Classic & Vintage - My 1946 Raleigh Lenton Sports (pics finally)

Hello,
Below is a photobucket link to 68 pics I'd like to share with you of my recently acquired 1946 Raleigh Lenton Sports. I took them before I did any cleaning up/polishing, and of course the pics don't do the bike justice - but I did the best I could to represent it fully. But first a little backround: I bought the bike last week for $250 in Boston from a man in his 90's who lives with his wife of 57 years. He spent most of life working as an engineer, working for corporations which primarily developed technology for the US military complex. To put himself through Grad school he built bicycles. He bought the Lenton in 1947 while in Grad school from the original owner, who had bought it new a year before. Once out of school, his wife told him it wasn't dignified to ride around on 'that thing' anymore... so he's kept it indoors ever since. I've never seen someone so robust at his age - he offered to drive me downtown with the bikes(I also bought a truly unused, perfect, all original, complete, 1970 Ladies Raleigh Sports for $125). Before I could even act he had popped the hatchback open and lifted the '70 Sports effortlessly and carefully placed it into the car, and after helping me get the Lenton in we were off. He also offered me three NOS Endrick rims for $50 - two are complete front wheels and one is 40 hole rear rim only - is this a good deal?
He's retired now but builds and rebuilds old English inspired American clocks using machinery he builds himself- he wrote a book about them in the 80's.
So needless to say - this bike has been tuned and serviced to perfection! WOW, what an amazing ride!
Everything is original except the rear Michelin tire which was changed in 1948. Unfortunatley it's missing the saddlebag(I believe they all came with one when new). I have written descriptions under every photo. I would love to hear all comments, suggestions, questions and any feedback you can give.

I hope you enjoy the pics, -Specter

http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f177/supergymnast/1945%20Raleigh%20Lenton/

ps. The main album title on photobucket mistakenly says '1945 Raleigh Lenton Sports" which I corrected to 1946 on the individual pic titles.

Very Very nice.:thumb::love:

I would put some Proofide on the saddle to preserve it. I like the fluted cranks and condition of the bike.

I think that the price for the three NOS endrick rims is good and you should buy them post haste.:D

Peter Kohler writes on Retro Raleighs-the Raleigh Lentons : "Resurrected in Raleigh's post-war range, announced in March 1946, and now assigned no. 25, the Lenton Sports' frame (still 21" and with a 71° angle) was now constructed of Reynolds 531 tubing with a newly designed fork and new colour: Polychromatic Olive. Although Cycling magazine praised it as being "a sound machine at a moderate price," it was withdrawn in spring 1947 and superceded by the Clubman in 1948."

I'm not sure I would call mine polychromatic olive green(or maybe?), but it sounds to me like it was the first to use 531 tubing.

Specter

Great find! It's really interesting to see how similar the details of the bike are to my 1949 Raleigh Clubman, including the lugs, finish, and most of the components. Here's a pic of my '49 before I took possession:

http://web.mit.edu/nlerner/Public/Bikes/49ClubmanOld.jpg

Neal

Hey Neal - Thanks - I'm very happy with it - and it rides like the wind, very stable and feels brand new. How funny... same chromatic green and 'deco-like' transfer designs. Is the saddle bag on your '49 original? The Lentons and Clubmans sure had big saddlebags for bikes that were built for speed. I can't figure out the marketing behind temporarily discontinuing the Lenton in '47/48 but then making a very similar 'new generation' Clubman.

-Specter

Wow. What a find.

The phone number for the Bicycle Center looks American to me; 6-0342. Perhaps the first two letters of the word PHone are to be dialed as numbers, i.e. 742-0342, or the shop was in a smaller town where the exchange had only the one digit. With a little luck you can probably find the store in an old phone directory.

I think the oil port on the hub is missing a metal cap, basically a disc with a protruding tab that bent around and into the slot in the back.

But wow, what a find.

Thanks rhm -

It's the way centre is spelled that led me to believe it was a British shop.. but your theory is far more interesting and worth looking into for sure.

If there was a cap on the oil port, then it's somehow been sealed with the current plug. I think you're right though, because there wouldn't be much of purpose for such an extended cylindrical opening. Yes, I just checked it personally and there is a tiny slit on the port where the cap hinge fit.

-Specter

Is the saddle bag on your '49 original? The Lentons and Clubmans sure had big saddlebags for bikes that were built for speed.
-Specter

Specter, that's a Karrimor saddle bag, probably from the 70s and similar in size to the Carradice Long Flap, I believe. It came with the bike as well as a Karrimor "uplift" carrier, which allows me to move it from bike to bike. I use it all of the time as I can fit my laptop, lock, rain jacket, and a bunch more stuff inside.

