Originally Posted by
oldspokes
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).