...and it's all mine!
I haven't been posting here long, but if you remember my first few posts, you know I recently bought a "brand new" Nishiki from a lady in my church who got the bike when her daughter-in-law's father died. The other bike she got out of that was an old Raleigh. Well tonight, I shelled out the bucks ($30, to be exact... asking price was $25 but it was for the church garage sale and I didn't have change, so I just gave her $30) and I picked up that bike too!
It looks to be very much original. It is at least 33 years old based on a 1975 Houston registration sticker on it.
EDIT: The hub says Sturmey Archer AW 65 12, which dates the hub back to 1965, so figure the bike was probably built in 1966.
I think all it really needs is some cleaning up. Some things I've noticed about the bike:
. Brakes: The have rigid linkage. The front link goes directly to the brake; the rear brake link drives a little lever at the base of the head tube that pulls a cable. The brakes themselves are weird: They don't squeeze like calipers, the pull directly
into the rim. For those familiar with vintage bikes, this is probably no big deal but I've never seen brakes of that style (anyone know the term for them?)
. Gearing: Three-speed Sturmey-Archer. It doesn't shift very well, but when I disconnected the cable and pulled the chain by hand, I think I got three gears out of it. I'll need some help cleaning that up and adjusting it properly.
. Saddle: Brooks saddle, "Made in England" (of course). The leather is cracked but I think the seat is worth keeping. I'll need some advice on what to use to clean and condition it.
. It's a 2030 straight-tube frame. The tubes that run from the seat post to the rear hub are a bolt-on piece and not part of the rest of the frame. At first I thought the color was black but now I'm starting to think it's a very dark green... maybe I can tell better in the daylight. Almost all the decals are intact; unfortunately the Raleigh decal under the seat has the registration sticker over part of it.
. Full fenders and upper chain guard. A little rusty but not so bad I want to go out and paint them.
. 700 x 38 rims, very clean. Front rim is perfectly straight, rear rim is off a bit but not too bad.
. Accessories include leatherette saddlebag (the closure straps are broken off though), front and rear lights that run off a generator and a handlebar bell.
Where can I find a serial number on the frame? Any way to tell conclusively what year it is?