Neal

...It's the way centre is spelled that led me to believe it was a British shop....

Oh, good point, I hadn't noticed that. Well, what do I know. -R

Oh, good point, I hadn't noticed that. Well, what do I know. -R

well, obviously more than me! I just read the print under the phone number on the same decal and it reads:
Bicycles-Sales-Repairs
1129 Chapel Street
New Haven, Connecticut

Good call!

Beautiful bike. Two things to note-

The paint on my 50 clubman is very thin. Be REALLY careful if you try to polish it so you don't lose the color and the underlayment starts showing thru. I don't think you will ever find a bike of this vintage with paint so well preserved. What a find!

Also, I wonder if the two oil port covers weren't reversed? My '45 sports has the flip top in back and a round knurled cap on the BB. I'd be VERY cautious about catching my pants leg on the flip top and ripping off the lid. I know I catch mine all the time on the plug on mine.

well, obviously more than me! I just read the print under the phone number on the same decal and it reads:
Bicycles-Sales-Repairs
1129 Chapel Street
New Haven, Connecticut

Good call!

That is really cool!

There was an old bicycle shop at or very near that location in the late 80's. Not sure which side of the street, but between York and Park streets, at any rate. If my internet search is correct, it's moved across the street now, but still has (almost) the same phone number:

Bicycle Center
1144 Chapel St
New Haven, CT
06511-4805
203-624-0342

This is what I found. (http://mtbike.mountainzone.com/bikeshops/detail.asp?bid=55734)

Very cool indeed! It is essentially the same phone number - WOW... good work... do you think maybe they have a stash of some 70 year old NOS Lentons still in their boxes, forgotten in their basement?

The man who sold me the Lenton placed the ad in one of those printed 'Want Ads' magazines which I found in a convenient store in the Boston Suburbs. He doesn't own a computer and has never even used the internet, so he's not aware of the internet market, auctions, etc. I don't know anything about the monetary value of a bike this rare in this condition, but can't help but wonder what it might potentially be worth. Is the $250 I paid the high end price? I have a feeling I got lucky because nobody really looks in those printed classifieds for bikes anymore.(The ad was placed for over 6 months and I was the only serious caller - plus he advertised a 1970 NOS Raleigh Sports for $125!! On craigslist or ebay forget it.) I've never seen Lentons on ebay, even hard to find them anywhere online, so I have nothing comparable. I guess, out of curiousity, I'm looking for an Antique Road Show kind of estimate(as bad as that sounds)or what similar bikes at higher end auctions estimate/bring. Anyone dare to answer?

That said, I'm extremely happy with the bike for what I paid - happy riding it and learning more about it - I'd just like a well rounded perspective on the value.

Specter

well, obviously more than me! I just read the print under the phone number on the same decal and it reads:
Bicycles-Sales-Repairs
1129 Chapel Street
New Haven, Connecticut

Good call!


Sounds to me like a bike owned by a Yale student/grad student originally. In the late 1940s Raleigh Lentons would be quite rare compared to the usual American-made heavyweights of that era. An exotic adult bicycle of higher expense than a regular American ballooner in New Haven sounds like a Yale case to me. It would make sense too if the guy you bought it from was a Grad Student-- did he go to Yale? He may have bought it from another student there.

It's an excellent find.

Sounds to me like a bike owned by a Yale student/grad student originally. In the late 1940s Raleigh Lentons would be quite rare compared to the usual American-made heavyweights of that era. An exotic adult bicycle of higher expense than a regular American ballooner in New Haven sounds like a Yale case to me. It would make sense too if the guy you bought it from was a Grad Student-- did he go to Yale? He may have bought it from another student there.

It's an excellent find.

I believe he went to Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science - I can imagine how exotic this bike may have been - possibly their introduction to a 531 model - I bet you're right about him buying it from a fellow student.

Beautiful bike. Two things to note-

The paint on my 50 clubman is very thin. Be REALLY careful if you try to polish it so you don't lose the color and the underlayment starts showing thru. I don't think you will ever find a bike of this vintage with paint so well preserved. What a find!

Also, I wonder if the two oil port covers weren't reversed? My '45 sports has the flip top in back and a round knurled cap on the BB. I'd be VERY cautious about catching my pants leg on the flip top and ripping off the lid. I know I catch mine all the time on the plug on mine.

Hi Mark - interesting point about the oil port covers being switched.. do you have pics/a link of your '45 sports somewhere?
Oh, nevermind, I found your 'machines' page - The paint on your Rudge is incredible, as is your sense of humour(I'm glad you ride safe and wear your baseball cap!)

