woolfoot

Hi All -

This is my first post here, but I have done some poking around and I am hopeful that someone here will be able to give me some good advice.

In the last couple of years I have acquired a couple of beautiful old Ladies 3 Speeds: a Raleigh Sport and a BSA. The BSA dates to 1972, according to the hub and the Raleigh is a 1969. I know from the bit of research I have done that the BSA is a de facto Raleigh since it dates from the time after BSA was acquired by Raleigh). The Raleigh is from 1969.

What I am wondering about is whether it would be reasonable to approach a bike shop/mechanic to see if he or she might be willing to restore one of these bikes in exchange for the other one. Is this a silly thing to ask? I am not at all technical and will not be working on these myself. My hope is to get at least one in shape for my daughter, who is now 10, so she will have a cool bike for the years ahead of her.

I don't want to insult a mechanic - I also don't want to be a fool. My goal is to have at least one good bike and not to spend too much money. I really have no budget for this stuff and I am completely non-mechanical. I wasn't sure how to post photos here (since a URL address appeared to be required) so I wrote a little blog post on the topic. There are pictures there.

What would you do if you were me? I would like to keep them both, but partly because my inner-hoarder would hate to see either one go. Grandchildren, perhaps?

I also have no idea about how much restoration might costs - hundreds? I know the saddle for the Raleigh is an expensive proposition and I don't know how good it is mechanically now.

Thanks for any ideas and advice.

sailorbenjamin

Well, you don't need a leather saddle, any old saddle will fit. If you have any mechanical talent and any tools, you can usually get one of these working yourself for less than a hundred bucks.
Take the shinyest of the pair and use the other one as a donor for any parts you may need (tires, tubes, cables) and keep the other one in the back of the garage and aquire parts as your budget allows.
Spend some time exploring Sheldon Brown's site;
https://sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/index.html
and if you have any questions after that, just ask us, we're all Raleigh experts here.

bbattle

First, welcome to the C & V.

Second, we need pictures of these bikes. Close-up shots of the cranks, brakes, hubs, bottom bracket, decals, etc. Also pics of anything that looks damaged. Then we can assess the bikes and provide more specific advice.

Taking these bikes apart, cleaning them, then putting it all back together is a great way to learn bicycle mechanics and makes you appreciate your bikes more.

Plenty of people here that can give you lots of advice so don't sell yourself short; grab a wrench and let's go to work.

CrankyFranky

Greetings, wf, and welcome to the best forums.

I too have both a Raleigh Sports (male, though) and a BSA (female). Both are in much rougher shape than either of yours. Although your pictures do not show closeup detail, one thing I can say for certain is that the BSA, while lacking the hockey stick chainguard, appears to have an almost pristine original paint, judging by the photo of the seat tube decal. Is it all that nice?

I don't recall seeing much detail showing the condition of the Raleigh. If the Raleigh paint is in similar shape as the BSAs, I presume neither of these have seen much abuse. IMO, the only things that would need doing is to replace the tyres (I lived in England for 8 years, so I speak the language), perhaps clean and lubricate the front wheel bearings, put a little Sturmey Archer oil in the gearcases, check all nuts for tightness, and check the adjustment of the gear cable. I would not bother to disassemble the bottom bracket (the shaft upon which turns the large front gear connected to the pedals)- it is probably fine in both these bikes. All of these are not demanding tasks, and you could determine whether your local bike shop is up to the tasks. Call it "tuneup , lube, and tyres".

My 11 year-old daughter Corrina does well on her three speed BSA. It will take a few years to thoroughly educate her on proper gear changing, how to approach a hill so she can climb it, etc., but she now can do a 12-mile trip with a few rolling hills with no problem and maybe a walk up. She has a multispeed bike too, but she has more difficulty with the gears. The only advantage with this bike is that it has more modern brakes and stops in wet conditions much better. We never ride in the rain, though, nor do we horse around - thus, the older bike is less difficult to learn how to ride safely.

