I have restored a few Raleigh Sports for the bike exchange and they are sturdy dependable work horses. Don't be too put off it the paint is dull and a bit faded. It can often be brought back to near new with a good cleaning and a polish, or in my case a clear coat with Rustoleum automotive clear. One reason many folks stop riding their Sport's , in my opinion, is the gearing which is too high . A cheap fix for that is to change the rear sprocket for a 24 tooth. They are available on Amazon for about $8. You will also probably have to replace the chain. This will make the gearing much more user friendly . First gear will actually be usable going up hill and unless you have a death wish, 3rd will be plenty fast enough. Here are a couple sports that got the clean and clear coat treatment.



Oops, I forgot. The black one actually got resprayed with black paint after the decals were taped over. The rootbeer one was just cleaned with white polishing compound then clear coated.