I'd like to do a 'show us your Lenton' thread too. Can regular members post that sort of thing or is that for the moderators to initiate?

Hi Mark - interesting point about the oil port covers being switched.. do you have pics/a link of your '45 sports somewhere?
Oh, nevermind, I found your 'machines' page - The paint on your Rudge is incredible, as is your sense of humour(I'm glad you ride safe and wear your baseball cap!)

Thx. I've also got a Clubman that has a ball bearing type cap on the BB. They musta used just anything that fit for a grease fitting.

Thx. I've also got a Clubman that has a ball bearing type cap on the BB. They musta used just anything that fit for a grease fitting.

especially these bike made immediately following the war - whatever pre-war/war surplus they had sitting around... which is what makes them/their production even more valuable and interesting to me.

:innocent:speaking of which - no one's dared to respond to my above entry #14

Beautiful machine , the more of these I see and the more I read the farther I get from my Schwinn roots !
nice ride
Tim

Beautiful machine , the more of these I see and the more I read the farther I get from my Schwinn roots !
nice ride
Tim

Thank you. I was just admiring your green machine.. the Raleigh Superbe Sports Tourist, '54 I think. Nice job cleaning that up.. and welcome to the wonderful world of THE RALEIGH :thumb:

:innocent:speaking of which - no one's dared to respond to my above entry #14

I paid $200 for the clubman on my Machines page. It had no fenders, incorrect brakes and levers, no lights, bag, bottle cage, and an AW rather than the AG I replaced it with. One rim was replaced. I paid $200 for the '45 Rudge, also.

I think you got a steal. Finding one of these is so hard that it's impossible to put a price on it. I wouldn't sell mine for $400, but I doubt anyone would pay that for it. I would have paid 300-400 if I didn't have one already. On the plus side it's a Lenton, but on the neg side it's not got a lot of fancy bits. Standard Sports brakes, no Hiduminium parts, no AM or AC hub, no wing nuts. Consider a ~70s Competition easily goes for $250, and your bike is from the 40s... Once you find someone who has to have one, you're in like Flynn. But once again, I think the smaller names go for the real big bucks. Raleighs were mass produced, even back then.

You're right, it's an absolute gas to ride these bikes. So light and responsive - coming from a world of Sports, mind you.

Heeey - it's got wing nuts - they hold the fenders to the seat stays.. but I think you meant as lock nuts on the rear hub?

Thanks for your insight on the value. Is there any info on how many bikes were produced for each model for any given year?

I'm used to riding late '60s early '70s Sports and Superbes. But the Lenton! It has so much steel, and so steady and quick - it's like riding a rock with wings or something... a steel horse.


-Specter

That's really cool! That bike, and me, were both born onthe same year.

Almost as well preserved, too!

oh wow, I really want to find one of these now :)

It's interesting - the man who sold it to me said he found 'Home and Lantern Oil' has always worked nicely in the hubs(found in your local sporting goods store).. and judging by the way this bike operates I can't argue with him!

Heeey - it's got wing nuts - they hold the fenders to the seat stays.. but I think you meant as lock nuts on the rear hub?

Thanks for your insight on the value. Is there any info on how many bikes were produced for each model for any given year?

I'm used to riding late '60s early '70s Sports and Superbes. But the Lenton! It has so much steel, and so steady and quick - it's like riding a rock with wings or something... a steel horse.


-Specter

Yes, that is what I felt wiht my Clubman. I went from 37# to 30#. Then I put like a 16T cog in back so I could go even faster! But then, I just had to go lighter and even faster, so I just got a '69 Competition, and I am loving that right now. I think it's around 25#, but with - get this - TEN gears.

Just be warned - if you step off that mighty steed, you will find it pretty darn hard to go back once you ride the philly! Now I got it so bad, I measure how much water I'll need in my bottle to make it to where I'm going. I don't carry coin any more - just plastic. I cut my hair shorter...I sometimes even find myself irrestistably drawn to the road bike forum! ARGHHH!!

I've been riding strictly English 3 speeds.. 20-30 steel, mainly Raleighs. The Lenton is my first lightweight experience and it has done something to me...finding it hard to resist...I now have my Lenton parked on the outside end of a row of 60s & 70s upright Sports and Superbes so it's the most accessible when I decide to go for a ride. It's only been like this for about a week(since I got the Lenton)... It's only one right? I can quit any time I want...right?

Have you tried donating a couple of quarts of blood before each ride yet? Also, exfoliating removes a lot of epidermal weight.
I swear, I didn't learn that from 'the other forum', never even lurked there... but I'm sure they would appreciate it! Oh no - I'm thinking like that on my own now... Darn You 1946 Lenton Sports 531!!!

