Bike Forums - For the love of English 3 speeds...

Vintage 1930's Raleigh 3-speed woman's bike. It has a brooks B73 saddle and rod operated drum brakes, front and rear. The hub is a Sturmey Archer KN4 and the shifter is a Sturmey Archer Model K. It has 28x1 1/2 tires, a fully enclosed chain guard, and even a flip down kickstand along the downtube. The bike is in excellent condition for its age and is rideable! Please refer to the pictures for the condition. It does have some pitting on the chrome, and some light surface rust on parts of the painted surfaces. The pin striping on the front wheel has been mostly scraped away, and the rear has some chipping.

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450 or best offer

This is a fascinating bike. It's great to see the original transfers and there's still some remnants of the red and gold pin striping. Notice the handlebar grips. I think they are original. If you look at the catalogs from the 30s and 40s, you'll see these short grips on the rod brake bikes. Most of the loop framed 28" wheeled bikes seem to have Terry saddles in the catalogs. I bet they're even more rare than the grips.

Cute Boy Horse

09-11-18 05:38 AM

https://s22.postimg.cc/rkgso0jzl/Dmz...W0_AAjn-_E.jpg

Just found this in a dutch kringloopwinkel east of nijmegen for €40. Or rather, a friend did. I got out of bed and rode my other one there without even stopping to get a shower first.

1973 hub dated, tyres still hold air, surface rust on the rims, and has clips from a DBU on it. Only thing really wrong was the circlip holding the cog was popped off. According to the shop sticker it was originally sold in york.

Why do they only show up when I'm not even looking for one?

BigChief

09-11-18 06:38 AM

That's a good one. I can see how you couldn't pass on it. We never got this model in the US. I guess the white blaze wasn't required in Holland. Nice bike.

Cute Boy Horse

09-11-18 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigChief (Post 20558873)

That's a good one. I can see how you couldn't pass on it. We never got this model in the US. I guess the white blaze wasn't required in Holland. Nice bike.

York is in England :) They didn't sell rod brakes to dutch people, this is a British market bike someone brought over personally. Absolute one in a million chance to find it.

BigChief

09-11-18 08:55 AM

Well, it sure is a good find. Here in the US, we got the white blaze on English roadsters up until the very late 70s.

desconhecido

09-11-18 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigChief (Post 20558408)

30 now. dang. It is hard to see in these pictures, but the rims look good. The frame looks pretty good. Looks like rust is working it's way through the front mudguard. There's not really anything to go wrong in a dynohub unless somebody took it apart and wrecked it. Sure the Brooks is shot, but for 30 bucks, it's a steal. I couldn't resist this one if it was close by.

Yeah, the saddle crack was sort of a joke. If that were reasonably close to me, I would own it.

Buellster

09-11-18 03:12 PM

@BigChief

you have mentioned previously that your a six foot guy and that you have built up some scorers from 21" frames right?
I've got a 55.5 cm frame I'm pondering using for an upright build. So you find that uprights allow you to use a smaller frame or do you just jack the seat way up and get an extra long stem?

BigChief

09-11-18 06:21 PM

I'm especially happy with the way my 21" scorcher turned out. It was one of those lucky times where I took a blind swing and hit a home run. Here's a pic of the Sunlite touring stem next to the original Raleigh stem. I think I may actually prefer the modified 21 over a 23" for scorcher builds. So yes, seat way up, taller stem, alloy rims, MKS touring pedals, lightweight seat and Tektro brakes. Other than that, it's just a stripped down Sports. I really enjoy riding this one. Fun bike.
edit...I needed to make up custom length cables.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...61a1a65c47.jpg

Buellster

09-11-18 10:15 PM

Okay I gotcha.
I just have this beautiful cherry red Dave Quinn frame set. It's full 531 and I was thinking it would be a very unique build for my 4 speed hub.
I'm just worried it will goofy given how high I'd have to pull everything up.
Maybe with some extra long cranks?
it's the nicest frame I've ever had in hand, but an inch and a half too small. Its top tube is actually 57cm, just like the sports and Harding, so that part isnt too short. It's just the ST that kills me. I looked pretty silly on it when it was a road set up. I am wondering wether or not an upright position would maybe work better. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1d0c3dfa61.jpg

Here is dave as a road bike.just beautiful to me. But a literal pain to ride.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d8c0f04785.jpg

Heres just the frame. I stripped it for the indexed shimano 105 groupset.

BigChief

09-12-18 06:01 AM

Building a lightweight roadster has been a daydream of mine for a long time. Haven't done it yet, so no experience. Great looking frameset.

