Classic & Vintage - an ANCIENT Raleigh bike

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moxfyre
11-25-04, 06:45 PM
I'm visited my grandmother for Thanksgiving, and found this cool bike in her basement!
* Head tube badge says Nottingham Raleigh
* Frame says "Raleigh", "Colt"
* Seat tube is ~20"
* Top tube is bowed upwards
* Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub + shifter (identifies itself as made in 1969)
* Wheels diameter is in between 26" and 700C I'd say
* Saddle is leather
* Tires are Dunlop White Spirit
* All the parts are identified as "Made in England", which I find to be quite extraordinary

Anybody have one of these? Are they fun? Valuable? Anyone know how to clean duct tape residue and other kinds of gunk off a leather saddle?

USAZorro
11-25-04, 07:11 PM
Ancient?? I saw the thread title and expected to hear about something with rod brakes. :lol:

Here's a link to a part of the 1968 catalog. The Colt was a nice for what it was - a bicycle for the recreational rider, and given Raleigh's reputation for durable, well made bicycles, you should be able to get it back on the road. Even if you restore it, you aren't likely to sell it for more than about $50.00.

http://retroraleighs.com/catalogs/Raleigh-Catalog-1968.pdf

Sorry, I don't have anything for you on the saddle.
moxfyre
11-25-04, 07:25 PM
Sorry to disappoint on the ancientness!

I just turned 23 so it *seems* ancient to me. I'm definitely gonna restore it just because I'm into that sort of stupidity :P

USAZorro
11-25-04, 08:08 PM
Definitely understandable. I would have a little difficulty acknowledging something younger than me as being ancient. That would make me "almost dead ". :p

I'm also glad to hear that you're looking to restore an old bicycle. You are likely to put more money into it than you could get out, but that isn't the point of the exercise. I hope you enjoy the process and riding the bicycle when its done.

Good luck with that saddle too. Is it one of the Brooks ladies' models? I'm definitely not an expert, but I do know you don't want to use abrasives or solvents. Maybe if you dampen a cloth and slowly rub over the gunked-up parts, you'll be able to get a good portion of it off. Scanning either this forum or oldroads.com with the right keyword (that might be the toughest part, because you'll get a ridiculous number of entries if you use "restore" or "saddle" or "leather"), you'll find good advice.
moxfyre
11-25-04, 08:50 PM
Thanks for the help! I've restored a couple 80s bikes, but this will definitely be my oldest one so far.