If you are going to use it as it was intended to be used I would dump that old rubber. I had a blowout on my 80s Raleigh last week.It was on the original michelin front tyre. I was lucky as I had just started a fast downhill run and was able to stop under control. Could have been a lot worse. lesson learned.

Jim

If you are going to use it as it was intended to be used I would dump that old rubber. I had a blowout on my 80s Raleigh last week.It was on the original michelin front tyre. I was lucky as I had just started a fast downhill run and was able to stop under control. Could have been a lot worse. lesson learned.

Jim

Yeah, this is a good point. If you're going to ride this bike, put new tires on it. You're going to have a hard time finding new tires in the original size, but schwinn s-6 26 x 1 3/8 tires will fit; hang the original war grade ones on the wall.

And if you're going to do much riding, I'd suggest taking the original fenders off as well. They are fragile, and probably brittle even on a good day. I had a pair of those old plastic fenders once, until one time on a cold day I went over a bump, the fender touched the tire for an instant, and the whole thing just shattered. I heard this bang, saw all this plastic flying all over the place, and at first had no idea what had happened. Puzzled, I stopped and looked at my bike... wtf? where's my back fender? The thing was in pieces, most of them no bigger than a stick of chewing gum.

Exploding tires and fenders - oh my!! Sounds like you guys are saying my bike is a time bomb waiting to blow!
Seriously, thank you for the suggestions. With the tires, is this a case of better safe than sorry, or is there a way to assess them for strength and durability, with a chance that they still have a 'blank' amount of miles left on them? Is it simply unpredictable with tires this old? There is no cracking or dry rot on either tire. I won't be racing the Tour de France, but NYC does have some bumpy terrain.
Much Obliged to everyone thus far who's contributed to this thread,
Specter

Ok, I keep looking at the pictures and I keep saying "wow". This model is one nice looking bike :)

What is the smallest size the Lenton was offered in? Something around a 31"ish inseam I hope...

Time to keep watching ebay religiously I think...


Kevin

Hey, exactly what size are those tires? I've got schwinn S-6s on my old beater and I'm curious just how different they are from what it's supposed to have.

Ok, I keep looking at the pictures and I keep saying "wow". This model is one nice looking bike :)

What is the smallest size the Lenton was offered in? Something around a 31"ish inseam I hope...

Time to keep watching ebay religiously I think...


Kevin

I know, I keep saying 'wow' too. I'm in the process of carefully cleaning and polishing it right now, and it's cleaning up beautifully. The chrome parts are incredibly nice, but it's how they're mixed in with war shortage 'blackened' bits that's so attractive. This Lenton was re-introduced in 1946, right after the war, produced for a year or so, and then re-introduced again years later. This model was offered with a 21" frame only, with the stand-over height being 30 1/2"... so I believe 21" was the smallest. I feel I got lucky finding this one, I actually stumbled upon it in the want-ads paper magazine while browsing the classifieds for something else. I keep trying to find something comparable online, ebay, etc, but have not seen one.

Hey, exactly what size are those tires? I've got schwinn S-6s on my old beater and I'm curious just how different they are from what it's supposed to have.

The tires are 26 x 1-1/4 ", the front tire being the original Dunlop 'War Grade', and the rear being an appropriate sized Michelin from the late '40s. What size are S-6's?

The tires are 26 x 1-1/4 ", the front tire being the original Dunlop 'War Grade', and the rear being an appropriate sized Michelin from the late '40s. What size are S-6's?

Read up on tire sizing, fractional (http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#fraction), on Sheldon Brown's website.

In a nutshell, most English 3-speeds have 26 x 1 3/8 "E. A. 3" rims, ISO size 590 mm. Those tires are still made.

But the racier English 3-speeds have 26 x 1 1/4 rims, ISO size 597. Those tires are no longer made.

Luckily, some Schwinns had 26 x 1 3/8 "S6" rims, ISO size 597. These are still made. They will fit your rims. Whether they fit under your fenders is another question; I am guessing the fit will be tighter.

As for the safety of your existing tires... and your safety.... Look, dude, I don't know you, so as far as I'm concerned, you are replaceable! ;) But by almost any standard, your "war grade" tire is irreplaceable. Your bike is in many ways a collector's item, but the war grade tire is practically a museum piece. I don't mean it has monetary value (though I wouldn't rule that out), but whatever value it has, riding it will not improve it. Your argument ("but it's in great shape!, why replace it?") does not hold any water in my opinion because the tire is, in my opinion, simply too precious to ride.