Both the bikes you have were built to last at least 75 years. The Raleigh may have the more desirable and robust saddle and also perhaps have more desirable rims, but all in all, they are both potentially quite close in value. To me, the value of these bikes is not to "restore" them to as-new condition, but rather is in the quality of the riding experience. I'm not sure what you mean by restore, then. You should not expect to spend hundreds doing what I suggested above - You should be able to have them both serviced as above for a total of under $150, if you do no work whatsoever yourself. You can ask for an estimate! But as another has suggested, these are ideal subjects on which to learn basic "wrenching", if for nothing other than to learn what to look for when you periodically check the bike your daughter will ride, however untechnical you view yourself.

Keeping either or both will require a bit of learning on your part, because not many young bike mechanics regard them with the respect they deserve, nor do they necessarily know how to adjust the gear cables, though it is not a mystery. Also, riding any bike at all dictates a bit of attention to technical detail - otherwise, that rattle when you hit a bump might take a sinister turn. I once picked up a young London girl off the tarmac after her three-speed back mudguard came loose and rotated backwards, covering her rear wheel and causing her to skid sideways on a long but mercifully gentle downhill... her parents didn't check the bike over. One cannot expect everything to remain roadworthy with use without using your senses a bit. And these bikes are pleasingly simple and easy to learn about. Sheldon Brown's website (he sadly passed on recently) gives a lot of clear descriptions, in whatever depth you wish to learn... but you can't expect to remain completely technically uninvolved.

If I had these bikes, and a dry clean storage space to spare, I would hold on to them both. Machines like these are no longer made, and are the least technically demanding of any bike except a single speed coaster brake bike. I think you would regret not having both. I still ride mine, even though I have now a much nicer custom - ordered fancy multispeed bike.

There, I'm not so cranky after all...

385xza

Both bikes are very similar and look to be in reasonable condition to start with, why don't you choose one to renovate and use the other as your "pattern" and reference quide?
You will find plenty of useful advice on the various threads to make sure you don't go wrong, the experiance of the first bike will then stand you in good stead to renovate the second bike!
Big money is not required just take you time and ask for advice where needed and you will soon be enjoying good old fashioned cycling.

woolfoot

Thank you all. I really appreciate the time you took in responding, esp. CrankyFranky. I have a little to add in further response.

BBattle said:
"Second, we need pictures of these bikes. Close-up shots of the cranks, brakes, hubs, bottom bracket, decals, etc. Also pics of anything that looks damaged. Then we can assess the bikes and provide more specific advice."

See, you have already overestimated me. I don't know what a "crank" or a "bottom bracket" is (though Cranky Franky filled me in a bit). "Decal", I can manage. I have no good excuse for this as the instructions for assembling the Raleigh (and the Cycling Guide and warranty card) were still in the old vinyl bag. I guess I could learn. My problem may be more that I have no inclination to work on anything mechanical. I do have a husband, however, and he is handy and cheap, so maybe he would agree to take this on. However, agreeing and accomplishing are two different things (as some of you husband's out there may have experienced in relation to requests for projects by your own significant others). I hope she will have a bike in time for college... I suppose I will then be forced into taking up a wrench or handing some coin to a mechanic.

Further info on the condition: I will say that nothing "looks" damaged, other than the seat on the Raleigh. The paint on the Raleigh is also very flat - no shine left. It may have been left outside for a long time.

Reading these posts has made it clear that my bikes now need a rudimentary analysis. I haven't even filled the tyres (note the "y"; when in Rome...) on the Raleigh yet. The seat has to go, but maybe everything else will be fine with just some fresh oil and nut checking and the other things you recommend. Maybe they can both be brought back without needing anything drastic. In any case, I guess I had best figure that out first.

My goal is only to get something safe to ride and nice to look at. I don't think there are bike shows, are there? I don't need a show piece, in any case.

Cranky, thanks for all your info. Glad to hear your 11-year-old is doing well on her BSA. I am not sure I like this idea of gaining specialized knowledge and self sufficiency in order to be a responsible cyclist. Sounds almost unAmerican! I want to get on and go. Wrenches? Shifting lessons!?

We have a big old barn here where the BSA has been living since I bought it a couple years back so storage is not much of an issue. And I think you are right that I would hate to see either one go.

Thanks again. I am going to read a few more posts about old Raleighs that came in today.