Hello everyone. I'm a newbie to this forum too. I just spent the last two nights reading all 51 pages of this thread and feel like I hit the lottery! What a great thread! It's a bit awkward because I feel like many of you are old friends now (since I've been following your post for the past year) but you don't know me yet. Regardless, (irregardless, if you’re from Alabama where I grew up :>) I'm especially thankful for having found a great group of guys that have an interest in vintage bikes like myself.
Sometimes I enjoy wrenching on these great bikes almost as much as riding them. I just finished my first Raleigh rehab last week, a green 1965 Sprite, which I converted to an AW hub from the original 5 speed Hewitt derailleur. The paint was pretty good, so I serviced the BB, head tube, and wheel bearings. I cleaned the wheels and handlebars with brass wool and waxed the frame and fenders. It came out really nice. I hope to put up a few pics as soon as the snow and ice storm passes and I can take some photos.
For quite some time, I've been watching Craig’s List hoping to find a DL-1 Tourist. It's been months and months. There just doesn't seem to be any of these in the Atlanta area. I had almost resigned myself to buying one somewhere else and having it shipped. Last week, quite unexpectedly, someone posted an ad on CL that simply said "Raleigh Bikes for sale". Inside the ad it mentioned they had three older Raleigh's for sale. There were no pictures or any details mentioned. I sent a reply and asked what the model names were and if any of them had rod brakes. Didn't hear anything back for two days, so I figured whatever they had was already sold or had previously been used as a boat anchor and had the rust to prove it. Just in case, I sent another email and asked if they received my first email and told them I was really looking for a Raleigh Tourist and asked again what they had. On the third day I got a reply back which said "Sorry for the late reply, but I was in a minor auto accident and haven't had a chance to respond. In fact, I have two of the Tourist, a gentleman’s and a ladies model. Since you seem to be the most persistent, I will let you see them first". You could have blown me over with a feather. I couldn't believe my luck. I hastily arranged to meet with them as soon as possible.
I drove over to their home in a very nice, upscale neighborhood and took a look at the bikes. Much to my surprise, they had a DL-1 and a DL-1L that were in unbelievable great shape. I quickly paid the $50 each they were asking and loaded the bikes onto my bike rack. It turns out this couple were the original owners of these two 1974 Tourist’s and they proceeded to give me the owner’s manual, assembly guide, warranty cards, and a "bike tool" that came with the bikes.
Needless to say, I am overjoyed with these two bikes. Since you almost never see these bikes in this area, I asked them how they came to own them. The lady said that they once lived in NJ (where they bought the bikes) and brought them down when they moved to Atlanta 15 years ago. They've been hanging on the wall in their basement ever since. It just goes to show that you never know when the force is going to be with you! I took a couple photos of the DL-1 if I can get them posted below. I look forward to sharing with you guys a lot more in the near future.