If you leave the original tires and fenders on this bike, and ride it, they will inevitably degrade, certainly gradually and perhaps catastrophically. Sooner or later you will have to replace them with modern stuff. That much is certain. The decision you have to make is whether you take them off and hang them on your wall, or put them in the trash. I vote for the former.

I have a 1946 Rudge Aero, the first year of the Aero. In 1947 the name changed to Rudge Aero Clubman. I have the 47/48 catalogue and it shows the Aero Clubman transfer. Mine has only the Aero transfer. Also the bikes came with fixed/free flip flop hubs. The Sturmey Archer hubs were optional. I also have the 47 Humber catalogue and the Humber Beeston Clubman is almost identical.
My bike was also bought from the original owners estate sale. It is a double flip flop fixed gear bike. It has the original painted frame which is completely faded from the lustre orange to a silver undercoat. The orange shows in a few places under clamps and around the lugs. The transfers are all there except the 531 transfer is now a mark where it was. It is a North American market model with the fork lamp clamp on the left side of the fork which has a pin on the inside of it. The bike had no mudguards when I got it. It now has Bluemels with the front one cut to look original. I put a 3 speeed wheel on it and rode the Lake Pepin 3 Speed Tour a few years ago and it rode great. These are wonderful bikes to ride.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m104/oldy57/Rudge%201947-48%20Catalogue/Rudge47-4815.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m104/oldy57/1947-48%20Humber%20Catalogue/Humber47-4815.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m104/oldy57/Lake%20Pepin%203%20Speed%20Tour%20%202007/3speed2007041.jpg

nice find! damn. manofsteel, i think we need to see pics of your bikes. i ride raleighs as well, three sports, a tourist, a twenty, etc. no lenton yet though. i love those damned things.

Oldy57, You've got a nice find there yourself! For a bike that old with the silver undercoat still intact is a real testament to the diligence in protecting these steel frames from rust. After recently polishing I discovered the blue-green paint on mine still has it's gloss. You can see the black undercoat in the few places where it's chipped. The Bluemels look great on your Rudge Aero - they make nice replacements.
Member Nlerner posted a pic of his '49 clubman on the first page of this thread which also has many similarities to my Lenton; paint, transfers, lugs, and most components. Except for the original metallic brake cables, most everything on my Lenton is looking pretty much brand new after I clean it up - it's looking amazing! Is that the original kit bag you show in the photo? I'd love to have mine- it's the only thing missing(unless it was an option not originally opted for).
The catalog would be nice too - so great that yours has that. Still, I'm thrilled to have what I've got.

nice find! damn. manofsteel, i think we need to see pics of your bikes. i ride raleighs as well, three sports, a tourist, a twenty, etc. no lenton yet though. i love those damned things.

I'll definitely post some pics of the others as soon as I can(still need to photograph them). I'd like to see your Raleighs as well. Next, I hope to find a tourist(50s Tourist Superbe Sports would be nice) or a
DL-1 Roadster with 28"wheels and rod brakes. I hope you find a good Lenton.

rhm , thanks for the link to 'tire fractioning'. I think your advice is good advice. As difficult as it is to remove the fenders for riding, eventual deteriotion(or a shattered fender) is surely inevitable.

It's kind of a catch 22 for me; because showing off the bike while riding it in all it's original glory is extremely fun and satisfying... but in doing so I may soon have little to show off.

Oldy57's catalog shots prompted me to look and see what I had from that era. These scans are from the 1950 Raleigh UK catalog, and the Lenton Sports shown looks very similar to manofsteel's catch. The one exception is the crankset chainring. Also, from the specs, it looks like it did come with that seat bag.

Neal

http://web.mit.edu/nlerner/Public/Bikes/1950_LentonCat1.jpg

http://web.mit.edu/nlerner/Public/Bikes/1950_LentonCat2.jpg

Oldy57's catalog shots prompted me to look and see what I had from that era. These scans are from the 1950 Raleigh UK catalog, and the Lenton Sports shown looks very similar to manofsteel's catch. The one exception is the crankset chainring. Also, from the specs, it looks like it did come with that seat bag.

With all these similarities I've been prompted to do a little more research myself. According to The Headbadge, Raleighs with serial numbers ending in AJ are exclusively from 1948(which mine has).
I know for a fact that the gear shifter on mine was only used between 1938-48(see here: http://genetics.mgh.harvard.edu/hanczyc/pdfs/satriggers.pdf ). Several other features also indicate that it was made between 1945 and 1948.
Do you think there are exceptions to The Headbadge's serial number chart. And if not, this doesn't make sense considering the bike was acquired in 1947, one year following new purchase, by the man I bought it from. Anyone like a good mystery?