MSWANTAK-Coffee huh!In its defence( Brit spelling) the COFFEE paint looks better in person than it does in pictures(heck,it could hardly look worse-it looks like pure rust-Katrina gunk in pictures).
I know zero about Raleigh's except that the one I saw when I was a child in Philly~1956(5yo)- a black 3 speed "English Racers" were as exotic as a B-58.They were always "English Racers" then,and were uncommon and extremely cool.
1978?The date fits with my buddies memory.He says he paid $250 for it over 25 years ago.1)Yikes,could this 40 lb(I weighed it) clunker have cost $250 back then?2)Is the front of the front fender supposed to be kinda pinched in and very close to the tire?The Weimann(sic) brakes indicate it wasn't a cheapo bike.
The Philistine in me says I should have just left this pile for the landfill, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that;besides I have never owned a 3 speed-AW Sturmey Archer hub and all.3)What does AW mean?Model of hub?It really isn't worth the $35 dollars for new tires-tubes-cables and 10 hours of work I am destined to spend on it,but I can't help myself.
One last question.4)Are you supposed to stop pedaling to shift?I seem to remember something like that?Thanks.Charlie