Originally Posted by
Chesterton
Well, I did it, I bought a 23" men's Raleigh Sports on eBay. God and FedEx/UPS willing, it should be here by next weekend. I think it is a '74 from what I can tell (brazed-on brake cable guides on the top tube, but the earlier all-metal shifter).
I had the modern (c. 2010) Sturmey-Archer 5-speed hub on my Pashley and it never really worked well at all. I am hoping the AW will be a big improvement. Should I add some oil to it via the port when I get it, before riding the bike? I have a set of Kool Stop Continental pads that I can swap in. Any other immediate maintenance tasks I should be considering?
You might want to be scouting around for a larger cog for the hub. Most of these bikes are overgeared and it seems to get worse the older I get.