decent source for a 26x 1 3/8" blackwall tire that looks like it belongs on one of these bikes?

$22 is a good price on Kendas. My LBS was selling them for $24 about five years ago. Don't expect a tire to be cheaper that you'd actually want to ride...

I don't have a problem with Kendas. I prefer the look of a plain black tire on vintage roadsters to tires with colored lettering and reflective strips. I think they perform reasonably well for the money. Unfortunately, the brown version is only available in Europe. No idea why they don't import them to the U.S.

How about a Rudge Fast Sport?

I was dropping off a couple bikes at the Bike Exchange today after doing at home Covid resto and was snooping around to see if there was anything interesting in the pile that I hadn't worked on.

There in the front was this ladies model Rudge Fast Sport that someone had just donated to us. I have never seen one of these before and can't wait to tear into it. The most unusual feature is the brake set up. They are a type of cantilever design with a difference. When you squeeze the brake lever instead of pulling up on a straddle cable forcing the shoes into the rim, on this design the brake cable forces the rigid v shaped straddle to push down on the canti arm and push the pad into the rim. while this is interesting it seems totally unable to create much stopping power. another interesting item is the seat , which is made by a company named Mesinger in Bethel Connecticut. It has a solid steel seat pan with springs in back. I have never seen that either.

The number stamped on the bottom bracket is A44 2050 so if anyone is rudge knowledgable what year is that? Also, the bike hes wing nuts on the axles. Don't know if that is original. They look new.

I am going to clean everything and probably do a repaint , masking of the decals. I don't know what to do about the brakes though. The shoes are not something I have seen before and the bike won't stop without something being done about that. hopefully I can get kool stops to work . https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8d2bf9e017.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c2b538d7f8.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...367b76a7df.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f87792d331.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3e1329289e.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...517ee2f811.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5db3accbfb.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f30c51bbbe.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8708279edd.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7dc083ed67.jpg

Oh, Almost forgot, I just finished a rather large Ladies Raleigh sport. This one was in silver metalic and sported Weinman side pull brakes. Nothing else special about it. I clear coated the fenders and chain guard and replaced the brake cables and covers and re greased the front axle. Everything else was in good condition including the steel wheels. I had a set of Cool Stop brake pads in my stash so I gave the lady a new pair of shoes. Girls usually like that. added new reflectors and she is ready for her debut. All you tall ladies out there, this bike is for you.