blondebeard

I just picked up this old bike. It's a pretty cool unit. I was wondering if anyone off hand knows any info on it. I'm coming up pretty dry on the details.

EDIT: Added the only stamp I can seem to find.

BigChief 

Wow, what a cool bike. It's a DL-1 with twin top tubes and , I think, an aftermarket fork reinforcement. From the graphics and the rear fender, it looks to be made in the late 70s. I have seen very early DL-1s with twin top tubes, but never one from the 70s. This is new to me. Nice find.

gugie 

That's clearly a Rivendell frame.

dufeau

I agree that this is a DL-1... a model with a very long history! Some close up pictures of the badges and stickers, plus the serial number on the rear hub will help date this beautiful find! https://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/dating.html

I bet she'll clean up beautifully!

Edit: here is another resource for dating Raleighs: https://www.kurtkaminer.com/TH_raleigh_serials.html

The full chaincase suggests a 1950s vintage: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/raleigh.html

blondebeard

The paint is original. AND it's in awesome condition. I picked it up for $100. When I get home tonight, I'll take some more detailed pictures and post as much info as I can find.

EDIT:

It's a single gear also, I can't post links otherwise you could zoom into the pictures.

rhm

I'm inclined to think this is not a model made for the US market.

We usually look to the three speed hub for a date; since you don't have one, that's out. The decals seem to suggest a 1970's-80's date. The six digit number on the lower head lug does not look like a Raleigh serial number, though. Is there another number somewhere else? Seat lug? Bottom bracket? Rear left dropout?

Brooks saddles often have a date on the underside of the cantle plate. Is it a Brooks saddle, though?

Is there an unambiguous "made in _____" anywhere on the frame? No doubt most of the components were made in England; but perhaps the frame was made by a Raleigh plant somewhere else.

At any rate, whatever it is, it's very cool.

blondebeard

The guy I got it off of mumbled something about South Africa. I was so busy looking it over and just thinking "damn son, this is a cool bike..." to ask of it's history. All the parts (At least the kickstand and back carrier) are marked Raleigh. Like I said, when I get home I'll bring it outside and take pics of the decals and have a go at finding another serial number.

BigChief 

As I recall, a couple of ways to tell if it's a South African DL1 are: The front brakes don't have the offset arms and the small "Sir Raleigh" symbol is stamped near the pedal instead of near the spindle on the crank arms.

blondebeard

Sweet! I'll have a look. You guys are awesome.

blondebeard

I updated the original post with the photos I took tonight.

nlerner

Funky! At one point I acquired a single-speed DL-1 that was made in Mexico. I can't actually remember how I knew that as I don't think it was marked anywhere--perhaps from the seller.

rhm

Wow, really cool. And you have the original pump.

I worked in a Raleigh store in DC in 1980, and the DL-1 we sold was nothing like that.

I count 40 spokes in your rear wheel, which is as it should be. But I'm having a hard time counting the spokes in your front wheel. Is it 32? Looks like more.

blondebeard

Just counted, 40 on the front. It would he difficult in a picture because of that neat front suspension aparatus

SirMike1983 

Correct - 1970s export specification roadster. Looks African or Indian spec to me, so focus would be India, South Africa, or Nigeria. This is not a US-spec Raleigh; it was probably brought into the country by someone who was abroad in Africa. The Raleighs for those markets were built as massively and heavily as possible - single speed gears; double bar frames; heavy accessories; etc. This held true right up to about 1980 or so. Raleigh's African and Indian holdings both dropped dramatically about 1980.

BigChief 

I think this bike might be from India. The chain ring has the same pattern as a Hero Jet roadster and some of them have the same fork reinforcement.
Also found this:
Apparently, Raleigh was having a trade mark dispute with associates in India.
https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1904681/

SirMike1983 

Raleigh was associated with first-world manufacturing and quality for many years, and some companies took advantage of that in different countries. I have an Indonesian head badge hanging up in my garage. It has the Raleigh bird, same shape, except the "G" is a carefully disguised "C": Raleich. I actually thought it was a Raleigh badge until I looked closely.

Hobbiano 

I found an interesting exploded view drawing of a Raleigh DL-1 on this site: The Boston Raleigh Users Group: November 2011
Scroll down a little and you'll see it. It shows three different frames: A men's frame (part number FA176), a ladies frame (FA197), and a men's double top tube frame (FA176DTT).
It's a really nice drawing - worth saving and maybe printing out.

blondebeard

Wow that's amazing. It says it would look good on a T-Shirt. Lol, it would! Well all I can say is this bike has obviously had an interesting life. It's hard to believe someone can store something in their garage for 30 years and just go, might as well make $100. hahah. My original plan was to build an e-Bike out of it, get it going at around 80kmph. But now I'm not so sure, this thing is unique and modifying it would forever change this well held together little gem I've found. I might just restore/rechrome it and breath some life back into this browning beast.

Anyone know of a decent place to get tires and or rims? It seems to have a unique tire size.

Hobbiano 

Yellow Jersey and Harris Cyclery have tires and parts. A search of that tire size will turn up others as well. I think a Kenda K141 is a common replacement.
Check out the three speed thread here if you haven't already: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...-3-speeds.html
Please consider keeping it original or selling it to someone who will. It's an awesome bike.

blondebeard

Basically I was considering buying a different rear tire, keeping the original and making this bike convertible. If I use a rear mounted Hub motor I can keep the batteries and controller inside the bag therefor making everything removable and able to simply switch rear tires to be back at stock.

The only issue I sit at is the brakes on the bike seem rather antiquated. I'm sure I would have to install disc brake calipers on the front, which would mean frame modification and I really don't want to do anything like that.

Honestly I'm considering restoring this bike and finding another for my electric project. hahah

The saddle seat on this bike is in beautiful condition, However because it's been sitting for years, it's dried out but the leather is still immaculate. Is there any special treatment I should know about? Or can I sink some mink oil into it to breath some life back into it and give it back a nice luster?

BigChief 

I suggest Brooks Proofide. In my opinion this bike is way to nice to modify. (except for maybe a 3 speed hub) Decent performance can be had from rod brakes. We had a discussion on this topic over at the 3 speed thread. To be brief, I have had the best results with salmon Kool Stop inserts, getting the pads to land on the correct position on the rim evenly and making sure the brake levers have around 3" of travel between the end of the lever and the bare handlebar. Good setup and Kool Stop pads make a huge difference.

Hobbiano 

"Honestly I'm considering restoring this bike and finding another for my electric project. hahah"

Please do this.

rhm

+1, but don't go crazy. Don't rechrome anything, just get it in good mechanical order.

If the leather saddle is as dried out as you say, it may be seriously weakened, may tear in half when used. It's hard to tell when this will happen; it'll look fine one minute and then it tears in half.

So don't worry about it, if it tears it tears. But don't throw away the remains, the frame can be reused

blondebeard

Yeah, I'll restore it to ride. I like the way it looks, I'm not going to re-chrome it. Its just dry on the top, the seat is very flexible, it's just the top layer of leather. If it breaks, it breaks. I've seen them for sale online, so it's replaceable.

campngolf

Color me jealous. I'd love to have something like that as a nice project bike.