This bike has been on and off Marketplace for awhile. It is not, from what I can gather, a 1963 Sunbeam, but appears to be an earlier Sunbeam using some of the oddball Sunbeam type parts. It would be a good buy and a good project for someone, but it's not the sort of thing you would do as a first bike because it really deserves to be gone over with original, correct Sunbeam parts instead of later stuff. At $80 though, if you know your way around English 3-speeds, it's a great start to a project.

A stepthrough and a camelback for a C-note in IN.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...84464315320641

https://scontent.fric1-2.fna.fbcdn.n...ad&oe=61554FED

I took out my Schwinn Superior 3-speed after the recent rain storm Friday afternoon. Several low-lying roads were under water. I had to turn around and change my route up a little bit. This was too deep for my liking, and the cars were up to their axles in water on this road. But it turned from a rainy day, to a very nice one. We don't have a lot of season left here for riding, before the cold and then the snow strike.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LIVxh0cul...924_174827.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nTWh7RyQe...924_175136.jpg

Mudguards
 

Hi
Could it be possible to fit 26" mudguards [fenders] to a 27" wheel?
Thanks

Many vintage mudguards, Bluemels for instance, will fit most wheels. The effective outside diameter of the tires on 26"/EA3's and 700c are virtually the same. 27's aren't much larger but a few issues can crop up, like width of the mudguard vs frame specs like bridge placement and clearances for seat stays and fork crowns.

Sometimes you've got to McGyvor the crap outa them.

You can gently massage fenders to change their radius too - if you squeeze the edges together along the length of the fender it will become narrower and the radius larger. The slightly narrower fenders should fit OK with 27 x 1 1/4" tires.
I hope this description makes sense - I think someone here once posted a pictorial of this, but if so it's probably many, many pages back by now

...just did a quick search, here's a how to...

https://somervillebikes.wordpress.co...er-arc-radius/

That sounds good. Will try. Thanks

Odd little smaller-than-a-Twenty Raleigh.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...5906435694974/

https://scontent.fric1-2.fna.fbcdn.n...16&oe=615C271C

Mounton with a 4-speed.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...60132809356431

https://scontent.fric1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...7d&oe=615BF101

I have a real English 3 speed and an American English style three Speed.
Heres the Birmingham one...


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c0880f3f5.jpeg

Great value there. Not your average Sports.

Was the 1966-69 era Raleigh Sprite the only models to use an S5 hub?

I picked up a 23" Sprite frame that takes 26" wheels a while back, I have everything but the original wheels.
It came with a single speed rear coaster brake laced to a set of Raleigh pattern, Westrick rims.
I spotted this on fleabay (https://www.ebay.com/itm/23420600007...IAAOSwBuBhRrcS).
I was going to just make it a three speed but was thinking of maybe putting it back to original.
I got nothing in the bike as it sits and its in pretty nice shape overall.
I've been watching for a while and I don't see many S5 hubs for sale.
Was the Sprite the only model to use an S5?

The only thing I ever recall seeing them on is the late 60's Sprites and I think a few kids bikes.
They're pretty much rare as hen's teeth these days,
For me, the only way to fix up a bike is to put it back the way it was built at the factory.

To me, getting on a 60's Sprite and seeing a three speed or coaster brake would be like getting into a classis muscle car and turning the key only to hear some anemic four cylinder engine under the hood, or like having a Cadillac without air conditioning.

I've got two S5 equipped Sprites here myself, I've been offered $300 each for their rear hubs, but they didn't want the whole bike. I will not part out a good bike.
I actually bought both of them for parts but it turned out both were solid bikes, a matched green his/her's pair. I was after the minty clean rims on them but soon decided to
leave them as is and keep looking for the rims for another project.
Around here, whole bikes won't sell. Value wise, the only way I'd ever get any money out of these is in parts, but I have little doubt, the only thing that would sell is the rear hubs. I've watched a half dozen decent looking Sports models for sale all summer for cheap and they just sit here, folks won't pay $100 for a clean Sports, and lately most don't seem to even sell for $50.

(I dragged home four for $10 last weekend from a local fleamarket, I was there around closing on Sunday and the guy didn't want to load up any bikes. He was asking $25 each on the tags, and each one was decent and ridable, yet he got no takers. He told me he started out with 22 bikes on Sat. morning, and only the Walmart junk sold, the two Raleighs, one Robin Hood, and one Schwinn never got a look. He told me he can sell a dozen rusty Huffy and Murray bikes to every one decent Raleigh or Schwinn).

