Originally Posted by
clubman
@
BigChief. Must be a Rudge lug, my early 50's has it too
52 Humber has a Birds mouth at the front, plain at the seat tube.
I wonder if it is specific to Rudge. Raleigh did continue to make the hand chainwheels and oval crown forks with Rudge style chrome caps when they took over production.
It's hard to make out lug shapes in most photos and catalog pictures. I did see a very original 1954 Raleigh Sports in person once and the front of the head lug was a plain oval like a DL1, the top tube joint was that birds mouth shape and the seat tube lug had a plain straight edge. That's how I came to date the more elaborate shaped lugs to around 1955.