Raleigh 3 speed with Brooks saddle
 

I can get this Ralieigh 3 speed pretty cheap, it has been sitting outside for a few years. Is the Brooks saddle original to the bike? Can you buy new leather for the seat? is the seat worth anything in this condition? Can anyone tell about what year the bike was made from the photo? Is the bike worth anything. Not sure if I want the bike I may buy it to get the seat for a wall hanger or put it on a rat bike.https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cb346f401a.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...49fd6d05f0.jpg

My guess would be around 1973, but you could get a more accurate date from the rear hub shell. The saddle leather is toast. it can be replaced, but it will be costly. White is a fairly unusual color, most Sports of that era were black, coffee, or green. I am surprised that the chrome looks so clean (except the wheels). You'll drop some money into it to get it in riding condition; so I would buy it as a keeper, but you will lose money if you flip it. For sale, it is worth more in parts than as a whole bike.

raleigh resto
 

I have resto'd a few Raleigh 3 speeds. This one looks pretty good from the pictures. If you take it apart and clean it good you will be surprised how good it looks.




Here is what I would do :




Take off the wheels, brakes, bars, brakes .




Get a gallon of white vinegar and throw all the metal bits into a bucket full of it and let sit for a day then clean everything with a small brass cleaning brush ( they sell for about $.60 at harbour freight). After soaking Most rust will just wipe off.


Clean the frame with a rag soaked in mineral spirits or wd40 then wipe down again with simple green. Any crusted on grease you can take off with the brass brush and a little mineral spirits.


If the wheels are rusty , get a jar of Naval jelly and brush it on the rust and scrub it in with the brass brush, wait 30 minutes , then hose off. You should get some disposable rubber gloves for this but don't panic if you get some jelly on you , it is a mild acid and you probably won't feel any burning. Still, you should wash it off. You should do the same for the inside of the rims . After you remove the tires and tubes the inside might be very rusty. These rims are exceptionally thick and strong and even though they may look terrible a session with a wire brush followed by naval jelly and a quick coat of rustoleum clear and they will be good to go.




for the frame, once it is as clean as possible, get some dupont white polishing compound and rub out the paint with it. This will remove marks and dirt that the previous cleaning won't.




Now, if you want to take things to the next level, get a can of Rustoleum clear enamel and carefully spray the frame , being careful not to put it on too heavy as it will run.

Now that you have gleaming chrome, sparkling paint, reassemble everything and you will have a bike that will probably last longer than you will.




You can do the above in a weekend and I promise , you will feel great.




A couple suggestions:




Go on Amazon and buy a 24 tooth cog for the Rear hub. It will lower the gearing considerably and give you 3 usable gears. The standard gearing is way too high.




when you remove the rear wheel be very careful of all the bits and pieces. Take pictures with your camera / phone so you can be sure how everything goes back together. This Raleigh probably uses Whitworth threads and you can't just go out and by these fasteners at your corner store.




Make sure to put some light oil(I use 20 wt ) in the hub while it is off the bike . You can pour it in through the axle where the shifter chain screws in.

here are a couple pics of a Hercules I just finished cleaning up for the bike exchange. I did basically exactly what I described here

before
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...92cd725185.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...21a49ee69d.jpg

After
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d61e580033.jpg

Total spend approx $60. New tires and tubes, cables, used seat.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...066d25625a.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...09d2f9d302.jpg