The bikes I brought home were a '68 and '78 Raleigh Sports, one 22" and one 23" frame, '65 Robin Hood Sports in 23", and a 1950's Schwinn Traveler.
The 68 Sports had one wrong rim, someone stuck a Dunlop Endrick rim on the front, and the fenders are a bit messed up and the Schwinn fenders are likely trash, but they were otherwise all in good shape. Especially for $10. ( I was able to hop on and ride each one with no real issues as found).

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0fd997e4f.jpeg

Back in the day I worked at a shop that sold many brands, Raleigh being just one of them. They stocked all the road bikes, and 5 and 10 speed Sprite 27 models, but I don't think I ever ran across an S5 hub back then The go to three speed was the Motobecane Nobly or any number of US made bikes, Columbia, Ross, even Puch. They had one black rod brake Raleigh roadster that the owner said was a 1974 model, it were there well into the 80's with no takers. The price tag was just over $200.
I was there through the mid 70's to the late 80's. They dropped Raleigh when Huffy got involved.
Road bikes were the mainstay of that shop back then but regardless of the type of bike, the number one seller was always what ever could be sold the cheapest. Raleigh was never in that category.
In the shop, by the end of the 70's, we were seeing mostly all Shimano three speeds in for repair Partly because they broke more often, partly because most of the cheaper bikes tended to come with them.
We did see the occasional Raleigh or sub brand bike but most were old bikes owned by regular customers.

My most recent project, sympathetic restoration of a 1953 Hercules “King” QE2 Coronation model. A bit of a work in progress, as I still need a period/style-correct seat and propstand, but really that’s about it. I may need to repair/replace a slightly dented rim and of course it could use stainless spokes, and the oil filler cap on the rear hub won’t stay closed, but all that can be fixed over time. A bit unusual in that the other Coronation models I’ve seen have had painted fenders while this one has chrome fenders (though the others were also red and not black like this), and i am confident that they’re original. But it does have the downtube script Hercules decal with multicolor chevrons and white falcons, distinctive chain guard decal and headbadge, branded Hercules pedals and chainring (the features of the Coronation models), and original B Type 3 rear hub with Hercumatic shifter. It has patina and signs of wear expected for a nearly 70-year old, well-used bike, but appeals to my interest in unusual bikes not frequently seen in the States.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7699147fe.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6d806a423.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a54c528e8.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b59dab7d9.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b51b01b0a.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b9bb5620e.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4840d3d05.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...26340d737.jpeg

A very nice original example.

Nice looking bike there!
To me, a well preserved original bike like that is as good as it gets.

That's a rather rare hub, wow.

3 speed hub was my first gearing...

1939 catalogue
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ec53799728.jpg

Particularly rare when you consider that Raleigh switched to munition supplies in 1939.
"During the Second World War, the Raleigh factory in Nottingham was used for the production of fuzes. Bicycle production was reduced to approximately 5% of its peacetime capacity.[size=8333px]"[/size]

Sure hope you can get it all back together and on the road Brian!

Need a tall stepthrough? Ladies' 23" Sports. All the cool kids have 'em (says the guy who has one). $100 is probably too much for this one given its condition.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...92254202656759

https://scontent.fric1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...11&oe=61834467

Loop-ish Sports? $50 in SW VA.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...90519489813687

https://scontent.fric1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...90&oe=6162E757

Would these English 3 speeds potentially fit under the description of "English style road bikes"? There is someone up north saying they're selling them for $10-$20,but there are no images, so I can't tell if they mean actual road bikes, or 3 speeds.

I'd say "English-style" is a strong indicator of a bike with swept bars and lax frame angles for upright riding. If you can't get pictures, maybe they'll give you model names (or brands) there are plenty of brands that aren't known for their road bikes.

My 1979 Sport on our lunch break.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d65fdc3ffe.jpg


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a5b4af4e65.jpg


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8e2e7e4e32.jpg


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a5dfdd90d9.jpg


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d3dc8c51e9.jpg



https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...57a5e53faa.jpg

Nice Bike. LOL on the sticker "Please don't steal my Bicycle, thanks." Not sure what effect that might have on some crack head? ;)

That's a serious travelling machine.
There's still room for some panniers on the back rack....
My late 70's Canadian made/assembled Superbe has those same
eyelets for the brake cable.