Cute Boy Horse

09-12-18 06:41 AM

Not much too it, every english teenager in the 70s did it. Cheap race bike, handlebar swap and done. Used to be called trackers for some reason

BigChief

09-12-18 07:00 AM

After the war, flat track racing on bicycles became popular in England and naturally kids modified their bikes with wide handlebars to look like flat trackers even if they didn't compete. Hence, the nickname trackers. Never saw that in America. Here, flat track motorcycle racing was the dominant form of racing. Guys sliding around sideways on motorcycles with no brakes is what you saw at the local tracks. It was so popular here that the English motorcycle companies modified their bikes with wide bars and smaller teardrop tanks for the American market.

noglider

09-12-18 07:41 AM

I once built up a 531 racing frame with drop handlebars, lightweight rims, and an AW hub. To be honest, I didn't like it.

thumpism

09-12-18 09:54 AM

Guess I'll leave that Raleigh Pro frameset on the hook, then.

dweenk

09-12-18 12:20 PM

I have a couple of English brake levers, one is Raleigh the other is possibly Hercules. These are single levers, not a matched pair. I also have a single Hercules left pedal (missing the dust cap). These are offered free to someone who will use them on a build or repair. Just pay shipping. I tried to upload images but it seems that my internet service is too slow to do that today.

ddeand

09-13-18 02:50 PM

Here's the plan for this weekend!

The All British Cycling Event and Gentleman's Tour

I'll be riding the 1963 Sports and my buddy will be on his Robin Hood (or maybe his son's Sports). Should be a fun day.

Salubrious

09-13-18 04:05 PM

See you Sunday- or maybe Saturday night.

BigChief

09-13-18 04:27 PM

Here's a good one on Boston CL. I can't blame the seller for wanting $250. I would ask that much too, but I put an added value to this vintage that most people don't. Maybe it's for the best. A hundred less and I'd have to drive down there.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d90860bcfb.jpg
https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/bi...693329171.html

Ballenxj

09-13-18 05:33 PM

Dang, that one appears to be all there, as well as in pretty good nick. For those that don't know, good nick is limey for good shape. ;)

BigChief

09-13-18 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ballenxj (Post 20564472)

Dang, that one appears to be all there, as well as in pretty good nick. For those that don't know, good nick is limey for good shape. ;)

It's a very good one. Stainless spokes, maybe some life in the saddle, no bad rust, rims look good, original complete lights and dyno hub. I think the paint would look great after a polish and wax, The stem is set too high, but these fork tubes don't have keyways. I've never seen a split one. Chances are it's OK. Looks like original cloth brake cable housings, The rear cable clip is original, the one up front is newer. 70s pedals. The shifter looks bent, but that's fixable. I like this one. Pricey though.

tigervw78

09-13-18 07:35 PM

Just Picked Up Second Sports

A couple weeks ago I picked up the '74 Sports I'd been hunting for. It's rare to find them in the Memphis area. Been looking for about a year. It's a green men's 23" frame in great condition with the pump, dyno hub, period headlight, rack, folding wald baskets and newish looking brooks. I'm not sure if the brooks is original. The only thing is the pedals aren't original.

Wanted a green one to go with the black Malaysian '72 I picked up last year. I'll post pics as soon as I get to 10 posts.

agmetal

09-13-18 08:23 PM

Does anyone know where I can get the clips for holding Dynohub wires in place? Planning to put a Dynohub wheel on my Tourist, and would prefer to not use zipties for this purpose. Seems like the hardest-to-find ones are those that go up the fork blade

tigervw78

09-13-18 08:31 PM

Silver 19"? at Coop

As an aside, I stopped by the local coop this evening looking for pedals for the 74 and saw a beautiful silver Sports. It looked really small though. I thought they only made men's Sports in 21" and 23" frame sizes. Does anyone know if there was a 19" men's sports? I thought it was a Colt at first, but the chain guard said Sports. If it wasn't so small I would have grabbed it. They only want $50.

BigChief

09-13-18 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agmetal (Post 20564749)

That's a tough one. They didn't have the quality finish of the top tube clips so not many survived on rusty salvage bikes. They're not easy to fabricate on your own because you need steel of just the right hardness to be formable and yet springy enough to grip on the frame. There is a set on eBay now. I had an idea about making them from clock mainspring material, but haven't gotten around to trying it yet.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-RAL...4AAOSw3HZbAu0i

BigChief

09-13-18 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigervw78 (Post 20564763)

As far as I know, all mens Colts had the camel back frame. Never saw a Sports shorter than 21"

tigervw78

09-14-18 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigChief (Post 20564866)

As far as I know, all mens Colts had the camel back frame. Never saw a Sports shorter than 21"

After a google search, apparently they offered a 19 and 1/2 Men's Sports (in Silver only!) in 1976. I found the catalog page with the Silver Sports pictured. I can't post links yet though.... Maybe a collector's item?

clubman

09-14-18 07:07 AM

I've seen a couple of Colts badged as Sports and one was silver.
Collectable only as a conversation piece. The value of these bikes is usually as riders.

This is claimed to be 19" and I think I believe it.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f684569622.jpg

Salubrious

09-14-18 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agmetal (Post 20564749)

I've found them at coop bike shops- the kind that rely on donations and often have programs to teach underprivledged kids a skill- namely bicycle repair.

tigervw78

09-14-18 02:35 PM

I'm going back Sunday and will post pics if still there. May pick up for my son for when he gets older.... They also have a black 23" in rough shape I may pick up for parts.

tigervw78

09-14-18 02:43 PM

Post to get to 10.

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