I had to look that one up. 3 speed fixed. I guess finding that indicator was a real long shot.

Challenging is an understatement. The hubs are in the "hens teeth" category; spare parts for them in the "almost unobtanium".

1953 Raleigh/Parliament Bicycle



This popped up local on CL like new but very unfortunate that nothing but the frame is original. 60's & 70's parts for a lot of money

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/h...479767550.html










https://images.craigslist.org/00L0L_...v_1200x900.jpg

Weird. Whatever it is it's not a Nottingham built Raleigh

I like a good mystery. I'm going to hazard a guess. Not a Raleigh frame or fenders. Maybe some parts were added, but I don't think this is a restoration. I think it was built and sold this way. I don't think the frame and fenders are even English. What seals the deal for me is the Hi-Tension steel sticker. No English speaker would have made that mistake.

Agree, not Raleigh. There were some Asian knock-offs with the thimble fork, could be one of them. Waste of time, money and parts.

It's a 69 2 AW hub pictured. I am not privy to older frame lugs.

Saves me asking, because I was about to ask how you could tell? I could see maybe $200. for a well put together bike, but $685. for a knock off? This would be a major sting for the buyer if found out. :(

Time for tires for Roadster#2. Any recommendations for 40-635 tires? (28x1 1/2"). I'm located in Canada.

I picked these Conti Tour Rides because they are supposed to be puncture resistant. So far so good. And I have put quite a few miles on these.

Attachment 597633

Low price tires from Niagara.
https://www.niagaracycle.com/categor...hoCxTMQAvD_BwE

They are a nice ride. Imagine your normal 3 speed setup, with the 4th gear being an extra low. If you set it up right, you can have high a little higher, while low is a bit lower than what you have now. You can climb better and not spin out so quick.

You want to avoid the alloy version of the FM (Four speed Medium range) hub- the alloy shell cracks quite easily. This is not a problem with the FW.

FWs with the Dynohub built in are easy to find on ebay.co.uk

Y'all seem pretty sure of yourselves based on crappy CL pix. I don't have an opinion one way or another myself. Some stuff there looks a little hinky I agree but it could be just what it claims to be. Raleigh made bicycles on contract for British retail chains, just like many American bike companies did (including Schwinn.) As with anything even slightly suspicious I'd want to inspect this bike personally before dropping any money on it, of course.

Show me another Raleigh Sports or rebrand-clone with mudguard attachments above the axle and not at the rear. Just one. Made anytime.

Here's a poor picture of an Indian roadster but you can clearly see the thimble fork crown. Try to find another Raleigh Parliament online. This is a company that made bikes in vast numbers. Not trying to be cocky here, just brief.

http://www.kwcycles.com/imgs/kw-rl-type.jpg

That's the whole reason I gear down my AWs. I sacrifice the overdrive for a granny to help me get up hills. I'm especially tempted by the idea of the FM. I love the medium spread I have on the S5. The only issue there is if you're riding the S5 in medium mode, engaging the bell crank to reach the granny in wide mode is a trickier shift. It's reliable, but not as smooth and easy as the right side shifter. Takes a bit of a knack.

I put 'Raleigh roadster' tyres on mine. They're made by CST (Chen Shin), search ebay for raleigh roadster tyres they are around $40 for a shipped pair. They actually have Raleigh Roadster on the tyrewall in raised block letters. Looks cool and they ride really nice. Those Niagara tyres are so inexpensive!

I've been for a few more rides on the DL-1, and after ironing out the drum brake issues -
and probably with some 'bedding in' of the shoes to the shell - the stopping power is far more adequate. I can now actually slow down and stop going down one of the hills that I have to walk up :) I'm very happy with this bike, it's now my go to bike for most of my riding as it's just so much fun to ride. I occasionally wish for 5 speeds, and I have an S5 hub I want to build into the Aussie/English Speedwell roadster I've been slowly working on. I hope it's as nice to ride as the DL-1, but it won't have the same amount of fork rake.

I never expected that I would enjoy riding these big roadsters as much as I do, but this is the bike I put the most mileage on these days. I did swap the 16T cog for a 22 and finally figured out how to get the brakes to work. Hard to explain, but I just love riding this bike. Finally got fenders on her. Here's the official "finished" photo.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4667/...510a5324_h.jpgDL-1 Roadster by Billy Bones, on Flickr

Classic

3 Speed life
 

Just discovered this thread. Long live 3 speeds!

@BigChief, what's your secret to getting the brakes to work?

Salmon Kool Stop inserts. Side to side pad alignment on the rim (you can tap the guides up or down on the fork legs/chain stays to adjust this) Getting the pads to land on the rims evenly by holding emery cloth against the rim, applying light pressure on the lever and dressing down the higher pad until they land on the rim at the same time. Making sure there is at least 3 inches of travel between the lever and grip. I carefully bend the levers down if there's less. And I think there is some advantage (with Raleigh type brakes with offset arms on the front brake) to mount the front pads in the leading position.

Glad you found us! I can tell by your bike that 3 speeds aren't new to you.

This looks like a roadster design? I just popped up locally on CL for $75 and looks to be in excellent condition I see no front wheel. Looks to be a 23" frame.

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/h...473158291.html

https://images.craigslist.org/00V0V_...ls_600x450.jpg

If I lived near the twin cities, I would have it in my garage by now.

Has anyone converted a Sports to square taper cranks? I've converted a low end Raleigh Record to square taper back in the day, so I understand the method, just not how a Sports would look without it's signature cottered crankset. My current Sports project is becoming more of a resto-mod so the thought has crossed my mind. Crank wise I'd likely go with a low-end fluted crankset like a SR.

In my mind it looks right but the doubts are there.

Personally, I wouldn't do it. A well adjusted Heron crankset with new bearings can run very smoothly and cotters can be managed with the right tools. The only advantage I can see would be a couple ounces of weight. Not enough to offset the classic look of the original IMO.

My daughter's Sports was acquired as a bare frame, mudguards, and chain guard, so I had no qualms about building it up with parts I had on hand. Not just just square-taper cranks, but also Tektro dual pivot calipers:

http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/franken...inal-rside.jpg

There is a bit of a knack shifting into that extra low on a four speed too. The adjustment for the cable is a bit more critical; if that is really set right it goes well enough. Personally I prefer the FW as it behaves with the same gears as an AW but with extra low. Very nice for climbing the Bay City Hill on the Three Speed Tour!

Dutch coaster brake single-speed. Probably has the 635 tire but not exactly the same bike as an English roadster. The Puch Waffenrad is another example that is made in Austria, but it also has a scrub front brake and one lever on the bars. You could modify this one pretty easily.

I talked to the guy, he is about 40 minutes away and said he has other bikes in rough condition but worth a look see.