Reynolds 

I saw an old Raleigh for sale yesterday. It has 26" wheels, single gear, rod brakes and full chaincase. Paint is original (orange! I thought all Raleighs were black or green...) with some patina and worn out in some places, decals and headbadge still present. Non-original tires and pedals, leather seat top dry and broken (but metal parts ok). Mechanically OK. Asking price is $120. I was looking for a 28", but this seems to be in good condition. What do you think?

USAZorro

Personally, I'd pass, but that's got as much to do with my preference for drop-bar 10 speeds as anything.

If it really strikes your fancy, consider this. When do you think you'll see another one? How much would spending the $$ on it and any repairs be a negative, and how would that compare to the enjoyment you'd get from having it, riding it, and showing it to your friends?

StephenH

I wasn't aware that they made 26" bikes with rod brakes. Are you sure that's the original wheels on it?

I'd be tempted, would depend on condition and location.

mackerel

Orange?!

wahoonc

Yep...I have a Hercules with that set up.

Aaron

SirMike1983 

Yes- they indeed made 26 inch rod brake bicycles, and plenty of them. They were much more popular in Britain than in the US though. In the US a 26 inch rod brake roadster is a bit uncommon-- the vast majority were 26 inch sports bicycles with cable brakes, with a minority of 28 inch rod brake roadsters. In Britain though the "roadster" bicycle came in many flavors beyond the two that we're most familiar with here in the US. They had single speeds (older Sunbeams were often single speeds) and rod brakes appeared on bicycles with 26 inch rims too. They also could be bought with a variety of accessories. These bicycles often occupied a sort of space between light roadsters and middleweight roadsters (like the DL-1 many of us are more familiar with).

Have a look here:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroral...and/index.html

and here:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroral...1939/index.htm

You'll find the roadster came in many varieties.

Orange sounds like an uncommon paint though (are you sure it's original?). Not all roadsters were black, but black was by far the most common color (we do see a fair number of greens out there though, and a few reds, maroons and blues). A picture would be nice-- it sounds like this bike is something certainly off the beaten path here in the US.

cudak888 

A 26"-wheeled machine would be a Raleigh Dawn, if here in the States. Unusual to find at any rate, though I'm perplexed by the orange color. I know Raleigh produced the Rudge Aero in a shocking orange/black combination, but I've never heard of it on a Dawn, or a Sports for that matter.



If it is all there, and if you're absolutely sure of the color being original, I'd go for it. If it is something that won't be sold anytime soon, take a photo of it and post it up here before taking the leap. If it's on Craigslist, just get it.

-Kurt

P.S.: A variant of the Dawn was produced in the early '80s for the U.K. market only under the name Raleigh "Royal Roadster." DL-1 based models were also produced under the Royal Roadster name. Regardless of the variant, these only came in black just the same.

sailorbenjamin

If it's a men's bike, and it's your size and it's ridable right now then it's worth it. If it's 2 out of 3 of those things, it's still probably worth it.
the metal in the seat ain't worth much. I got three busted Brookses in the basement. They don't sell replacement leather. I'm suprised at just how busted they can look, though, and still be rideable.

mr.bill

Hello Reynolds,

In the condition you describe
if it's a men's bike $120 is a good deal.
I never saw a orange,only black.

Best of luck.

Cheers.

Reynolds 

Thanks. I'm not 100% sure about the paint being original, but the decals are and they are on the paint. I doubt anyone would take the trouble to get all original decals and then change the color. Strangely, the rear fender (with an original decal too) is not the same tone, it's a bit 'redder'.

SirMike1983 

At $120 I would've bought it, myself-- well if it's in the condition you describe. I think I paid about that for a regular black DL-1 a few years ago here in the DC area. I don't regret that purchase one bit.

You just don't happen on that combination of features in the US much at all.

At the very least grab some pictures-- I'm sure interested in that combination.

mackerel

Perhaps the orange is actually severely sun faded red paint.

cudak888 

*suspense*

Do you intend to buy it or not? Some of us are on pins and needles to see it if you do purchase it.

-Kurt

Reynolds 

They 'suspended' the sale for now - I think some relative has asked them to.

cudak888 

Can you ask them if we might at least have a photo of the bike for future Raleigh reference?

-Kurt

Reynolds 

I'll try.

cudak888 

Can't hurt - least they'll think is that the photo might lead to some kind of Antiques Roadshow revelation in value (which it won't, of course)

-Kurt

Reynolds 

Had another glance at it. Hubs are Sturmey, 36 spoke front / 40 rear. No oilers on hubs or BB. Serial number on the seat tube is NA0029525. The rear fender attaches to the chainstay bridge through a plastic clip that makes me think it's from the '70s. The paint is certainly orange with traces of gold pinstriping on frame and fork.

cudak888 

January 1980, Nottingham factory. 36h front wheel would agree on that fact, but 40 hole was out here in the States in '73.

Orange was not a color available here in the States either - by any chance, are you in Canada?

Are the downtube logos italicized?

-Kurt

Reynolds 

I'm in South America. I thought roadsters were 36/36 or 32/40. The downtube logos are in italics - it's probably from 1980 as you say. Looks somewhat crude compared to some other older Raleigh roadsters I've seen, is that normal?

mswantak

Pictures! We must have pictures!

cudak888 

Absolutely - I wholeheartedly second the motion!

Print this page out and show it to the original owners if they have any doubts. It is for the betterment of the community that we see a photograph of this machine. Would be very interesting to see a late model Raleigh produced for the South American market.

-Kurt

P.S.: 26"-wheeled machines were typically 32/40; they became 36/36 in '73. DL-1 rod-brake 28" models were 32/40, and became 36/40 in 1973. The 36/40 on a post-'73, 26"-wheel machine is unusual, though I'll put an educated guess that the reason for it is because it is rod-brake equipped. Don't ask me why they would do such a thing - I'm only applying Raleigh logic to this.